Free spreadsheet for comparing colleges
Put every college on your list in one place and compare them side by side: where it is, how far from home, how big, how selective, what it costs and what it costs after grants and scholarships. A Costs and Aid tab works out the cost of attendance, net cost, what's left after loans and work-study, and a four-year estimate. An Applications tab counts down to each deadline and flags anything due soon.
Pro Want four-year costs, weighted scores and a deadline dashboard? See College Comparison Pro →| Comparerowsandcells.com | ||||||||||||||
| Cost after aid, deadlines and the basics for every college, side by side.Free template | ||||||||||||||
| College | Location | Type | Miles from home | Undergrads | Acceptance rate | Cost of attendance | Grants and scholarships | Net cost per year | Cheapest rank | Deadline | Application status | My rating (1-5) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State University | Capital City | Public, in-state | 85 | 31,000 | 72% | $26,900.00 | $6,500.00 | $20,400.00 | 2 | Nov 1, 2026 | Due soon | 4 | Strong engineering; big lecture classes | |
| Lakeside College | Harbor Falls | Private | 410 | 2,100 | 48% | $71,400.00 | $46,000.00 | $25,400.00 | 4 | Nov 15, 2026 | On track | 5 | Loved the campus visit | |
| Northfield Institute of Technology | Northfield | Private | 620 | 6,800 | 18% | $82,600.00 | $21,000.00 | $61,600.00 | 6 | Jan 1, 2027 | On track | 4 | Reach school | |
| Riverbend State University | Riverbend | Public, out-of-state | 290 | 14,500 | 81% | $44,600.00 | $8,000.00 | $36,600.00 | 5 | Sep 15, 2026 | Accepted | 3 | Accepted; honors college invite | |
| Cedar Hill College | Cedar Hill | Private | 150 | 3,400 | 63% | $60,900.00 | $39,500.00 | $21,400.00 | 3 | Nov 1, 2026 | Submitted | 4 | Good merit aid history | |
| Pine Valley Community College | Hometown | Community college | 12 | 8,900 | 100% | $11,600.00 | $2,500.00 | $9,100.00 | 1 | Mar 1, 2027 | On track | 3 | Live at home, transfer plan | |
| Costs and Aidrowsandcells.com | ||||||||||||||
| Type in the cream cells. Shaded cells are formulas and fill in on their own.Free template | ||||||||||||||
| College | Tuition and fees | Housing and food | Books and supplies | Travel and personal | Cost of attendance | Grants | Scholarships | Net cost per year | Loans offered | Work-study | Left to pay | Net cost over 4 years | Aid figures from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State University | $11,200.00 | $12,400.00 | $1,200.00 | $2,100.00 | $26,900.00 | $4,500.00 | $2,000.00 | $20,400.00 | $5,500.00 | $2,000.00 | $12,900.00 | $86,627.87 | Net price calculator | |
| Lakeside College | $52,800.00 | $14,900.00 | $1,100.00 | $2,600.00 | $71,400.00 | $34,000.00 | $12,000.00 | $25,400.00 | $5,500.00 | $2,500.00 | $17,400.00 | $107,860.19 | Net price calculator | |
| Northfield Institute of Technology | $61,500.00 | $16,800.00 | $1,300.00 | $3,000.00 | $82,600.00 | $21,000.00 | $0.00 | $61,600.00 | $5,500.00 | $0.00 | $56,100.00 | $261,582.18 | Net price calculator | |
| Riverbend State University | $29,400.00 | $11,600.00 | $1,200.00 | $2,400.00 | $44,600.00 | $0.00 | $8,000.00 | $36,600.00 | $5,500.00 | $0.00 | $31,100.00 | $155,420.58 | Award letter | |
| Cedar Hill College | $44,900.00 | $13,200.00 | $1,000.00 | $1,800.00 | $60,900.00 | $30,500.00 | $9,000.00 | $21,400.00 | $5,500.00 | $1,800.00 | $14,100.00 | $90,874.33 | Net price calculator | |
| Pine Valley Community College | $4,300.00 | $3,600.00 | $1,500.00 | $2,200.00 | $11,600.00 | $2,500.00 | $0.00 | $9,100.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $9,100.00 | $38,642.82 | Net price calculator | |
| Applicationsrowsandcells.com | ||||||||||||||
| Type in the cream cells. Shaded cells are formulas and fill in on their own.Free template | ||||||||||||||
