Congratulations, you have graduated or are about to graduate High School.

What you decide to do next will affect you financially, personally, professionally, psychologically, and socially for the rest of your life.

One of the significant decisions you will need to make is whether to attend college or to seek out another option.

But how should you go about making such an important decision?

While there are many factors to consider, we have made it easy for you to review the financial impact of your college choice and alternatives.

Our tool is the only one that compares what your college choice will do for you financially versus other alternatives.

It’s free, does not require private data, and can be used for free.

College Comparison Tool Data Input Window

1. Select your college. Start typing the name and select from our database. The data source does not include every college, so you may have to select something that is closely related and then use the customization at the end to adjust assumptions.
2. Choose your major. Leave as undecided if you are uncertain.
3. Proivde an estimate of all grants and scholarships you expect to receive that reduce your cost of attending this school. Do not include loans as those will have to be repaid.
4. Select whether you will be an in-state resident or out-of-state resident while attending the school.
5. Select whether you will live on campus, off-campus, or off-campus with family.
6. Select whether you want to compare your results to Femalre Graduates, Male, or Both.
7. Select whether you are male or female.
8. Hit the Save and Continue button at the top right of the tool. You will be taken to the first results page.

College Comparison Tool Results Window

The tool shows you:

1. How much your school will cost you for four years, after grants and scholarships dedcuted.
2. The amount earned by the meidian High School Graduate while you attend college.
3. An estimate of your starting salary when you graduate.
4. An estimate of the difference between your salary and the median High School Graduate.
5. The number of years, based on the difference per year, it will take to repay your college costs and opportunity cost (eanings missed while attending college).
6. Comparisons between an estimate for your choice, the median college graduate, and the median high school graduate of:
   • Salary when you graduate (your starting salary).
   • Estimated earnings over a lifetime, adjusted for cost to attend college (to age 65).
   • The Net Present Value of the lifetime earnings above (what its worth today).
   • The Net Present Value of the lifetime earnings after federal taxes.
7. Hit continue at the top right to see more results.

College Comparison Tool Additional Information Provided

The additional results page shows the major variables that affect your results in five tabs. Explore each to gain more insight on your choice:

1. Your school selectivity, ability to graduate students, cost to attend, and outcoems at graduationa re compared broadly.
2. Your grants and schoalrships are compared.
3. The Major you slected, if any, is compared.
4. Your salary is benchmarked.
5. We provide a perspective on the imoact of taxes.
6. You can select continue at the top where you will be presented with the ability to further customize the assumptions and tailor your results.

We hope this tool helps you think about your major investment in college more effectively. When you consider the variables and review your choices with all the facts, you will be more likley to make a better, more optimized choice.

We wish you and your family all the best in navigating this important decision.

Please reach out to us in the contact page with any questions you may have, or to leave us feedback.

Cheers!