College Planning · 10 guides · 5 tools
Plan the cost, the time and the payoff before you enroll.
What college costs in 2026, how to pay for it, what employers cover and how to finish faster with credit you already have.
- jobs with BLS pay data
- 49
- In the ROI Calculator, from Bureau of Labor Statistics wage files
Guides by question
What do you need to know?
What will it cost?
The sticker price, the net price, and the order to pay it in.
- College tuition costs in 2026: what you actually pay Average 2025-26 tuition runs from $4,150 at community colleges to $45,000 at private colleges. Most full-time students get grants that cut the bill. 7 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
- How to pay for college in 2026-27: every source, in order Pay for college in this order: grants (Pell up to $7,395 for 2026-27), scholarships and employer aid, federal loans, then private. Amounts and how to apply. 7 min read · Updated Ends in the aid check
Will my employer pay?
How tuition benefits work, what stays tax-free, and how they stack with Pell and the GI Bill.
- Employer tuition reimbursement 2026: the $5,250 tax rule In 2026 your employer can pay up to $5,250 of tuition, books or student loans tax-free under IRS Section 127. What counts, what doesn't and what to ask HR. 7 min read · Updated Ends in the Employer Tuition Checker
- Stack employer tuition, Pell and the GI Bill, in order Employer tuition help is tax-free up to $5,250 in 2026, and Pell is the first aid a school awards. The order to stack them with the GI Bill, and what cuts what. 7 min read · Updated Ends in the Employer Tuition Checker
Can I finish faster?
Going back after a break, credit for what you already know, and a course load that fits a full-time job.
- Finish your degree: where to go back after stopping out 43.1 million Americans have some college and no degree, and only 28% of those who stopped out would return to the same school. How to pick where to finish. 7 min read · Updated Ends in the Time-to-Degree Calculator
- Prior learning assessment: CLEP, DSST and military credit Prior learning assessment turns exams, training and work into college credit. In 2026 a CLEP exam costs $97 and most passing scores earn 3 credits. 8 min read · Updated Ends in the Time-to-Degree Calculator
- Working full time? How many classes you can take A 3-credit class is about 9 hours a week under the federal credit-hour rule. See what one to four classes add to a 40-hour job, and what each does to your aid. 6 min read · Updated Ends in the Time-to-Degree Calculator
Bringing old credits back
Which old courses still count, and getting a held transcript released.
- Do college credits expire? What transfers years later Most college credits don't expire, but schools set limits for some subjects. Real rules: 5 years for nursing science, 10 years at one university, none at SNHU. 6 min read · Updated Ends in the Time-to-Degree Calculator
- Transcript hold for an unpaid balance: your rights (2026) Since July 2024, schools must release transcripts for terms paid with federal aid, even on a payment plan. What they can still hold and how to get credits out. 6 min read · Updated Ends in the Time-to-Degree Calculator
Tax breaks for school
Who can still claim the education credits, and the tuition help that isn’t a credit.
Tools for this topic
- Is it worth it? ROI Calculator Pick a job, see its median pay and outlook, and compare ten years of earnings with and without the degree. Run my ROI
- Will my job pay? Employer Tuition Checker Check what your employer’s tuition benefit could cover each year. Check my employer
- How long will it take? Time-to-Degree Calculator How long your degree takes with the credits you have and the load you can carry. Estimate my timeline
- Have your tax return? SAI Calculator Type the numbers from your tax return for an exact Student Aid Index. Get my exact SAI
Where these figures come from
Every number links to the page it came from.
We quote the government source directly and note the date we last read it. A top amount is labelled as a top amount, never as what you’ll get.
- Federal Student Aid (ed.gov) Pell amounts and loan limits
- Internal Revenue Service Employer educational assistance (§127)
- Bureau of Labor Statistics Median pay and job outlook
Find out what’s free before you borrow.
About two minutes. Your result shows first, with every source.