College tuition has its own inflation rate, and it runs hotter than almost everything else in the economy. A year of college costing $28,000 today can easily exceed $75,000 by the time a toddler enrolls. This calculator translates that uncomfortable truth into a monthly savings target. It takes the College Cost (today's value) ($), compounds it by the Education Inflation Rate (%) over the years between your Child's Current Age (years) and the College Entry Age (years), and then solves for the Required Monthly Savings ($) that will grow — at your Expected Annual Return (%) — into exactly that future bill.

Consider a 3-year-old with college at 18, current costs of $30,000 a year, and education inflation of 6%. In 15 years that year of college costs about $71,900. Hitting that with a 10% annual return demands roughly $172 a month, every month, for 15 years. The Total Amount Invested ($) versus Investment Growth ($) split shows how much of the final sum is your discipline and how much is compounding.

Startling numbers are the point. Seeing the monthly figure early — when compounding has the most time to help — is what turns panic into a plan.

With the pre-filled defaults — College Cost (today's value) ($) 100,000, Child's Current Age (years) 3, College Entry Age (years) 18, Education Inflation Rate (%) 6, Expected Annual Return (%) 7 — the Child Education Calculator returns Years to College 15, Future College Cost ($) 239,655.82, Required Monthly Savings ($) 751.72, Total Amount Invested ($) 135,309.05, Investment Growth ($) 104,346.77. Change any input and those results update instantly, so you can see exactly how each number you enter moves the answer.