Comprehensive Guide
Learn more in our Planning Guide.
How it works
College tuition has historically inflated at 5–6% per year — roughly double general inflation. A college that costs $25,000 today will cost approximately $40,600 when a 5-year-old enrolls in 13 years. The total 4-year cost (with inflation during college) reaches $178,000. The calculator projects these future costs and determines the monthly savings needed in a 529 plan or investment account to cover the full amount. Building wealth is not about earning more — it is about the gap between what you earn and what you spend. A person earning $200,000 who spends $195,000 builds less wealth than someone earning $60,000 who spends $40,000. The savings rate matters more than the income level. Start by automating your savings on payday so the money never hits your checking account where you can spend it. Every field in this calculator exists for a reason. Enter Child\, Current annual college cost, Expected tuition inflation (%), Years in college, Expected savings return (%), and the engine recomputes the results instantly — no signup, no email, and nothing is sent to a server, because the math runs entirely in your browser. Change one input at a time to see which lever moves the result most; that sensitivity, not any single number, is usually the real insight. The worked example below the form uses realistic defaults so you can sanity-check the output before trusting it with your own figures, and the formula is published on the page so you can verify every step of the arithmetic yourself.Formula
Future cost = Current cost × (1 + inflation)^years to enrollment. Monthly savings = Future total × rate ÷ ((1 + rate)^years − 1).
Tips
- Start saving early — the power of compounding is your biggest ally.
- 529 plans offer tax-free growth and withdrawals for education expenses.
- Aim to cover 50–80% of projected costs; students can cover the rest with work and loans.
- Tuition inflation has slowed to 3–4% in recent years; use 4–5% as a conservative estimate.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I save for college?
Based on current costs: Public in-state 4-year: $40K–50K. Public out-of-state: $90K–100K. Private: $160K–200K. Save monthly based on your target coverage percentage and years until enrollment.
Is a 529 plan worth it?
Yes, if you are fairly certain the funds will be used for education. Tax-free growth and withdrawals provide a 0.5–1% annual advantage over taxable accounts. New rules allow unused 529 funds to roll into Roth IRA (up to $35K lifetime).
What does the college cost projection calculator calculate?
It takes child's current age, current annual college cost, expected tuition inflation (%), years in college, expected savings return (%) as inputs and computes future annual cost, total 4-year cost, monthly savings needed, years to save. The primary output is future annual cost. Project future college costs using historical tuition inflation — know exactly what to save for your child.