University of Houston launches My Total Cost Planner for students

In short: The University of Houston has launched My Total Cost Planner, a free online tool that shows admitted and enrolled students what their first year of college is expected to cost.

What happened

The University of Houston rolled out My Total Cost Planner in May 2026. Students can access it through the school’s AccessUH portal.

The planner gives a personalized cost estimate based on a student’s real situation, not an average. It pulls in details the university already has, like the student’s academic college and their financial aid offer, then updates the estimate right away as the student changes options.

Students can adjust choices that often change the final bill. For example, they can pick full-time or part-time enrollment, on-campus housing or commuting, a meal plan, and other common expenses like parking permits and the Cougar Textbook Access Program. The tool shows a breakdown of tuition and fees, how financial aid affects the total, and what installment payments might look like. It does not include some course-specific charges, like certain lab fees or study abroad costs.

Why it matters

College prices can be hard to compare because two students at the same school can pay very different amounts. A calculator that uses your actual aid package is more like getting an itemized receipt instead of a rough guess. For families trying to plan, a clearer first-year estimate can make it easier to decide how much money they may need to save, borrow, or pay month to month.

Source: NYTimes