20 Tools to Calculate Student Loan Costs
College education can be expensive. If you choose to fund your education through student loans, it is especially important to keep an eye on your debts after college. Below are some online calculators which you can use when working both past and future educational costs into your budget.
Tools for Calculating Student Loans
Student debt can accumulate quickly while you are in college and spiral out of control after graduation. You can keep a handle on your debt by periodically calculating your student loan costs. Here are 20 free online calculators to help you get the job done.
<h3 id="section---TuitionCalculators">Tuition Calculators</h3><ul><li><a href="http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/collegecost/collegecost.jsp">College Cost Finder</a> - This calculator from CNN Money displays costs for any four-year college or university in the United States.
</li><li><a href="http://swz.salary.com/collegetuitionplanner/layoutscripts/cltl_start.asp">College Tuition Planner</a> - Salary.com's College Tuition Planner helps students (and parents) determine how much money should be saved for college based on the name and location of the college.
</li><li><a href="http://apps.collegeboard.com/fincalc/college_cost.jsp">College Cost Calculator</a> - This calculator from the CollegeBoard helps students estimate annual college costs in today's dollars or tomorrow's dollars.
</li><li><a href="http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DirectLoan/BudgetCalc/budget.html">Budget Calculator</a> - The official Federal Student Aid site provides this calculator to help students determine college expenses and affordability.
</li><li><a href="http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/smart-spending/college-student-budget-calculator.aspx">Student Budget Calculator</a> - Bankrate also offers this budgeting tool specifically designed for students.
</li></ul><h3 id="section---StudentLoanDebtAndRepaymentCalculators">Student Loan Debt and Repayment Calculators</h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.bankrate.com/brm/calculators/creditcards/student_loan_debt_calculator.asp">Student Loan Debt Calculator</a> - Bankrate's Student Loan Debt Calculator helps students calculate non-student loan debt and payments.
</li><li><a href="https://www.salliemae.com/plan-for-college/college-planning-toolbox/accrued-interest-calculator/">Accrued Interest Calculator</a> - Sallie Mae's worksheet/calculator demonstrates how interest can impact student loan balances.
</li><li><a href="https://loanconsolidation.ed.gov/loancalc/servlet/common.mvc.Controller?controller_task=startCalculator">Federal Direct Loan Consolidation Calculator</a> - Students can use this free calculator to estimate loan payments for Federal Direct Consolidation Loans.
</li><li><a href="http://www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments.phtml">FinAid Loan Payment Calculator</a> - This online calculator estimates your monthly student loan payments as well as the annual salary needed to repay debt without a struggle.
</li><li><a href="https://www.salliemae.com/plan-for-college/college-planning-toolbox/student-loan-payment-amount-estimator/">Sallie Mae Loan Repayment Calculator</a> - This free loan calculator from Sallie Mae estimates payments for Stafford, PLUS, Grad PLUS, Signature, and other private loans based on different repayment plans.
</li><li><a href="http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/studentloan/studentloan.html">CNNMoney Loan Calculator</a> - CNNMoney.com's Student Loan Calculator helps you determine how long it will take you to pay off student loans based on the size of monthly payments.
</li><li><a href="http://www.finaid.org/calculators/gradrepay.phtml">Graduate Repayment Calculator</a> - The Graduate Repayment Calculator helps you calculate monthly costs based on a graduated repayment plan.
</li><li><a href="https://www.nelnet.com/pages/ibrcalculator.aspx?blockid=98,120,122,119,134">Income-Based Repayment Calculator</a> - Nelnet offers this calculator to help students calculate income-based payments.
</li></ul><h3 id="section---MiscellaneousCalculators">Miscellaneous Calculators</h3><ul><li><a href="http://swz.salary.com/costoflivingwizard/layoutscripts/coll_start.asp">Cost of Living Wizard</a> - The Cost of Living Wizard from Salary.com helps you compare and estimate the cost of living in 300+ U.S. cities.
</li><li><a href="http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/tools/savingscalculator">Savings Calculator</a> - This calculator from MSN Money can help you figure out how much you need to set aside each month to meet your savings goal.
</li><li><a href="http://swz.salary.com/">Salary Wizard</a> - The free Salary Wizard from Salary.com helps you estimate your future salary range based on job title and location.
</li><li><a href="http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/credit-cards/credit-card-payoff-calculator.aspx">Credit Card Calculator</a> - Bankrate's Credit Card Calculator helps you estimate how long it will take you to pay off a credit card based on the balance, interest rate, and monthly payment amount.
</li><li><a href="http://www.math.com/students/calculators/source/compound.htm">Savings Calculator</a> - This Math.com calculator demonstrates how money can accumulate in a savings account when it is left there for a fixed amount of time.
</li><li><a href="http://www.youcandealwithit.com/borrowers/calculators-and-resources/calculators/budget-calculator.shtml">Budget Calculator</a> - This free budget calculator can be used to estimate and better understand your financial situation based on income and personal expenses. Unlike the budget calculators in the Tuition section, this calculator is best suited for after graduation.
</li><li><a href="http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/investmentcenter/?Fuseaction=dspInvestmentCalculator">Investing Calculator</a> - Dave Ramsey's Investing Calculator helps users estimate how rich they will be in the future based on how much they add to savings each month.</li></ul>