Paying for college
What each college really costs, and how students pay for it
The sticker price is not what most students pay. Each guide shows the average net price after grants at every family-income level, the grants students actually receive, rent near campus, what a part-time job earns locally, and the gap that is left.
By state
- California 7 guides
- Florida 3 guides
- Georgia 1 guide
- Michigan 2 guides
- North Carolina 1 guide
- Texas 7 guides
- Washington, DC 1 guide
How these guides work
Every number comes from public U.S. government data: the Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS surveys, and HUD's Fair Market Rents. State grant rules and minimum wages are checked against each state's official pages and re-checked every 90 days. The gap calculator subtracts the first-year federal Direct Loan and a 15-hour-a-week job from the net price.
College funding guides
- Cal State Fullerton CA
- Cal State Long Beach CA
- Cal State Northridge CA
- Howard University DC
- Kennesaw State University GA
- Michigan State University MI
- San Diego State University CA
- Texas A&M University TX
- Texas State University TX
- Texas Tech University TX
- UC Berkeley CA
- UC San Diego CA
- UCLA CA
- UNC Chapel Hill NC
- University of Central Florida FL
- University of Florida FL
- University of Houston TX
- University of Michigan MI
- University of North Texas TX
- University of South Florida FL
- University of Texas at Arlington TX
- University of Texas at Austin TX