Fair Value Tuition Calculator

How much should you pay for your (or your children’s) undergraduate college education? Do you ever wonder how much a college education is worth in cash? This app calculates that amount for you. You choose your desired occupation and gender; then, the app returns the difference between the median lifetime earnings of a high school and college graduate in that occupation. This amount represents the present value of the amount you are most likely to earn over your lifetime above what you would earn with only a high school or GED degree in that same occupation in the United States. This amount is the best estimate of what you are likely to earn over your lifetime by obtaining a college degree and working in that occupation and as such is the maximum you should pay for your undergraduate degree. You can then compare that amount to prospective colleges’ tuition and aid packages to which you or your children are applying to determine the best value for you and your family.

The information is displayed in an annual amount (assuming you or your children graduate in four years) and a total overall amount (in case graduation takes a different timeline for you and your family).

Please note that the values are the best estimate of your likely lifetime income based on 2009 US census data. The estimated are not a promise of future earnings or employment. Further occupations that require graduate education (lawyers, doctors, etc.) are not included in the calculator. If a career can only be obtained with an undergraduate degree (and not with a high school or GED), then the median lifetime earnings for all careers with a high school degree is used as an estimates for high school lifetime earnings.