Estimate the total cost of your education, subtract what you can pay without borrowing, and see your projected debt at graduation.
Most people think about tuition when planning school. But total cost is larger: living expenses, program length, and multiple degrees all compound. This calculator shows the full arithmetic—what your education may cost, what you can fund without debt, and the shortfall that becomes student loans.
Your projected student debt is:
Total education cost − total amount you can fund without borrowing
If your funding covers all costs, your projected debt is zero. Otherwise, the remaining shortfall is the amount you will likely need to borrow.
| Program | Total cost | Total funded (no debt) | Cost minus funding |
|---|
Projected debt is computed once for the whole path: surpluses in one program offset shortfalls in another. The last column shows each program’s own cost minus its own funding before that pooling.
Total dollars over your path, split by cost type (tuition, books and fees, living, other).
Non-debt funding compared to projected borrowing need.
Most estimates focus on tuition. In reality, total debt is driven by living costs over multiple years, stacked degrees or professional programs, and limited ability to self-fund. Small annual gaps compound into large totals.
Student debt is the amount you must borrow to cover education costs after using all available non-debt funding.
Include tuition, books, supplies, mandatory fees, and living expenses such as housing, food, transportation, and insurance.
Include any money you can use without borrowing: earnings, savings, family support, scholarships, bursaries, grants, or similar non-debt funding.
No. This calculator estimates how much you need to borrow. Loans are the result, not an input.
Your projected debt will be zero. The calculator does not allow projected debt to go below zero.
No. This calculator estimates debt at graduation only. Use a loan repayment calculator to model interest and repayment timelines.
Use comparison mode to enter two different paths—such as living at home versus renting—and see how each changes your total cost and projected debt at graduation.
Disclaimer: All content on The Long Math — including articles, essays, calculators, tools, or any other material — is provided solely for educational and informational purposes and does not constitute financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. Any results or projections are based on simplified models, assumptions, and user-supplied inputs and may not reflect real-world outcomes. You are responsible for evaluating the accuracy and applicability of the information provided and for conducting your own due diligence. Before making financial decisions, consult a qualified professional.