Bridge over College Waters

Your assumptions

Where you live

Starting college Grows 2025–26 prices to your first year

Yearly price increase

Scholarships + family help / yr

Grants, merit aid, savings. Not loans.

Trips home / yr

School health plan / yr

$0 if you stay on a parent's plan

Federal student loan rate

Parent PLUS / private rate

Pay loans back over

Expected starting salary

Before taxes, per year

After graduation, live

My monthly budget

Rent, food, utilities, transport

Other monthly costs after college

Phone, health insurance, clothes, fun, saving

Taxes take

Federal, state, Social Security, Medicare

First-year cost, all in

Sort Include my saved colleges

Tuition & fees Housing & food Books, personal, travel, insurance

Side by side

College	Tuition & fees	Dorm / mo	Apartment / mo	Year 1 total	Borrow, 1 yr	Borrow, 4 yrs	Owed at repayment	Monthly payment	Share of pay	Salary needed	Payment if in-state from yr 2

Prices are each school's published 2025–26 cost of attendance, rounded: Kansas resident tuition at KU and K-State, out-of-state tuition everywhere else, then grown by your yearly increase to your start year. Apartment costs are a share of a 2-bedroom near campus plus utilities, groceries and transit, paid 12 months a year because most leases run a full year. Dorm cost per month spreads housing and the meal plan over a 9-month school year. Loans assume you borrow whatever your aid doesn't cover. Federal student loans are capped at $5,500, $6,500, $7,500 and $7,500 a year; the rest is a Parent PLUS or private loan. Interest builds while you're in school and for the 6-month grace period, then gets added to the balance. Payments assume you pay the loan off in 4 years after graduation unless you change it. "Salary you'd need" is the pre-tax pay that covers living near that college after graduation (your share of rent plus food, utilities and transit, grown to your graduation year) plus your other monthly costs and the loan payment, after the tax rate you set. Check every number against the school's own cost of attendance page and net price calculator.

What a senior should know before choosing

The sticker price is only where the conversation starts. These are the dates, rules and hidden costs that change the real number.

Senior year money timeline

Oct 1The FAFSA for next school year opens. File it early, even if you think you won't qualify. Many schools require it for merit aid too, and some state and school aid runs out.
Oct–NovMany private colleges, including NYU and Fordham, also require the CSS Profile. It digs deeper into family finances than the FAFSA.
Nov 1–15Early Decision and Early Action deadlines. Early Decision is binding, so you can't compare aid offers before committing.
Jan 1–15Most Regular Decision deadlines. Check each school's separate scholarship deadline, which can be earlier.
Mar–AprAdmission and financial aid offers arrive. Compare them line by line (see below). Ask for an appeal if another school offered more or your family's finances changed.
May 1National College Decision Day. Enrollment deposits usually run $200–$1,000 and are not refundable.
Jun–AugHousing deposit, orientation fee, health insurance waiver deadline, then the fall bill, often due in August.

Reading an aid offer

Grants and scholarships are free money. This is the only part that lowers the price.
Loans are money you pay back with interest. Offers often list them next to grants so the gap looks smaller.
Work-study is a job you have to find and work. It's paid as a paycheck during the year, not taken off your bill.
Net price = full cost of attendance minus grants and scholarships. Compare schools on this number, not on tuition.
Ask whether merit scholarships renew all four years and what GPA you need to keep them.
Every college must post a net price calculator on its website. Run it for each school on your list before you apply.

Costs schools leave out

Health insurance. Many universities require their own plan ($2,500–$4,500 a year) unless you prove other coverage. An out-of-state HMO may not cover care near campus, so check before you waive.
Travel home. Flights at Thanksgiving, winter break and summer can run $400–$1,500 a year. Book holiday trips early.
Laptop and move-in. Plan on $800–$1,500 for a computer and $500–$1,000 for bedding, a fridge and dorm supplies.
Apartment startup. Security deposit (often one month's rent), first month up front, furniture, renter's insurance and a lease that keeps charging over the summer.
Major-specific fees. Film, art, engineering, nursing and business programs often add course or lab fees each semester.
A car. Campus parking permits commonly cost $200–$800 a year, before gas and insurance.

Paying out-of-state rates

Expect out-of-state tuition all four years. Most states require a year of living there for reasons other than school before you count as a resident, and many also look at whether your parents still support you. Switching after freshman year rarely works. The Compare cards show the in-state-after-year-1 numbers so you can see what's at stake, but budget for the full price.
Regional discounts. WUE (western states), MSEP (Midwest), NEBHE Tuition Break (New England) and the Academic Common Market (South) cut out-of-state tuition at schools that take part. Eligibility depends on your home state, the campus and sometimes your major.
Automatic merit aid. Many public universities give out-of-state students scholarships based on GPA and test scores. Ask UW what your grades and scores qualify you for. As a Kansas resident, ask KU and K-State about in-state merit scholarships too.
Start at a community college. Two years at a school like Spokane Falls, then transferring, can cut the cost of a bachelor's degree a lot. Confirm the credits will transfer before you enroll.

Loan rules that matter

Federal student loans (Direct loans) are capped for dependent students at $5,500 in year one, $6,500 in year two and $7,500 in years three and four, or $27,000 total.
Unsubsidized loans build interest from the day the money is paid out, including while you're in school.
Parent PLUS loans are owed by your parent, not you. For new loans starting July 1, 2026, they're capped at $20,000 a year and $65,000 total per student.
Private loans usually need a cosigner, price the rate on credit, and have fewer protections if you lose a job.
Repayment starts 6 months after you graduate or drop below half-time. For federal loans made after July 1, 2026, the standard plan runs 10 to 25 years depending on how much you owe, and there's an income-based option.

Rules of thumb

Keep total student debt below what you expect to earn your first year out.
Compare "Salary you'd need" on each card with real starting pay for your major. If the typical graduate earns less than that, plan on less debt, a cheaper school or a roommate for longer.
Keep your monthly loan payment under about 10% of your gross monthly pay. The cards on the Compare tab flag anything above that.
Check the four-year graduation rate. A fifth year costs a full extra year of tuition and living, plus a year of missed salary.
Look up typical earnings for your planned major at each school on the College Scorecard.

Where to check the numbers

studentaid.gov: FAFSA, current federal loan rates and limits, repayment plans.
cssprofile.collegeboard.org: CSS Profile and which schools require it.
collegescorecard.ed.gov: graduation rates, average debt and earnings by school and major.
WUE, MSEP (MHEC) and NEBHE: regional tuition discounts.
Each college's own "cost of attendance" and "net price calculator" pages. Those numbers beat anything on this page.

Bridge over College Waters

Your assumptions

First-year cost, all in

Side by side

Cost calculator

Your saved colleges

What a senior should know before choosing

Senior year money timeline

Reading an aid offer

Costs schools leave out

Paying out-of-state rates

Loan rules that matter

Rules of thumb

Where to check the numbers