Accurate College Costs Matter for Students and Families: Future-Focused Net Price Estimates

An institution’s net price is a key indicator of affordability for many students and families seeking higher education. A robust net price calculator guarantees prospective students receive the most accurate estimate of college costs and ensures institutions remain compliant with federal requirements. 

The College Board Net Price Calculator (NPC) now allows estimates for the 2025-26 academic year. Some institutions still rely on calculators that provide outdated, prior year averages that may not paint a true picture of a student’s college costs. College Board’s NPC has a future focus. It offers institutions the ability to deliver estimated net price for the upcoming academic year. This, in turn, allows students to more accurately plan for higher education.

For campuses, the Net Price Calculator supports efficient aid processes. There’s no software to install. Its intuitive setup can be managed directly by staff at each institution.  A personalized, clear NPC helps institutions make meaningful connections with potential students and their families.  

Because the calculator is cloud based and customizable and features a mobile-first design, students can easily save and share their results regarding college costs with family, counselors, and prospective institutions. And the College Board NPC is built with access in mind. If a student has saved results using our calculator with another institution, the student can carry inputs over to colleges, making the NPC quicker and easier to complete each time.

College Board’s Financial Aid Programs and Services team partners with hundreds of schools to provide financial aid services and enrollment solutions, including net price calculators, aid applications, and other cloud-based financial aid solutions such as PowerFAIDS® Cloud. To learn more about these services, contact our team at [email protected].