529 Plan Tools

These calculators and comparison tools can help you anticipate the cost of a college education, understand how much you'll need to save, and build a plan that may help you meet your goals.

Use the Use the 529 Savings vs. Loans Calculator

You provide: Your child's age, expectations of their college costs, and estimated loan interest rate and duration.

You get: How much your child's total four years in college is projected to cost, and the calculator compares:

How much you should be contributing monthly to a 529 account versus borrowing all of the money
How much more you would have to pay in loan interest in order to pay for that same college education by borrowing instead of saving in a 529 plan

How much do I need to save for a college education?

Use the Education Funding Planner

Try our mobile version

You provide: A child's age, the age he or she will start college, the annual cost of college, the amount you've saved and your planned monthly savings.

You get: A comprehensive report on where you stand in relation to your college savings needs and suggestions on how to meet your goals based on the information you've provided.

What will college cost when my child's ready to go?

Use the College Cost Projector

You provide: The years until a child enrolls in college, years in college, and the cost of the collge you're interested in. (You can look it up in our online tool)

You get: A chart that compares the cost of college today with the estimated cost of college each year your child will be enrolled.

What will my state tax deduction be?

Use the 529 State Tax Deduction Calculator

You provide: The amount of your contribution, your state of residence, filing status and taxable income.

You get: Your estimated state tax savings, and your net tax savings.

How costly can it be to delay saving for college?

Use the Cost of Waiting Calculator

You provide: Years until a child enrolls in college, years in college, and the cost of the college you're interested in. (You can look it up in our online tool)

You get: Two charts that illustrate the benefits of starting to save now:

The increase in your monthly payment each year you wait to start saving
The increased lump sum payment each year you wait to start saving

How much will the family be expected to contribute before needs-based funding becomes available?

Use the Quick EFC Calculator

The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is the amount the family is expected to contribute before needs-based funds become available.

You provide: Information about your family, the student's income and assets, and the parents' income and assets.

You get: The estimated EFC, which includes the amount the parents are expected to contribute, and the amount the student will be expected to contribute, if applicable, based on the information you provide.

The calculators are provided by one or more third party service providers. The figures entered on the input page of the calculators are for hypothetical purposes only. You should enter figures that are appropriate to your individual situation. The results provided by the calculators are also intended for illustrative purposes only and accuracy is not guaranteed. Columbia Management Investment Distributors, Inc. and its affiliates are not tax or legal advisers. This calculator is not intended to offer any tax, legal, financial or investment advice and does not assure the availability of or your eligibility for any specific product offered by Columbia Management Investment Distributors, Inc., its affiliates or any other institution, nor do these calculators predict or guarantee the actual results of any investment product. The terms and conditions of products offered by institutions will differ and may affect the results of the calculators. Please consult with qualified professionals to discuss your situation. On calculators that require you to select an anticipated investment return, consideration should be given to factors affecting your potential return such as investment objectives, risk tolerance, and the time horizon for the investment. Remember, past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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Please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. Contact your financial advisor or visit columbiamanagement.com for a Program Description, which contains this and other important information about the Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan. Read it carefully before investing. You should also consider, before investing, whether the investor’s or designated beneficiary’s home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in such state’s qualified tuition program. Columbia Management Investment Distributors, Inc., member FINRA, is the distributor and underwriter for 529 plans available through Columbia Management. The Office of State Treasurer of South Carolina (the State Treasurer) administers the Program and has selected Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC and Columbia Management Investment Distributors, Inc. (Columbia Management) as Program Manager. Columbia Management and its affiliates are responsible for providing certain administrative, recordkeeping and investment services, and for the marketing of the Program. Columbia Management is not affiliated with the State Treasurer.

Investments made in the Future Scholar 529 College Plan: