Our Mission
CollegeAidCalc exists because college financial aid is confusing by design. Award letters use different formats. EFC and SAI calculations are hidden behind government formulas. Loan repayment options multiply every year. Most families sign on the dotted line without understanding what they're agreeing to.
We built CollegeAidCalc to change that. Our calculators are free, ad-supported, and built on the same formulas used by financial aid offices and the U.S. Department of Education — explained in plain English so you can make informed decisions.
Our Tools
SAI / EFC Estimator
Estimate your Student Aid Index using the 2026 Federal Methodology and see your expected net cost.
Use this tool →Loan Calculator
Calculate monthly payments and view a full amortization schedule for any student loan.
Use this tool →Loan Comparison
Compare up to 3 loan offers side by side with break-even and total cost analysis.
Use this tool →Repayment Plans
Compare Standard, Graduated, SAVE, PAYE, IBR, ICR, and the new RAP plan based on your income.
Use this tool →Our Principles
Always Free
Every calculator on this site is free to use. No account required, no paywalls.
Privacy First
All calculations happen in your browser. We never store your financial inputs.
Transparent Formulas
We document our calculations and link to official sources so you can verify every result.
No Selling Your Data
We do not sell user data to lenders, colleges, or any third party. Ever.
Editorial Policy & Review Process
CollegeAidCalc's calculators and guides are researched and maintained by the CollegeAidCalc editorial team at Berean Defense, LLC. We build every formula from publicly published federal sources — primarily Federal Student Aid's official SAI/Pell Grant guidance and repayment-plan documentation at studentaid.gov, and IRS guidance for tax-related questions. We do not use unverified or AI-generated statistics; every specific dollar figure, interest rate, or eligibility rule in our calculators and guides is checked against an official government source before publishing.
Because federal financial aid formulas, interest rates, and repayment rules change — often annually, and sometimes mid-year through new legislation — we review our calculators and guides for accuracy on an ongoing basis and note a "last reviewed" date on pages covering time-sensitive rules (like our repayment plan comparison, which was updated for the July 2026 federal repayment overhaul). If you find outdated information or a rule that's changed, please tell us using the contact form below — we welcome corrections and treat them seriously.
How We're Funded
CollegeAidCalc is supported by display advertising (Google AdSense) and affiliate partnerships with student loan refinancing companies including SoFi, Earnest, and Credible. If you refinance a loan through one of our partner links, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.
These partnerships do not influence our calculator results, formulas, or editorial content. Our tools produce the same outputs regardless of any affiliate relationship.
Important Limitations
Contact Us
Have a question, correction, or feedback? We'd love to hear from you.