Yesterday we attended the popular college information session hosted by admission representatives from Harvard, Stanford, Georgetown, Duke, and the University of Pennsylvania. One of the things these five universities all share is a commitment to meeting a student's demonstrated financial need.
The cost of a 4-year degree is often a key factor when families are deciding where to apply to college, and for many years, using the net price calculator tool on a university's website has been considered best way to estimate the true cost of attendance.
However, it can be quite time consuming to go to each university's website and do this, especially since each university has a different set of questions.
One of the tips the admissions reps provided was to use a streamlined cost estimator that they are all a part of: myintuition.org.
Here's how this platform is different from a net price calculator, as per their website:
- Requires 6 or 7 questions
- Requires basic financial information that most people know
- No need to refer to tax records
- Takes the average user just 3 minute to complete
- Great for use early in the application process
Net Price Calculators:
- Requires answers to many questions
- Requires financial sophistication
- Tax records are necessary
- Many users fail to complete them
- Modest benefits early in the application process
We tried it and were impressed with how easy it was to use. Give it a go and let us know what you think!