College Cost Calculator
Will your savings cover the bill? Project the all-in cost of college to each year your child is enrolled, grow your 529, and see the share you're on track to cover — plus the exact monthly contribution to fully fund it. Partial funding is a first-class option.
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What it really costs to save for college
The headline number that trips people up isn't today's tuition — it's tuition years from now. College costs have historically risen faster than general inflation, so a cost that looks manageable today can be dramatically larger by the time a young child enrolls. This calculator inflates the all-in cost — tuition, fees, room, and board — to each year of college, since the bill keeps climbing even while your child is enrolled.
On the other side, a 529 or college-savings account does two jobs:
- Before enrollment: your balance plus monthly contributions compound at your expected return — the earlier you start, the more of the bill that growth quietly covers.
- During college: the remaining balance keeps earning while you draw each year's bill — and qualified withdrawals are tax-free.
The tool names the share you're on track to cover and, when you're short, the monthly contribution that fully funds your target. And it treats partial funding as a normal, sane plan: covering 50–70% from savings and bridging the rest with income, aid, or modest loans is what a lot of families actually do.
Common questions
- How much will college cost by the time my child enrolls?
- Inflate today's all-in cost — tuition, fees, room and board — to each enrollment year. Because college has historically risen faster than general inflation, a default near 5% a year is reasonable. The tool shows today's cost, the projected freshman-year cost, and the final-year cost so you can see the climb.
- What monthly contribution fully funds the bill?
- It depends on your current balance, years until enrollment, the cost and inflation rate, your expected return, and the share you want to cover. The calculator solves for the exact monthly amount that fully funds your chosen coverage level, accounting for growth before and during college — one click applies it.
- Is it OK to only cover part of the cost?
- Absolutely. Covering 50–70% from savings and bridging the rest with income, scholarships, aid, or modest loans is a common, sane plan. Partial funding is built in as a first-class option, and the tool shows exactly how big the gap to bridge would be.
- Is anything saved or sent anywhere?
- No. Every number runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded, stored, or shared — and you can export the full year-by-year plan to CSV with one click.
Finding the room to save is the hard part
Taly auto-splits every paycheck across your goals — so the monthly college contribution shows up on its own, instead of you hunting for it. Your paycheck does the math.