| College | Plan | Deadline | Days left | App fee | Essays done | Recs asked | Transcript sent | Scores sent | Aid forms done | Submitted | Decision | Status | Steps done | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State University | Early action | Nov 1, 2026 | 14 | $65.00 | Due soon | 3 of 6 | ||||||||
| Lakeside College | Early decision | Nov 15, 2026 | 28 | $70.00 | On track | 1 of 6 | ||||||||
| Northfield Institute of Technology | Regular | Jan 1, 2027 | 75 | $80.00 | On track | 0 of 6 | ||||||||
| Riverbend State University | Rolling | Sep 15, 2026 | $50.00 | Accepted | Accepted | 6 of 6 | ||||||||
| Cedar Hill College | Early action | Nov 1, 2026 | $0.00 | Submitted | 5 of 6 | |||||||||
| Pine Valley Community College | Rolling | Mar 1, 2027 | 134 | $0.00 | On track | 0 of 6 | ||||||||
| Summaryrowsandcells.com | |||||
| Type in the cream cells. Shaded cells are formulas and fill in on their own.Free template | |||||
| Item | Value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Oct 18, 2026 | ||||
| Yearly cost increase (for the 4-year estimate) | 4% | ||||
| Due soon within (days) | 14 | ||||
| Colleges on your list | 6 | ||||
| Lowest net cost per year | $9,100.00 | ||||
| Lowest net cost college | Pine Valley Community College | ||||
| Highest net cost per year | $61,600.00 | ||||
| Average net cost per year | $29,083.33 | ||||
| Applications submitted | 2 | ||||
| Acceptances so far | 1 | ||||
| Applications due soon | 1 | ||||
| Next deadline still open | Nov 1, 2026 | ||||
| Application fees in total | $265.00 | ||||
What's inside
- One row per college: location, type, miles from home, number of undergrads, acceptance rate, your rating and notes
- Cost of attendance worked out from tuition, housing and food, books and travel
- Net cost per year after grants and scholarships, with a rank from cheapest to most expensive
- What's left to pay after loans and work-study, and a four-year net cost with a yearly increase you set
- An application checklist for each school with a countdown to the deadline and Due soon, Missed and Submitted flags
- A summary of the lowest net cost, the next open deadline, acceptances so far and application fees
How to use it
Download your copy
Click "Free download" to save the .xlsx file. It opens in Excel, or in Google Sheets: open a blank sheet (sheets.new) and choose File, then Import, then Upload.
List your colleges
On the Compare tab, replace the sample schools with your own: name, location, type, distance from home, size and acceptance rate. Most of this is on each college's website or the College Navigator site.
Add costs and aid
On Costs and Aid, type the same college names, then each school's published costs. Add grants and scholarships from its net price calculator, and replace them with the real numbers when award letters arrive.
Add deadlines
On Applications, add each school's plan (early decision, early action, regular or rolling) and its deadline. Tick each step as you finish it, and tick Submitted when you send the application.
Set today and your rules
On the Summary tab, type =TODAY() in the Today cell so the countdowns stay current. Change how many days counts as due soon and the yearly cost increase if you like.
Compare and decide
Back on Compare, sort by Net cost per year or Cheapest rank, and read your notes and ratings beside the numbers. Type the decision on Applications as each one comes in.
Tips
Use the exact same names
Compare looks up costs and deadlines by college name. Type each name the same way on all three tabs, or copy and paste it.
Loans are not discounts
Net cost only takes off grants and scholarships, money you don't pay back. Loans and work-study are shown separately in Left to pay, because loans are borrowed and work-study is earned.
