Can you afford this college?

    Pick a college and enter what you plan to borrow. We compare the monthly loan payment with what its graduates typically earn, using verified federal data.

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

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    Pick a college

    We use its verified average net price and graduates' median earnings.

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    How much will you borrow each year?

    Student loans only. A dependent student can borrow $5,500 to $7,500 a year in federal loans ($6,750 on average over four years).

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    For how many years?

    Many students take longer than four years to finish a bachelor's degree.

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    Pick a college and enter what you plan to borrow. We will compare the loan payment with what its graduates typically earn.

    The 2026–27 rules, in plain English

    Every rule and amount comes from the U.S. Department of Education or Federal Student Aid. Checked November 5, 2026.

    1. Your loan payment

      Total borrowing (per year × years) is repaid on the Tiered Standard Plan that new borrowers get, at the 2026–27 undergraduate rate of 6.52%.

    2. Graduates' earnings

      The college's median earnings come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard: the middle salary of former students who received federal aid, measured some years after they started. We divide it by 12.

    3. The benchmark

      The payment as a share of monthly earnings is compared with 8%, the debt-to-earnings level the Department of Education used in its 2023 rule for judging programs. Treat it as guidance: it was set for programs, not people.

    Worked example

    1. Borrowing $6,750 a year for 4 years adds up to $27,000.
    2. On the 15-year Tiered Standard Plan at 6.52%, that is $236 a month.
    3. If graduates earn a median of $50,000 ($4,167 a month), the payment is 5.7% of earnings, within the 8% benchmark.

    Assumptions and limits

    • Student loans only. Parent PLUS loans, private loans and credit cards are not included.
    • Interest that builds up while you are in school is not added, so the real payment can be somewhat higher.
    • Median earnings are pre-tax, cover all majors at the college and come from students who received federal aid.
    • The benchmark is guidance from a federal rule for programs, not an official judgment about you.

    Worked out from the published 2026–27 federal rules. Your aid office sets your actual award, and your loan servicer sets your payments.

    Official sources

    Financial aid glossary Sticker vs net price by state Plain-text version for AI assistants

    Next step: put it in one report

    The tool stays free. The optional report puts your own numbers in one document. Pricing details

    Aid & Loan Plan$14 once

    A PDF that applies the 2026–27 federal aid rules to you and up to three colleges: Pell Grant, loan limits, the gap left and repayment.

    What the plan includes See a sample report

    Premium Fit Report$29 once

    Your quiz result turned into up to 10 best-fit colleges, with reach, target and likely groups, costs, earnings and an action plan.

    Start with the quiz See a sample report

    Guides that use this tool

    Step-by-step explanations of the figures, written from the same federal data.

    Frequently asked questions

    Short answers about how the numbers work.

    How much student loan debt is too much?

    One federal yardstick: in its 2023 gainful-employment rule, the Department of Education treated a program as passing when graduates' typical annual loan payments were no more than 8% of their median annual earnings. This tool applies the same 8% level to your planned borrowing as guidance.

    How do I know if I can afford a college?

    Start with the college's net price (what students pay after grants), subtract the grants and savings you expect, then see how much you would need to borrow. Compare the resulting loan payment with what graduates of that college earn, and run the college's net price calculator for a personal estimate.

    Where do the earnings figures come from?

    The U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. It reports the median earnings of former students who received federal aid, measured several years after they started college. Earnings vary widely by major.

    Why does the tool use the Tiered Standard Plan?

    It is the fixed-payment plan for loans first paid out from July 1, 2026, so it is what a student borrowing now would be offered. The repayment calculator also shows the income-based Repayment Assistance Plan.

    What if a college has no earnings data?

    Some colleges, often small ones, have too few federally aided graduates for the Scorecard to report earnings. The tool says so rather than guessing; compare with similar colleges instead.

    More free money tools

    Each one uses the current federal aid rules and the same verified college data as our profiles.