PriceMyDegree methodology

Method version 1.0, published October 4, 2026. A school page is useful only if a reader can trace each figure to a record and understand every assumption added by the calculator.

Source hierarchy

School costs start with NCES or IPEDS data, College Scorecard, or the university's official published cost-of-attendance page. The academic year is part of the figure. A marketing article or scholarship blog is not used as the authority for a tuition line.

Record fields

Each school record keeps resident tuition and fees, nonresident tuition and fees where published, room and board, books and supplies, academic year, source name, source URL, and verification date. Private schools with one tuition rate repeat that rate in both calculator residency fields so the arithmetic remains transparent.

Total formula

The first-year total is tuition and fees plus room and board plus books and supplies. Multi-year views apply the annual increase selected by the reader to each later year. Four, five, and six-year outputs are scenarios, not forecasts issued by a school.

Grants and net price

The calculator subtracts only the annual grant or scholarship amount entered by the reader. It does not infer merit aid, need aid, or a family contribution. A result after a user-entered grant is labeled as a scenario. Only a school aid offer can confirm net price.

Loan illustration

The optional loan payment uses a standard amortization formula and the share, rate, and term entered by the reader. Fees, in-school interest, repayment plans, variable rates, and forgiveness are outside the illustration.

Corrections and updates

IPEDS and school cost records are refreshed by academic year. A correction updates the record, the page, and the verification date. If a figure cannot be rechecked, the school record is held back rather than carried forward silently.