Is saving $200 a month for 18 years enough for college tuition?

Saving $200 a month for 18 years could cover about 79% of four years of average public in-state tuition and fees in this example. The projected balance is $69,333 at a 5% effective annual return, leaving a gap of about $18,201 against the $87,534 tuition benchmark at 3% annual tuition growth.

Compare the balance with four separate tuition bills

The savings model starts at $0 and uses 216 deposits at the start of the month. You contribute $43,200. At an illustrative 3%, 5% or 7% effective annual return, the balance would reach $57,104, $69,333 or $84,660 respectively, before taxes and fees.

The tuition model starts with the College Board’s 2026–27 average of $12,290 per year for full-time in-state undergraduates at public four-year colleges. It applies 3% growth each year and assumes no growth on the savings once college starts. College Board’s 2026 college pricing figures

With the $69,333 balance, the first three projected bills total about $64,671, leaving about $4,662 toward the fourth year. If tuition instead increases 2% annually, the four-year target falls to $72,347. At 5% tuition growth, it rises to $127,482.

Translate the gap into a monthly amount

Under the same 5% investment return, the balance scales with the deposit. Divide $87,534 by $69,333 and multiply by $200. The result is about $253 per month to meet this tuition-only target. For an individual school, start with its published tuition and fees, then build a separate budget for housing, meals, books and transportation. Grants and scholarships can change the amount a family pays.

To test your numbers, enter $0 up front, $200 per month, 5% yearly and 18 years in Investment Simulator. Leave tax, inflation and extra deposits at zero for this future-dollar comparison. Then adjust one input at a time to see how the result changes.

Compare with a $100 monthly contribution or a $500 monthly contribution.