A Cost Comparison Tool That Includes All Student Expenses

Families can compare the costs of up to 20 colleges in Niche’s True Cost tool.

Photo illustration by Justin Morrison/Inside Higher Ed | temniy/E+/Getty Image | RODWORKS/iStock/Getty Images

The topic of college cost has always been complex—and for many families, never more so than in 2025. Sticker prices are on the rise, with some institutions now charging more than $100,000 annually in base tuition . Congress’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act will limit some students’ access to federal loans . Nontuition expenses are also increasingly daunting, and there is no national standard for how colleges calculate and publicize those costs.

On the other hand, the majority of students don’t pay their institution’s full sticker price. A rising number of states and institutions are launching p