Analysis of Net Price Calculators Finds Mixed Results

As colleges move to comply with a new federal requirement to give students and families a way to calculate an institution's net price, they are doing so in greatly varying ways and to varying degrees of effectiveness, the Institute for College Access and Success says in a new report. The advocacy group for students analyzed the first crop of net price calculators that colleges have put online to comply with the requirement that takes effect in October, and finds that some of the tools are more accessible, easier to use and are more protective of student privacy than are others. The group also offers a series of recommendations for institutions.