What information do I need to use a college planning calculator effectively?

To use a college planning calculator effectively, you'll need to gather several pieces of information, including:
The current age of the student
The age at which the student plans to start college
The estimated length of the student's college program
The estimated cost of tuition and fees at the colleges the student is considering
The estimated cost of room and board, textbooks, and other expenses associated with attending college
The amount of savings and investments the student and their family currently have set aside for college
The expected annual rate of return on those savings and investments
The estimated amount of financial aid the student may be eligible for, including scholarships, grants, and loans
The expected inflation rate over the course of the student's college program.

Having this information on hand will help you input accurate data into the college planning calculator and get a more accurate estimate of the total cost of college for the student.