CollegeDI

A 3D map of U.S. colleges. Each college is a point above its location, raised to its published average net price for the selected family income. A glass copy of the map floats at the planning range you enter; colleges whose published average is at or below it are highlighted.

A better starting point for college planning

Prequalifyyour collegesearch.

Understand what your family can responsibly afford before you build your list. Set a planning range, see the tradeoffs, and compare colleges with your future in view.

Start your free assessmentSee how it works

Free, and no account needed to start.

Prequalified means your family has a planning range to measure colleges against: a starting point, not an admission decision, aid offer, or loan approval.

Height = published average net price At or below selected range Above it

Try it: move the plane

Drag the amount or change the income

Our family can put $25,000 a year toward college, and we earn .

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Loading published college prices…

College Scorecard averages for full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid, in today's dollars; public colleges reflect in-state students. Individual prices differ. Your own planning range comes from the free assessment.

01The order matters

Affordability often enters the conversation too late.

A family can visit, apply, and picture life at a school before it knows what attending might actually require. Prequalifying the search brings the money conversation forward, while the list is still flexible.

Many families follow some version of the common order. Not all do.

  1. Step 1:

    Build a college list

    From rankings, reputation and campus feel.

    No range yet

  2. Step 2:

    Visit and apply

    Before anyone has talked about price.

    No range yet

  3. Step 3:

    See the real price

    When aid offers arrive in spring.

    No range yet

  4. Step 4:

    Set your planning range

    With deadlines close and a favorite chosen.

    Your starting point

  5. Step 5:

    Choose a college

    Against a budget that arrived late.

    Range in view

Price first seen
Senior spring

Prequalified first: Junior year

Planning range set
After applying

Prequalified first: Before the list

Steps with a range in view
1 of 5

Prequalified first: 3 of 5

Simplified for illustration. Real timelines vary by family and by college.

02How prequalifying works

A starting range. A clearer search.

Start with your family's finances and priorities: a contribution that feels sustainable and a level of borrowing you can accept. Then explore colleges with those boundaries in view.

  1. 01

    Get smart

    Learn how college pricing and financial aid work, and how to protect your family’s financial future.

    • Guides, free
    • Courses, Starter plan

  2. 02

    Get prequalified

    Know what your family can responsibly afford before you shop: a sustainable yearly budget, and where borrowing should stop.

    • Annual college budget
    • Borrowing and cash-flow limits

  3. 03

    Shop and compare

    Compare colleges inside your range on financial fit, the full four-year cost, and long-term value, including earnings for your student’s field.

    • Four-year cost comparisons
    • Earnings by field

  4. 04

    Apply strategically

    Build an application list of reach, target, and safety colleges that fit your student’s goals and your family’s range.

    • Reach, target and safety list
    • Fit status for every college

  5. 05

    Decide with clarity

    See what the final choice means for your student after graduation, and for your own plans.

    • What-if scenarios
    • Award letters and appeals, Starter plan
    • Later family goals

03The longer view

See beyond the first-year number.

A four-year decision can shape the next 10, 20, even 30 years: your student's loan payments and career choices, and your own savings and retirement. Start with the full four-year cost.

Family pays each year

$20,000/ yr

Most your student should borrow

$30,000

Family paysBorrowed, then repaid

College A

Lower price, strong fit

Within your guardrails
Student borrows
$13,422
Repays in total
$19,560

College B

First choice, higher price

Over borrowing limit

by $51,366

Student borrows
$81,366
Repays in total
$118,440

+$98,880

more for your student to repay with College B, over 10 years after graduation.

Your family puts in $80,000 over four years either way, so the difference lands on your student.

Illustrative example with invented prices, not a forecast. Costs rise 4% a year; anything above the family's contribution is treated as borrowing at 8% over 10 years, the same defaults CollegeDI uses. Grants, scholarships, and aid offers can change what a college actually costs, and families may also use savings or work.

04Why the incentives matter

Know who's on your side of the table.

CollegeDI is built to help your family make the choice. Our job is to help you see the tradeoffs clearly, wherever you decide to enroll.

No college recruitment business.

Colleges don’t pay us for placement, rankings, or your information.

No lender referral fees.

We aren’t paid when your family borrows, from anyone.

No loans to sell.

No financial product waits at the end of the analysis.

How we're paid: by families, not colleges or lenders. The assessment is free and the Starter plan is optional.

Where you enroll and how much you borrow should serve your goals, not ours.

05Before you start

Questions, answered plainly.

Something else? Ask us directly.

What does it mean to prequalify your college search?

It means setting a planning range from your family’s finances and priorities before you build a college list: what you can contribute each year without crowding out other goals, and how much borrowing you would accept. You then measure colleges against that range. It is a planning step for your family, not an admission decision, a financial aid offer, or a loan prequalification, and you can revisit it as real aid offers arrive.

What is CollegeDI?

CollegeDI is a college affordability planning platform for families. It helps parents and students prequalify their college search, compare colleges’ annual and four-year costs and likely borrowing using published federal data, and weigh the longer-term tradeoffs before committing. CollegeDI does not run a college recruitment business, receive lender referral compensation, or sell loans.

What does “responsibly afford” mean?

The amount your family can put toward college each year without crowding out everything else: everyday costs, emergency savings, retirement, and other children. CollegeDI’s assessment turns your finances into a suggested annual budget, the starting point for your planning range and a family conversation rather than a verdict.

How is that different from the Student Aid Index?

The Student Aid Index (SAI) is a number the federal aid formula produces from your FAFSA answers. Colleges use it to decide eligibility for need-based aid. It is not a bill, and it is not necessarily what your family can comfortably pay. CollegeDI shows the two side by side.

Do I need an account? What does it cost?

You can take CollegeDI’s assessment for free, without an account. A free account saves your results and your college list. The optional Starter plan adds deeper financial analysis, award letter tools, and the full course library.

Will CollegeDI tell us which college to choose?

No. Your family sets the priorities and makes the decision. CollegeDI provides the education, context, and comparisons to make it with the tradeoffs in view.

Can CollegeDI get us more aid or lower our SAI?

No one can honestly promise that. CollegeDI explains how aid works, helps you compare real offers, and can draft an appeal when an offer falls short of your family’s need. The outcome is always up to each college.

What happens to my financial information?

CollegeDI uses it to calculate your results and power your dashboard. The Privacy Policy explains what is collected, how it is stored, and your choices. Read the Privacy Policy.

Start with a clearer picture of what works for your family.

Establish your planning range before you commit to a college list.

Start your free assessmentHow the estimates work

Free, and no account needed to start.

  1. 1

    Answer a few questions

    Income, savings, and household. About 15 minutes.

  2. 2

    See your starting range

    A suggested yearly budget, shown next to the federal aid formula.

  3. 3

    Save and compare

    A free account keeps it and starts your college list.