Public in-state
$30,990
2025–26 average annual undergraduate budgetA broad starting point for an in-state public four-year path.
Plan today. Prepare for tomorrow.
College has a sticker price.
Your family needs a planning price.
See what college may actually cost, what you’ll need to save, and which paths could lower the bill—before it arrives.
Free to use No sign-up required Built for families
College Savings Calculator
Cost starting points use College Board’s 2025–26 average estimated full-time undergraduate budgets. View source.
Planning estimate only. Actual college costs, aid, savings growth, taxes, fees, and family circumstances may differ.
529 Planning Basics
Understand the account, the questions to ask, and where official guidance fits.
Explore 529 BasicsCollege Cost Scenarios
Model different schools, inflation rates, time frames, and family goals.
Run ScenariosSavings by Age
See how the same target changes when a child is 2, 8, 12, or 16.
View TimelinesBuilt for Parents. Helpful for Grandparents.
Clear tools for confident, informed family conversations.
Independent & Unbiased
No school, plan, or investment is being sold.
Your Privacy Matters
The calculator runs in your browser.
Made for Families
Simple, calm, and built with care.
The planning math
A monthly number should be the end of the math—not the beginning.
Change the calculator inputs to build a scenario.
- Your child’s age establishes how much time remains.
- Each modeled college year is adjusted using your college-cost growth assumption.
- Your chosen funding share turns the modeled cost into your family’s savings goal.
- Current savings are projected forward before the remaining gap is calculated.
- Only then does the calculator estimate a monthly amount that could close that gap.
Five numbers to watch
1. Time: college starting age minus the child’s current age.
2. Cost: each college year projected from today’s budget.
3. Goal: projected cost × the share you want savings to cover.
4. Gap: funding goal minus projected current savings.
5. Monthly: the modeled contribution that could close the remaining gap.
Stress-test the plan
One future. Several possible price tags.
These starting points use College Board’s 2025–26 average estimated full-time undergraduate budgets. Use them as broad planning scenarios, then replace them with school-specific numbers when you have better information.
Public out-of-state
$50,920
2025–26 average annual undergraduate budgetA higher public-college scenario that reflects out-of-state pricing and other budgeted expenses.
Private nonprofit
$65,470
2025–26 average annual undergraduate budgetA higher-cost four-year scenario for stress-testing the family planning goal.
Frequently asked
Clear questions. Clear planning answers.
No unexplained numbers. If a result matters, you should be able to see the assumptions that created it and change them.
Why doesn't the calculator ask how much I save each month first?
Because a monthly number has no useful context until the timeline and target are defined. The calculator first uses age, college-cost assumptions, your selected funding share, and current savings to estimate the remaining gap. Then it calculates the monthly amount that could close that gap.
What does “Your Planning Price” mean?
It is the share of the modeled future college cost that you chose for savings to cover. It is a planning goal created from your inputs, not a recommendation about what every family should save.
Does this calculator provide financial advice?
No. It is an educational planning tool. It does not recommend an investment, account, school, contribution level, or funding percentage.
Why can the result change so much?
Age, college-cost growth, the type of college-cost scenario, the share you want savings to cover, current savings, and the savings-growth assumption can all change the result. That is why the major assumptions remain visible and editable.
Where do the college-cost starting points come from?
The homepage presets use College Board's 2025–26 average estimated full-time undergraduate budgets by sector. They are broad published-budget starting points, not the net price a particular family will pay after grants, scholarships, or other aid.