# What is my net price?

Computes the net price after one or more discounts off a list price, with the single equivalent discount, or a college’s net price: the cost of attendance minus grants and scholarships.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/finance/net-price-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/finance/net-price-calculator.json
- Version: 4a075462f563

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Net price of A discounted price, List price $12,399.00, Discount 1 35%): Your net price is $8,059.35.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| mode | Net price of | A price after discounts, or a year of college after grants and scholarships. |
| list | List price | The price before any discount. |
| d1 | Discount 1 | A discount off the price left after the discounts above it, in percent. |
| d2 | Discount 2 | A discount off the price left after the discounts above it, in percent. |
| d3 | Discount 3 | A discount off the price left after the discounts above it, in percent. |
| d4 | Discount 4 | A discount off the price left after the discounts above it, in percent. |
| tuition | Tuition and fees | Published tuition and required fees for one year. |
| housing | Housing and food | Room and board for one year, on or off campus. |
| books | Books and supplies | Books, supplies and course materials for one year. |
| travel | Transportation | Travel to and from school for one year. |
| other | Other personal costs | Other living costs for one year. |
| aid | Grants and scholarships | Gift aid you do not repay for one year: Pell and other grants, scholarships. Not loans or work-study. |
| years | Years | How many years to add up, at the same yearly cost. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| net | Net price | What is left to pay. |
| saved | Total discount | List price − net price. |
| equiv | Single equivalent discount | 1 − (1 − d₁)(1 − d₂)…, as one percent off the list price. |
| coa | Cost of attendance | The sum of the yearly costs. |
| total | Net price for all years | Net price × years. |

## Method

Discounts: net = list × (1 − d₁) × (1 − d₂) × …; single equivalent discount = 1 − (1 − d₁)(1 − d₂)…. College: net price = tuition + housing + books + transportation + other − grants and scholarships.

## Assumptions

- Each discount comes off the price left after the ones before it (a chain or series of discounts).
- College net price counts gift aid only; loans and work-study do not lower it, because they are repaid or earned.
- Over several years the yearly cost and aid stay the same.

## Worked examples

1. mode = discount, list = $12,399.00, d1 = 35%, d2 = 15%, d3 = 3%, d4 = 12% gives net = $5,847.54, equiv = 52.8386%. Source: Olivier, Business Math: A Step-by-Step Handbook, §6.1 Figuring Out the Cost: Discounts (Formula 6.3 N = L × (1 − d₁)(1 − d₂)…; Ski-Doo: N = $5,847.54, single equivalent discount 52.84%), https://math.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Applied_Mathematics/Business_Math_(Olivier)/06:_Marketing_Applications_(What_Is_It_Going_to_Cost_Me)/6.01:_Figuring_Out_the_Cost_-_Discounts__(How_Much).
2. mode = discount, list = $80.00, d1 = 20% gives net = $64.00, saved = $16.00, equiv = 20%. Source: Olivier, Business Math: A Step-by-Step Handbook, §6.1 (Formula 6.1 N = L × (1 − d); a 20% discount means paying 80% of the list price), https://math.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Applied_Mathematics/Business_Math_(Olivier)/06:_Marketing_Applications_(What_Is_It_Going_to_Cost_Me)/6.01:_Figuring_Out_the_Cost_-_Discounts__(How_Much).
3. mode = college, tuition = $11,000.00, housing = $12,000.00, books = $1,200.00, travel = $1,500.00, other = $2,300.00, aid = $9,500.00, years = 4 gives coa = $28,000.00, net = $18,500.00, total = $74,000.00. Source: NCES, Condition of Education, Price of Attending an Undergraduate Institution (net price = total cost of attendance − grant and scholarship aid), https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cua.

## FAQ

### How do I calculate the net price after a discount?

Multiply the list price by 1 minus the discount rate: N = L × (1 − d). With a 20% discount you pay 80% of the list price, so $80 becomes $64.

### How do multiple discounts work?

Each discount comes off the price left after the one before it: N = L × (1 − d₁) × (1 − d₂) × …. Olivier’s example: a $12,399 Ski-Doo with 35%, 15%, 3% and 12% off nets $5,847.54, not 12,399 × (1 − 0.65).

### What is a single equivalent discount?

The one discount that gives the same net price as a chain of discounts: 1 − (1 − d₁)(1 − d₂)…. For 35%, 15%, 3% and 12% it is 52.84%, less than the 65% you get by adding them.

### What is a college’s net price?

The cost of attendance minus the grants and scholarships you get. NCES defines the cost of attendance as tuition and required fees, books and supplies, and room, board and other expenses. Loans and work-study do not lower the net price, because you repay or earn them.

### Is this the same as a school’s own net price calculator?

No. Each college’s calculator estimates the grants you would get from your family’s finances. Here you type the grants and costs yourself, for example from an aid offer, to compare schools on the same footing.

### Does the order of discounts matter?

No. Multiplying is the same in any order, so 10% then 20% nets the same price as 20% then 10%.

## Sources

- Olivier, J.-P., Business Math: A Step-by-Step Handbook, §6.1 Figuring Out the Cost: Discounts (Formula 6.1 N = L × (1 − d); Formula 6.3 N = L × (1 − d₁) × (1 − d₂) × (1 − d₃)…; Formula 6.4 d_equiv = 1 − (1 − d₁) × (1 − d₂) × (1 − d₃)…; Ski-Doo example: $12,399 at 35%, 15%, 3% and 12% gives $5,847.54 and 52.84%). https://math.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Applied_Mathematics/Business_Math_(Olivier)/06:_Marketing_Applications_(What_Is_It_Going_to_Cost_Me)/6.01:_Figuring_Out_the_Cost_-_Discounts__(How_Much) (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Condition of Education: Price of Attending an Undergraduate Institution (total cost of attendance = tuition and required fees, books and supplies, room, board and other expenses; net price = total cost of attendance − grant and scholarship aid). https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cua (retrieved 2026-10-02)