SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- High school students and their parents don't have to be surprised about the cost of college anymore. As of Oct. 29, every university and college in the nation will have to have an online calculator where prospective students can type in some of their financial and academic history and see exactly how much tuition is going to cost them.
It's called the net price calculator, and the federal Department of Education is requiring every college to offer the service.
Students and financial counselors say it's very helpful to see what the bottom line is going to be.
"It's consumer information. They're going to be able to go in and try or attempt to find an early definition of what it is going to cost them to go to school," said Vicki Mattocks, Missouri State University's financial aid director.
"We didn't have the net calculator before, and so now having that I think it will be a lot easier for people coming in unlike me who just kind of came in blindly a little bit," said MSU student Julia Jensen.
