★ International Student Finance Tool

Make the smartest choice for your future

Compare real costs, after-tax salaries, loan repayment timelines, and long-term wealth projections across every admission offer — before you commit.

4–13 yrs
typical loan repayment range
5 offers
max simultaneous comparison
50 states
accurate tax data built-in
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Your profile
Your gross annual salary if currently employed. Used to calculate opportunity cost — income you forgo while studying. Enter 0 if you are a fresh graduate.
Total professional experience before the program. 1–2 years adds ~4% to starting salary; 3+ years adds ~7%, reflecting stronger negotiating position.
Amount of your own savings you will put toward program costs. Directly reduces how much you need to borrow.
Post-graduation assumptions
Percentage of monthly net take-home you allocate to loan repayment. 20–40% is a common range. Higher = faster payoff.
Expected year-on-year salary increase. Industry averages range 5–12%. Used in 5-year and 10-year wealth projections.
US state where you plan to work after graduation. Each state has different income tax rates applied to your post-grad salary.
Months of job-hunting before your first paycheck. Loan interest keeps compounding and living costs continue during this period — both are factored in.
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Admission offers
Add up to 5 schools
Your results
Full comparison
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Cost of attendance breakdown
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Gross vs net vs loan
Loan repayment timeline
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5-year cumulative wealth projection
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10-year cumulative wealth projection

Assumptions, inclusions & limitations

  • Federal tax uses 2024 IRS progressive brackets with $14,600 standard deduction for single filers.
  • State tax uses flat effective rates per state from 2024 data embedded in this file, applied to taxable income.
  • Payroll taxes include Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) on gross salary.
  • Not accounted for: NYC/SF city taxes, FICA wage base caps, AMT, OPT/F-1 FICA exemptions in early years, investment gains tax.
  • Refinancing replaces your student loan with a new private loan at a lower rate — typically possible after ~1 year of employment history. Reduces total interest paid significantly.
  • Unemployment period — loan interest compounds monthly and living costs (annual COA ÷ 12) continue. Both are deducted before repayment begins.
  • Wealth projection — once your loan is fully repaid, the repayment amount shifts to an investment growing at 8%/yr (S&P 500 long-run average).
  • Salary progression is approximate based on your input growth rate. Actual results depend on company, role, and market conditions.