Comparison Shop for Universities
If you are planning on starting university in the next couple years, use the estimates provided by these sites to estimate how much the schools you are interested in will cost you.
- Birdseye College Price Comparison
Creates a comprehensive report listing all of your requested universities with projected four-year costs and odds of admission. Report is based on historical data. Makes comparison shopping for universities very easy.
- College Navigator
Many statistics about different universities compiled by the Federal Government. Many pages of details on each university. Can also make individual projections about the overall cost of an education based on historical data, but this option is a bit buried.
- US News and World Report College Compass
This site has a lot of statistics available about most US universities. This site is hosted by US News and World Report, which puts together a popular annual list of university rankings.
- College Board Net Price Calculator
Another university price calculator. This site requires registration before any colleges can be searched, and navigation can be tricky. This site is hosted by the College Board, which sells the SAT and Advanced Placement standardized tests.
- CNN Money College Lookup Tool
This site has a simple tool that lets you look up limited cost information about universities for the most recent school year on record.
- New York Times College Cost Calculator
A fairly simple tool that lets you set hypothetical parameters about first year cost and yearly tuition increases to project an overall cost for your hypothetical university.
- Sallie Mae College Cost Calculator
Another calculator that lets you set cost parameters of a hypothetical university to project an overall cost.
- CSPN College Cost Calculator
Yet another calculator that lets you set cost parameters of a hypothetical university to project an overall cost.
- 1st Financial Bank College Net Price Calculator
An in-depth calculator to estimate a student's financial need based on the Federal FAFSA financial form. You will need your tax forms to fill this one out.
- Rezolve Group Studentaid.com
This site charges to do what the sites above do for free.
Long-Term University Savings Calculators
These calculators are good for new parents developing a savings plan so they can afford to send their children to college when the time comes. The long-term predictions are going to be fuzzy, but you will get a good idea of how much to put away.
- Fidelity Investments College Planner
This tool projects how much money can be saved for university given certain parameters (initial investment and annual additions thereafter), and then compares this projected savings to a projected university cost. A way to check on how realistic a savings plan is.
- College Board College Cost Calculator
A nice tool that lets you input an annual university cost, inflation rate, and years until starting and provides a savings goal to meet that need.
- FinAid College Cost Projector
Another tool that takes as input an annual university cost, inflation rate, and years until starting and provides a savings goal to meet that need.
- "World's Simplest" College Cost Calculator
This tool actually is pretty simple. It only takes a hypothetical child's age and then provides a monthly savings goal needed to pay for their university education.
- IRS Questions and Answers about 529 Plans
IRS site giving general information about 529 plans (tax advantaged savings plans for university education). Not a calculator, but good information for parents getting started saving early.
Tips, Guides, and Checklists for Applying to University
Informational sites with advice on what to do when applying to university.
- US News and World Report Applying to College
A great series of articles each covering a different step or aspect of the university application process. Put together by US News and World Report, which publishes university rankings annually.
- CNN Money College 101
Another series of articles covering many different aspects of the university application process.
- College Board's How To Apply To College
Information about university applications from the College Board, which sells the SAT and Advanced Placement tests. Organization is hard to follow.
- The Common Application
Site for the Common Application, which is a single application used by many US universities. It only needs to be filled out once for all universities that use it.
- A Wiki on How To Apply To College
A simple schedule of the steps needed to successfully apply to university.
- Edvisors How To Apply to College article
A short article on the process of applying for college.