How to Avoid Sticker Shock: Making your Tuition & Fees Page Affordability-Focused

Most colleges have a Tuition & Fees page that lists the cost of attendance. That’s a good thing—transparency matters.

But here’s the challenge: sticker price alone doesn’t tell the full story.

💭 A student visits your website, clicks on “Tuition & Fees,” sees a high number, and immediately assumes your college is too expensive.

💭 They don’t know about financial aid, scholarships or payment plans—because they never get that far.

The reality? 72% of students eliminate schools based on cost before applying. (Sallie Mae, 2023)

It’s not that students (and parents) don’t care about affordability. It’s that they often don’t understand it.

So, how can colleges present tuition more effectively—in a way that helps students see the full picture rather than just the biggest number on the page?

The Problem: Students See the Cost, Not the Context

📌 More than half of families (52%) don’t understand the difference between sticker price and net price. (EducationDynamics, 2023)

📌 43% of students believe private colleges are “too expensive”—even though financial aid often makes them comparable to public universities. (NACAC, 2022)

📌 Students from lower-income backgrounds are more likely to self-select out of applying due to cost concerns—without ever learning what aid they’d receive. (EAB, 2023)

This means that many students never apply to colleges that might actually be affordable for them.

This isn’t just a financial aid issue—it’s a communication issue.

How to Make Tuition & Fees More Than Just a List of Numbers

Your Tuition & Fees page should absolutely be clear and transparent.

But it should also answer:

✔ What will I actually pay?

✔ How can I afford this?

✔ What support exists for students like me?

Here’s how to add context to the numbers.

1. Keep Tuition Front & Center—But Pair It with Real Aid Information

Most colleges lead with the sticker price, but they don’t always pair it with the financial aid story.

Instead of just saying:

💰 Tuition & Fees: $45,000 per year

Show:

✔ How much aid the average student receives (e.g., “Our students receive an average of $18,000 in scholarships and grants.”)

✔ What percentage of students receive aid (e.g., “95% of students get financial assistance.”)

✔ Sample aid packages to verify that 'actual cost' is less (e.g., “Here are four sample aid packages from families just like yours.”)

✔ A quick cost estimator tool (e.g., “See what you might pay—use our Net Price Calculator.”)

📌 Example: Xavier University integrates its Net Price Calculator directly into recruitment emails and tuition pages under the CTA “What Will You Pay?”

Why it works: It shifts the focus from what tuition costs to what students actually pay.

2. Put the Net Price Calculator Where Students Will Use It

Many Net Price Calculators (NPCs) are hidden deep in the website, making them hard to find. And even when students do find them, they can be difficult to use or too long (nobody wants to fill out 40+ fields).

Fix it by:

✔ Making your NPC a primary CTA on tuition and financial aid pages.

✔ Using clear, student-friendly wording that works for all segments of students, including first-generation (e.g., “See what YOU might pay” instead of “Net Price Calculator”).

✔ Shortening the process—students should get an estimate in under 3 minutes.

📌 Example: The University of Dayton redesigned its NPC to be fast, simple and accessible right from its Tuition page.

3. Break Down Costs in a Way That Makes Sense to Students

A lump sum of $40,000 per year is overwhelming. But when broken down, it becomes more digestible.

Fix it by:

✔ Showing costs in different time frames or with unique analogies. Example: “That’s about $120 per day—less than a daily coffee and takeout habit.”

✔ Highlighting tuition payment plans. Example: “Break it into smaller, interest-free monthly payments.”

✔ Comparing costs to common expenses. Example: “Your monthly student loan payment might be the cost of 5 large pizzas.”

📌 Example: 

Why it works: Students (and parents who pay bills) think in monthly expenses, not yearly lump sums.

4. Show the ROI: What Do Students Get for Their Money?

Students (and parents) don’t just want to know what they’ll pay—they want to know if it’s worth it.

Fix it by:

✔ Highlighting career outcomes. Example: “95% of our graduates are employed or in grad school within six months.”

✔ Emphasizing internships & hands-on learning. Example: “90% of students complete at least one paid internship.”

✔ Using salary comparisons. Example: “Our graduates earn 20% more than the national average.”

📌 Example: Purdue University links tuition costs directly to job placement rates and salary outcomes.

Why it works: Students want proof that the cost is worth it.

Final Thought: Transparency Matters—But Context Does Too

Tuition and fees pages should absolutely be clear, upfront and transparent. But transparency alone isn’t enough.

• Students need to see context.

• They need to understand real costs, not just sticker price.

• They need to know why the investment is worth it.

Every tuition page should still list the full cost. But the best ones go further—helping students and families make sense of those numbers before they self-select out of applying.

Because cost isn’t just a number. It’s a decision-making factor. And how we present it matters.