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What will college really cost you? The price on a college's website (the sticker price) isn't what most students pay. Subtract grants and scholarships and you get the net price. The U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard publishes it for every college that takes federal aid, broken out by family income (College Scorecard, updated Oct. 15, 2026).
Example: Vanderbilt University's sticker cost was $94,142 a year in 2024–25, but students from families earning $30,000 or less paid $3,637 on average after grants. At Middle Tennessee State University, in-state students in that income band paid $8,914.
College Scorecard data · 2024–25 net prices · checked Oct. 25, 2026
| Type of college | Colleges | Median average net price per year |
|---|---|---|
| Public, mostly 2-year (in-state) | 614 | $7,455 |
| Public, mostly 4-year (in-state) | 567 | $14,241 |
| Private nonprofit, mostly 4-year | 1,091 | $23,002 |
| Private for-profit, mostly 4-year | 110 | $32,090 |
Our arithmetic: the middle value of each college's published average net price, among colleges in the Scorecard file that report one. It describes colleges, not students, and each college's figure is an average for students who got federal aid.
Sources: Scorecard Institution Data Documentation (Average Net Price, Earnings); Scorecard data dictionary, cohort map.
Federal law requires every college that receives federal student aid money to post a net price calculator on its website (20 U.S.C. § 1015a(h)(3)). It asks about your family's income and assets and gives a personal estimate. We link to each school's calculator from the school's card when the Scorecard lists it.
Facts and arithmetic, not advice. We republish the Education Department's College Scorecard figures and do simple math. We don't rank colleges and there are no partner links on this page.
The cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, housing, food and other expenses) minus grants and scholarships. Loans and work-study are not subtracted, so you may still borrow part of the net price. The College Scorecard publishes each school's average net price for full-time, first-time students who got federal aid, overall and by family income.
Many private colleges give large grants, so their net price can be far below their sticker price, especially for lower-income families. Across the 1,091 private nonprofit 4-year schools in the Scorecard file we use, the middle (median) average net price was $23,002 a year in 2024–25, versus $14,241 at 567 public 4-year schools (in-state).
Use the school's own net price calculator. Federal law (20 U.S.C. 1015a(h)) requires every school that takes federal student aid to post one. Then file the FAFSA and compare the actual aid offers you get.
Net prices and cost of attendance are for the 2024–25 school year and tuition is 2025–26, from the College Scorecard update of Oct. 15, 2026. Earnings and debt figures follow older groups of students (see each label).
Estimates, not financial advice. Taxes, insurance, PMI and fees vary by lender, county and city; confirm with your lender, dealer and state agency before acting.