How to Compare Colleges
Start with the price your family would actually pay: pick your income bracket in the compare tool and read the net price, not the listed price.
Start with the price your family would actually pay: pick your income bracket in the compare tool and read the net price, not the listed price. Then look at outcomes in the same breath - graduation rate, median earnings, and median debt - because a cheaper college that students rarely finish can cost more in the end. Check the sample size beside every program figure before you lean on it, and prefer a college figure only when it clears 30 graduates. Finally, multiply the yearly net price by four and set it next to the median debt: that pairing, price against borrowing, is the receipt that matters.