Check the cost of attendance year
Colleges post costs for one academic year at a time. Make sure every school's numbers are for the same year, so the comparison is fair.
Ask about anything unclear
Award letters use different names for the same thing. If a line doesn't make sense, call the college's financial aid office and ask whether it's a grant, a loan or work-study.
Questions
How do I compare colleges in a spreadsheet?
Give each college one row and the same columns: location, size, acceptance rate, cost of attendance, aid and deadline. This sheet does that and works out net cost, a cheapest rank and a countdown to each deadline.
What is cost of attendance?
It's a college's full yearly price: tuition and fees, housing and food, books and supplies, plus travel and personal costs. The sheet adds those four columns for you.
What is net cost?
The cost of attendance minus grants and scholarships, the aid you don't pay back. It's usually the fairest number for comparing schools, because a high sticker price can turn out cheaper after aid.
How do I compare financial aid award letters?
Copy each letter into Costs and Aid: grants and scholarships in their columns, loans and work-study in theirs. Then compare Net cost per year and Left to pay. If a letter leaves out costs like books or travel, add them from the college's website.
Where do I find a college's costs and acceptance rate?
The college's own website lists its cost of attendance and has a net price calculator. The U.S. Department of Education's College Navigator and College Scorecard sites show costs, size and acceptance rates.
How is the four-year net cost worked out?
It takes this year's net cost and grows it by the yearly increase on the Summary tab (4% in the sample) for each of four years. It's an estimate: aid can change from year to year, so check with each school.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Import the .xlsx file into Google Sheets or open it in Excel. The formulas and checkboxes work in both.
Is this college comparison spreadsheet free?
Yes. Download the .xlsx file and open it in Excel or Google Sheets. No sign-up needed.
Pro version
College Comparison Pro
Compare every college on what it really costs over four years and on what matters to you, with each application's checklist and deadline in the same file.
See the real cost
Type each college's costs and aid once. You get the cost of attendance, the net cost after grants and scholarships, and what's left after loans and work-study, all worked out the same way so the colleges compare fairly.
Four years, not one
Four Years grows costs by a yearly rate you set and drops scholarships that don't renew after year 1. It shows each college's four-year net cost, how much more it is than the cheapest, and a rough monthly loan payment.
Rank by what matters to you
Give each thing that matters a weight from 0 to 5: cost, distance, the major, campus feel, class size and more. Rate each college 1 to 5 and get a score out of 100 and a rank. Cost, distance and visits are scored for you.
Never miss a deadline
Each college gets a checklist: essays, recommendations, transcript, test scores, FAFSA, CSS Profile and the fee. Days left count down, and Due soon, Missed, Submitted and Accepted show as colored flags.
Remember every visit
Rate each tour, info session or overnight while it's fresh, with what you liked, what worried you and what to ask. The overall rating feeds the score.
One page to decide
The Dashboard shows your top colleges by score next to their four-year cost, every open deadline in date order, a cost chart and how many applications are in.
| Free | Pro |
|---|---|
| One row per college with the basics | One row per college with the basics, costs and aid together |
| Net cost for one year | Net cost for each of four years, with non-renewing scholarships handled |
| My rating column | Weighted score out of 100 from criteria and weights you set |
| Application checklist with checkboxes | Checklist with steps you name, N/A for steps you don't need, and a progress bar |
| Summary tab | Dashboard with top colleges, open deadlines and a cost chart |
| · | Estimated monthly loan payment and total repaid |
| · | Visit log with ratings that feed the score |
| · | Dropdowns for types, plans and decisions, all set on one Setup tab |
$15 one-time
8 tabs: Start Here, Dashboard, Colleges, Applications, Scores, Four Years, Visits and Setup. You get two copies: one filled in with a sample student's college list so you can see it working, and a blank one ready for your own colleges.
Buy now- Instant download after checkout
- Works in Google Sheets and Excel
- Yours to keep and reuse every year