Adding it all up 2012: Are net price calculators easy to find, use, and compare?

Nearly all U.S. colleges were required by law to post net price calculators on their websites by October 29, 2011. In the March 2011 issue brief, Adding It All Up: An Early Look at Net Price Calculators, the Institute for College Access and Success analyzed 16 calculators that were posted before the deadline. In this context, this report takes a more in-depth look at the net price calculators from 50 randomly selected colleges. While the authors found some positive practices that were not evident at the time of the previous report, net price calculators are still not reliably easy for prospective college students and their families to find, use, and compare. The report also provides some recommendation in this regard.