Paying for college: savings, aid, loans
The college question is really three: how much to save
(/v1/college-savings), how much aid to expect
(/v1/education/aid-estimate), and how to repay what's
borrowed (/v1/education/student-loan). This guide runs the
journey end to end for one family.
1 · Size the savings goal
A 5-year-old, $30,000/year college cost in today's dollars, 5% tuition inflation, $20,000 already saved.
curl -X POST https://api.numeratica.com/v1/college-savings \
-H "Authorization: Bearer nmr_sk_test_xxx" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"current_child_age": 5,
"annual_cost_today": 30000,
"tuition_inflation": 0.05,
"current_savings": 20000,
"expected_return": 0.06
}'{
"result_id": "col_327be796324556a1",
"engine_version": "college-savings-1.0.0",
"result": {
"years_until_college": 13,
"total_cost_nominal": 243821.51, /* 4 years, tuition-inflated */
"required_savings_at_start": 223095.94,
"projected_without_saving": 42658.57, /* the $20k grows, but not enough */
"funding_gap": 180437.38,
"required_annual_saving": 9015.08,
"required_monthly_saving": 751.26,
"on_track": false
},
"disclaimer": "Calculation engine output for informational purposes only; not financial advice."
}Four years starting at 18 will cost $243,822 nominal; staying on track from here takes $751/month.
2 · Estimate the aid
The FAFSA Student Aid Index (Formula A, dependent student) from the family's income and assets — married filing jointly, $90,000 AGI, both parents working, $70,000 of reportable assets, a $30,000 cost of attendance.
curl -X POST https://api.numeratica.com/v1/education/aid-estimate \
-H "Authorization: Bearer nmr_sk_test_xxx" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"award_year": 2026, "family_size": 4, "parent_filing_status": "mfj",
"parent_agi": 90000, "parent_income_tax_paid": 8000,
"parent_earned_income": 60000, "parent2_earned_income": 30000,
"parent_cash_savings": 20000, "parent_investments_net": 50000,
"student_agi": 5000, "student_earned_income": 5000,
"cost_of_attendance": 30000
}'{
"result_id": "sai_8aae674a4cdd5606",
"engine_version": "sai-1.0.0",
"result": {
"parent_available_income": 25235,
"parent_contribution_from_assets": 8400, /* 12% of net worth */
"parent_adjusted_available_income": 33635, /* through the progressive AAI schedule */
"parent_contribution": 8049.90,
"student_contribution_from_income": 0, /* under the student allowance */
"student_contribution_from_assets": 0,
"income_protection_allowance": 44880, /* 2026-27 ED table, family of 4 */
"sai": 8050,
"financial_need": 21950
},
"disclaimer": "Calculation engine output for informational purposes only; an estimate of the FAFSA SAI, not an official determination."
}The SAI is $8,050, so demonstrated need at this school is $21,950/year — the number aid offices build packages around. The allowances and assessment rates are the Department of Education's 2026-27 tables, snapshotted and sourced like every other data table.
3 · Render it
A funding-stack card that puts all three numbers in one view.
<div style="font-family:-apple-system,Segoe UI,Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#1a2230;max-width:600px">
<div style="font-size:14px;color:#5b6675;margin-bottom:8px">One year of college · $30,000 cost of attendance · family of 4, $90k AGI</div>
<div style="display:flex;height:34px;border-radius:8px;overflow:hidden;font-size:12px;font-weight:600;color:#fff">
<div style="flex:0 0 73.2%;background:#1d4ed8;display:flex;align-items:center;padding-left:10px">Demonstrated need $21,950</div>
<div style="flex:1;background:#b45309;display:flex;align-items:center;padding-left:10px">SAI $8,050</div>
</div>
<div style="display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr;gap:10px;margin-top:12px">
<div style="border:1px solid #e6e9ef;border-radius:10px;padding:12px">
<div style="font-size:12px;color:#5b6675">529 on-track saving</div>
<div style="font-size:22px;font-weight:700">$751<span style="font-size:12px;font-weight:400;color:#5b6675">/mo</span></div>
<div style="font-size:12px;color:#5b6675;margin-top:4px">13 years to a $243,822 four-year cost</div>
</div>
<div style="border:1px solid #e6e9ef;border-radius:10px;padding:12px">
<div style="font-size:12px;color:#5b6675">If borrowing fills a gap</div>
<div style="font-size:14px;margin-top:6px">Compare standard vs RAP vs IBR before signing — one call.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="color:#5b6675;font-size:12px;margin-top:6px">result_id sai_8aae674a4cdd5606 · SAI estimate, not an official determination · not financial advice</div>
</div>
Close the loop with
student loans under the 2026 rules for whatever the
stack doesn't cover — and if the 529 ends up overfunded,
/v1/education/529-to-roth plans the SECURE 2.0 rollover of the
leftover into the beneficiary's Roth IRA.