Free tools for planning college
Estimate costs and aid, see what you can borrow and repay, check where your scores land and count down to deadlines. Every figure comes from verified federal data or the official aid rules.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
Pick a tool, get an answer
Each preview below shows a real result from our verified data.
- College cost estimatorFind your four-year cost in 30 secondsSticker price against what aided students pay, a four-year total and graduate earnings, for up to three colleges.Open tool
Sample: Harvard University
Sticker tuition$64,796Average net price$19,1484 years at net price: $76,592
- Admission chances snapshotSee if a college is a reach, target or likelySee where your SAT or ACT score sits against a college's middle 50% of admitted students.Open tool
Sample: Harvard University
SAT middle 50%1510–15804001600Admit rate 3.7%, a reach for every applicant
- Application deadline timelineNever miss FAFSA, early or regular deadlinesCountdown to the typical FAFSA, early, regular and Decision Day dates, with a checklist that saves your progress.Open tool
Next typical date
Fall 2026 to May 2027
FAFSA, early, regular and Decision Day dates in one timeline.
- College glossaryDecode any term on an aid offer or applicationPlain-English definitions of 50+ admissions and financial aid terms, from SAI to yield.Open tool
Term of the day
Meets full demonstrated need
The college promises an aid package that covers the gap between its cost and what your family is calculated to pay, through grants, work-study and sometimes loans.
Grants, loans and repayment
Four calculators built on the 2026–27 federal aid rules, including the loan changes that took effect on July 1, 2026. Each result is an estimate, with the official source linked.
- Pell Grant estimatorSee your 2026–27 Pell Grant from your SAIEnter your Student Aid Index and credits to estimate this year's federal Pell Grant, using the official award rules.Open tool
2026–27 Pell Grant
Maximum award$7,395Example: SAI 3,000$4,395Minimum award: $740
- Federal student loan limitsKnow how much you can borrow, and what is leftAnnual and total Direct Loan limits by year and dependency, the July 2026 changes, and the gap to a college's net price.Open tool
First-year federal loan limit
Dependent student$5,500Independent student$9,500Parent PLUS: up to $20,000 a year
- Student loan repayment calculatorCompare the standard plan with the new RAPMonthly payment, total paid and balance over time under the standard plan and the Repayment Assistance Plan.Open tool
Example: $27,000 borrowed
$236 /month
Tiered Standard, 15 years: $42,389 in total
- Can I afford this college?Check a loan payment against graduate earningsSet planned borrowing against a college's net price and its graduates' median earnings, with a federal benchmark.Open tool
Sample: Harvard University
Payment on $27,000$2362.3% of median monthly earnings ($10,163)
Want these figures for your own colleges in one PDF? See a sample Aid & Loan Plan
From a name on a list to a submitted application
Most students use the tools in this order. Each step takes a few minutes.
- 1Pick a collegeSearch by name, browse by state or take the quiz to find colleges that fit.Browse colleges
- 2Check the costCompare sticker price with what aided students pay, over four years.Cost estimator
- 3Check your fitSee whether your SAT or ACT makes it a reach, target or likely.Admission chances
- 4Plan the deadlinesCount down to aid and application dates and tick off each step.Deadline timeline
Words you will meet on aid forms
53 terms in plain English.
- Net price
- What a student actually pays for a year: cost of attendance minus grants and scholarships. The federal average net price covers first-time, full-time students who received aid.
- Student Aid Index (SAI)
- The number the FAFSA produces from your family's finances to decide federal aid eligibility. It replaced the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and can be negative for the lowest incomes.
- CSS Profile
- A College Board aid application required by about 200 mostly private colleges to award their own grants. It asks more detailed questions than the FAFSA and usually has a fee, with waivers.
- Early Decision (ED)
- An early application you submit to one college, usually by November 1 or 15. It is binding: if admitted with enough aid, you must enroll and withdraw other applications.
- Test-optional
- You choose whether to send SAT or ACT scores. Colleges review applications without scores fairly, but send them if they sit at or above the college's middle 50%.
- Yield rate
- The share of admitted students who enroll. High yield usually means many admitted students treat the college as a first choice.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers about how the numbers work.
Are the tools free?
Yes. Every tool is free and needs no account. Scores and GPAs you type stay in your browser; we only count which tools and colleges are used.
Where does the data come from?
College figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, the same verified data shown on each CollegesRef profile. Pell Grant, loan limit, interest rate and repayment rules come from Federal Student Aid and the Department of Education for the current award year, with a source link on each tool. Deadline dates are typical national dates, labelled as such.
Do I need an account or an email address?
No. Every tool works without signing up, and results show on the page straight away.
Can a tool tell me if I will be admitted?
No tool can. The admission chances snapshot compares your test score with the scores of admitted students to help you balance a list; it is rough guidance, not a prediction.