What does the sticker price mean when looking at colleges?

As I'm starting to research colleges, I've come across the term 'sticker price' quite a bit, but I'm not entirely sure what it signifies. Is it the total cost of attending a school, including tuition, room and board, and fees, before any financial aid or scholarships are applied? How should I factor the sticker price into my decision-making process, and are there ways to estimate the actual cost of attendance more accurately? Any insight would be really appreciated as I compare different schools.

You're correct in your understanding that the sticker price is the total cost of attending a university before any financial aid or scholarships. It typically includes tuition, room and board, as well as other necessary fees such as those for books, transportation, and personal expenses.

Sticker price helps to provide a general idea of what it costs to attend, serving as a baseline for comparisons among different institutions. However, do keep in mind that many students do not end up paying the full sticker price due to the availability of need-based and merit-based financial aid.

To get a more accurate estimate of your actual cost, you might want to use the Net Price Calculator provided by most colleges on their websites. These calculators take into account your family's financial information and the school's typical financial aid offers to provide an estimation of the net price—the cost you're likely to pay after scholarships and financial aid.

When making your decision, it's important to consider all these factors—the sticker price, estimated net price, and potential financial aid and scholarships. However, also remember to weigh these against the school's offerings like quality of education, programs of interest to you, location, campus culture, etc.

Essentially, while sticker price is a useful starting point, it's not representative of the actual costs for the majority of students. Each school's financial aid and scholarship opportunities can vary significantly, affecting the affordability of the institution.