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App info and controls
Privacy+
Calculations happen in your browser and don't require an account. When you calculate a result, the specific numbers shown are automatically sent to our AI provider to generate the plain-language summary. If you use the 'Ask a question' feature, whatever you type is also sent for that response. None of this is stored by us, shared with anyone else, or used to train any AI model.
Calculator entries may be saved in this browser so you can come back later on the same device and update them.
College Decision Center submissions and forms, if added later, should not include private financial aid documents, student IDs, account numbers, or other sensitive records.
The site is not designed to sell personal data. Printable report downloads are free and do not require an email address.
Use Clear saved data any time to remove saved calculator information and local preferences from this browser.
Tools+
Choose one of the three college engines, select a level, enter the numbers you know, and click Calculate.
Quick Answer keeps inputs short. Detailed Analysis and Comprehensive Plan reveal more assumptions for users who want a fuller estimate.
Calculation details
Is This College Worth the Cost? estimates total net cost, borrowing, repayment, interest, expected salary, debt-to-income ratio, break-even timing, risk flags, risk flags, and what could change the result.
Public vs Private compares two schools over 20 years using net cost, non-tuition costs, borrowing, repayment, expected earnings, and estimated net wealth.
Student Loan by Major estimates whether a planned debt amount fits the expected starting salary from the major.
The borrowing rules are shown directly: green debt is below 60% of starting salary, yellow is 60% up to 90%, orange is 90% up to 125%, and red is 125% or higher.
Results are estimates. They depend on the inputs, assumptions, and missing details shown in the result.
The Download Report button creates a printable report from the last calculated engine result.
Complete Printable Report+
The calculator results are free to view on this site.
The report is a free convenience export for users who want to save, print, or share their college decision calculation. It is an educational report based on the user's entries, not a professional financial plan.
The printable report includes the selected calculator, information entered by the user, main college answer, key numbers, cost and loan assumptions, risk flags, strengths, weak spots, possible next steps, scenarios when available, assumptions used, and educational disclaimer.
Your results are free. Report downloads are free and only for saving, printing, or sharing your report.
Click Calculate first so the report matches the most recent result shown on the page.
Ads are not included in the printable report.
Disclaimer+
College Decision Center is an educational college decision calculator and decision-support tool. It does not provide financial, legal, tax, admissions, student loan, educational, or professional advice.
Results are estimates based on the information entered and assumptions shown. College outcomes depend on costs, aid, borrowing, repayment terms, graduation, employment, earnings, and personal circumstances.
Read full disclaimerCommon Questions+
Is this financial advice?+
No. College Decision Center is an educational decision-support tool. It can help organize assumptions, estimates, and possible next steps, but it does not provide financial, legal, tax, admissions, student loan, educational, or professional advice.
Do I need an account?+
Calculations happen in your browser and don't require an account. When you calculate a result, the specific numbers shown are automatically sent to our AI provider to generate the plain-language summary. If you use the 'Ask a question' feature, whatever you type is also sent for that response. None of this is stored by us, shared with anyone else, or used to train any AI model.
Where should I get college cost numbers?+
The school's financial aid offer, net price calculator, cost of attendance page, and any loan terms being considered are the source numbers for this calculator. The calculator is only as useful as the numbers entered.
Why do the results show assumptions?+
College decisions depend heavily on assumptions like net price, years attending, borrowing, interest rate, major, expected salary, salary growth, and graduation likelihood. Showing assumptions makes the result easier to question and update.
Can I export my result?+
Yes. After calculating an engine result, use Download Report to export a printable College Decision Report with inputs, key numbers, scenarios, possible next steps, assumptions, and the educational disclaimer. Your results are free; report downloads are free and only for saving, printing, or sharing your report.
About
About This Website
A financial aid award letter is one of the least transparent documents a family will ever receive — grants, loans, work-study, and an "estimated family contribution," with no clear picture of what's actually owed or what that debt means years later. CollegeDecisionCenter exists to turn that pile of numbers into an actual comparison before a deposit is due.
How These Calculators Are Built
Every calculator here is built on a transparent research and review process. These tools draw from federal financial aid guidance, published student loan repayment data, and recognized higher-education cost research. Where a school's actual net cost is genuinely unknowable without its exact award letter, the calculator says so directly.
Before publishing, every calculator goes through multiple rounds of review: calculations verified, assumptions challenged, edge cases tested, and cross-checked with independent tools, including AI-assisted analysis.
Why the Assumptions Are Visible
Aid formulas, loan interest, and repayment timelines all drive the final numbers, and every input is shown so it can be adjusted against an actual award letter or loan offer.
Educational Information — Not Professional Advice
This is an educational comparison tool, built to help a family walk into a decision between offers with real numbers already in hand.
A Commitment to Improvement
Financial aid formulas and loan terms change year to year. If something here looks outdated, feedback can be sent to hello@answerworth.com.
Don't trust a result simply because it appears on this website. Trust it because you can see how it was calculated, examine the assumptions, and decide for yourself whether the reasoning fits your situation.
Want more detail on how research and review works across the network? Read our Research & Review Process →.