Get a Better Picture of the Real Cost of College. Search by Net Price!
Understanding the actual cost of college and comparing those costs between schools has been almost impossible for college-hopeful students. Until now. Use our Net Price Search to estimate college costs AND compare costs all in one place!
The 411 on Net Price
- What is Net Price?
- The Advantage of eduLaunchpad.com's Net Price Search
- The FOPP (Financial Opportunity) Score
- An Important Note About Net Price
What is Net Price
In an effort to clarify the real costs of college, Congress passed a bill in 2008 that requires colleges and universities to include Net Price Calculators on their websites by October of 2011. The NPC, as they are commonly referred to, is a calculator that shows what the average student will pay at that particular university given certain financial and academic performance indicators.
Essentially, Net Price moves beyond ''sticker price'' and provides an estimate of how much a first-time, full-time undergraduate student will pay to attend a particular institution after subtracting out any grant or scholarship aid.
The Advantage of eduLaunchpad.com's Net Price Search
Unlike other college search sites out there, we've incorporated Net Price directly into the search engine itself. Showing you net price estimates side by side allows you to quickly compare schools and determine which are worth continued investigation and which might not be a good fit for you.
eduLaunchpad uses a net price calculation which has been developed by our founder, Scott Anderson, over the past decade. This calculation has been proven effective over the years to be within plus or minus 5% of actual offers when using accurate information.
The FOPP (Financial Opportunity) Score
When you search by Net Price, you'll notice an additional number right next to the results. We call this number the FOPP, or Financial Opportunity, Score. The FOPP Score is based on a 100 point scale and the higher the number, the better chance that your financial aid offer will be higher than average at that school. This means that your Net Price for that particular institution might even be lower than what we're able to display!
An Important Note About Net Price
It is important to note that the results displayed by our Net Price search are only estimates and are only intended to give you clearer insight into the real cost of college. A final determination, or actual award, of financial assistance is made by each school so you won't know the real cost until you've been accepted and completed your offer negotiation with each college or university.