How the calculator works
- The cost: a year at the college you choose at 2025–26 prices, rising each year until your child starts at 18, for each year of college.
- Your savings: what you’ve saved plus a monthly amount, growing at the rate you choose.
- The gap: how much of the cost your savings would cover, and the monthly amount that would cover all of it (or the share you choose).
What college costs
Published prices for 2025–26: tuition and fees plus housing and food. The last column assumes prices rise 2.9% a year for 18 years.
| College | A year now | Whole course now | For a newborn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public 4-year, in-state | $25,850 | $103,400 | $180,652 |
| Public 4-year, out-of-state | $45,780 | $183,120 | $319,932 |
| Private nonprofit 4-year | $60,920 | $243,680 | $425,737 |
| Public 2-year (community college) | $15,000 | $30,000 | $50,916 |
These are sticker prices. Many students pay less once grants and scholarships come off, and books, travel and personal costs are extra.
Monthly saving by your child’s age
Starting from nothing, with savings growing 6% a year and prices rising 2.9% a year:
| Child’s age now | In-state public | Half of in-state | Private |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newborn | $474 | $237 | $1,118 |
| 3 | $578 | $289 | $1,362 |
| 5 | $673 | $336 | $1,586 |
| 10 | $1,113 | $556 | $2,622 |
| 14 | $2,245 | $1,123 | $5,291 |
Starting early makes the biggest difference: the money has longer to grow, and the same goal is spread over more months. Saving for part of the cost is a sensible target too, with the rest from income, aid and student work.
Examples
For a 5-year-old heading to an in-state public college in 13 years, with $5,000 saved and $300 a month at 6% growth: four years could cost $156,590 by then, and savings would reach $80,490, about half. Covering it all would take about $627 a month.
Starting at birth with $250 a month, savings would reach about $95,240 by 18: just over half the $180,652 four in-state years would cost.
529 plans: the basics
- Tax-free growth: no federal tax on the growth, or on withdrawals for qualified costs.
- Any state’s plan: you can use any state’s 529, but your own state’s tax break, if it has one, usually needs its own plan.
- Investment choices: many plans offer age-based portfolios that move into safer investments as college gets closer.
- Financial aid: a 529 owned by a parent counts as a parent’s asset on the FAFSA, which lowers aid less than money in the student’s name.
Ways to close the gap
- Start early: growth does more of the work the longer the money is invested.
- Ask family to give to the 529 instead of gifts, for birthdays and holidays.
- Use your state’s tax break, if it has one for contributions.
- Plan on aid: fill in the FAFSA each year; grants and scholarships lower the price for many students.
Learn more
See our student loan calculator, the savings goal calculator, and the budget calculator.