College Cost Compass

From a fellow college parent with decades in the financial aid and scholarships industry.

See the estimated cost of your first-choice college before you apply

No sign-in · About 5 minutes · Private to your family

No Social Security number, no credit card, no commitment. Just an email to send your results.

Estimated award letter

Emily Sullivan

Worcester State University

Nursing

College policy

MASSGrant Plus can cover remaining tuition and mandatory fees for eligible Massachusetts families.

What the college charges

Tuition and mandatory fees$12,794
Housing and meals$15,472
Total Worcester State University charges$28,266

Worcester State University sets its own allowance for books, transport and living costs. See its cost of attendance page for the amounts.

Grants and scholarships you usually do not repay

Estimated Federal Pell Grant$4,335
Estimated MASSGrant Plus$8,459
Total grants and scholarships$12,794

Want options to bring your out-of-pocket down to zero this year?

Do you want to add student loans?

Your family's out-of-pocket cost

$15,472

After grants only. No loans included.

How that gets covered

Grants and scholarships$12,79445%
Your family pays$15,47255%

College facts

  • Based on 2026-27 costs and aid. Your student starts in 2027-28, when costs may be a little higher.
  • On-campus estimate for one academic year.
  • Nursing program selected.
Estimate only, not an official award. Every figure assumes the student is admitted to Worcester State University, and admission is decided by the college alone. This estimate is based on publicly available federal formulas. Your actual financial aid award from Worcester State University will be determined solely by its financial aid office based on your verified FAFSA, its institutional policies, and available funding. Amounts may differ significantly from your actual award letter.
A sample family's estimated award letter. Try the boxes.

The sticker price isn't your price

A college's published price is only the starting point. Your family's number comes after aid.

Your estimated cost

See what your family may pay after grants and scholarships, not just the sticker price.

Side by side

Put every college on one clear comparison so the differences are easy to see.

Scholarships

See scholarship lists matched to your student's own GPA, major and background.

How it works

1

Answer a few questions

Tell us about your family and the colleges your student is considering.

2

Get your estimated award letter

Your first-choice college is free, with no sign-in and no credit card.

3

Update after the FAFSA

Enter your Student Aid Index number once and every estimated award letter updates.

Simple, honest pricing.

First-choice college

Free

No sign-in, no credit card.

Membership, one year

$50

The $50 membership lasts one year from the day you pay. Nothing renews automatically. Includes unlimited colleges, side-by-side comparison, scholarship lists and PDFs.

Not happy? Email us within 7 days of paying, tell us why, and we'll refund you.

If your student has an SAI number of 0 or below (the full Federal Pell Grant), your year with us is free, starting the day you claim it.

No Pell Grant? Many families still get money from colleges. This estimates how much.

Who's behind this

I'm Michael, a Class of 2027 dad with decades in college financial aid and scholarships.

Our promise

  • We don't sell your information.
  • We don't take money from colleges or lenders.
  • Built on the same federal formula aid offices use, plus each college's published aid data.
  • Only a college can make the final offer.

Questions families ask

We haven't filed the FAFSA yet. Can we still use it?

Yes. Start now. File the FAFSA for free at studentaid.gov, then enter your Student Aid Index (SAI) number when it arrives.

Is the first-choice college really free?

Yes. No sign-in and no credit card. You only pay if you want the rest of your list and the side by side view.

How accurate is it?

It uses the same federal formula aid offices use, plus each college's own 2026-27 aid figures. Wherever we can, we get those from the college directly; otherwise we use its most recent published data. Your student starts in 2027-28 or later, so costs may rise a little. Only the college can make the final offer.

What if we're not happy with the membership?

Not happy? Email us within 7 days of paying, tell us why, and we'll refund you.

See your first-choice college free. It takes about 5 minutes.