Child's Education Cost Calculator
Picking a course fills an approximate cost below. You can edit that figure to any amount.
Illustrative only. Course costs are approximate, drawn from published 2025-26 figures for representative institutions in each category, converted to INR at approximate current exchange rates — actual costs vary widely by institution, city, and course, and should be checked against your specific target institution. Assumes a constant inflation and return rate each year, which real life never quite delivers. This is not personalised investment advice.
Education costs have been rising faster than general inflation for years, and a course that looks affordable today can look very different by the time your child is actually ready for it. This calculator projects a course's cost forward to that date, and works out what you'd need to invest — as a monthly SIP or a lumpsum today — to be ready for it.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the default cost figures come from?
They're approximate figures drawn from published 2025-26 data for representative institutions in each category — for example, IIT/NIT fee circulars for engineering, and published tuition-plus-living-cost ranges from study-abroad guides for courses overseas. They're meant as a starting point, not a quote for any specific institution — edit the figure to match the actual course and college you have in mind.
Why use a higher inflation rate for education than general inflation?
Tuition, especially for professional courses and in institutions competing internationally, has historically risen faster than general consumer inflation in India. An 8% default is a common working assumption for education-specific planning, though you can adjust it if you expect a particular course to rise faster or slower.
How are foreign currency costs converted to rupees here?
The abroad options use an approximate current exchange rate to arrive at a single rupee figure. Since currency movements over a 10-20 year horizon are impossible to predict reliably, treat the abroad figures as a rough present-day equivalent rather than a forecast of what the rupee cost will be on the day of admission.
Should I plan for this goal separately from my other investments?
Yes — a child's education usually has a fairly fixed date it can't be pushed back, unlike some other goals. Keeping it in a separate, clearly earmarked allocation makes it easier to see whether you're actually on track, rather than mixing it in with your Retirement Corpus or other goals.
What if I'm not sure which course my child will eventually take?
Many families plan around a realistic upper-range estimate — such as a private engineering seat or a foreign master's — since it's easier to redirect surplus savings toward another goal later than to find a shortfall close to admission time. You can always come back and adjust the course type as your child gets closer to the decision.
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