← Back to CollegeClearlySample report. A fictional Tennessee family, five colleges, prepared September 18, 2026 from the colleges’ published figures. About the report · Begin yours
CollegeClearly

Your CollegeClearly Report

Every dollar of a four-year decision, laid out plainly, before you commit.

The CollegeClearly Report is designed for undergraduate college planning.

5 colleges, one family, entry 2027–28

Every number below carries a tag that says where it came from. Published and Approved figures come from a source. Modeled figures are calculated from the information available to your Report. Stated figures come from what your family provides. Unknown means it cannot be known reliably yet, and the Report identifies it as Unknown rather than filling the gap with an assumption. Need help with a term? Visit the CollegeClearly Glossary for plain-English definitions of the financial and report terms used here.

Student TN resident, class of 2027, Mechanical EngineeringGPA 3.60 unweighted, 3.90 weightedScores ACT 31 (retest ACT December 12, 2026)From income $10,000 a yearStatedSavings or 529 $30,000StatedKnown awards nonePrepared September 18, 2026
CollegeClearly uses your inputs and current published information to provide the closest planning picture we can. It is an estimate, not a college bill or financial-aid offer. Costs, scholarships, aid, loan terms and other inputs may change.

Executive summary

Where each college stands today

Ole Miss, Alabama, UT close under the family’s stated inputs and the federal loan limits. Auburn ($92,160 unfunded, first in year 2) and Harvard ($238,536 unfunded, first in year 1) do not close under current assumptions; the funding map for each shows what exists to cover the remainder. Need-based aid is Unknown everywhere and could change any of these.

Ole Miss
out-of-state, living on campus
Four years before aid$211,752
Merit that counts$60,000
Need-based aidUnknown
Borrowing plan and monthly payment lines included in your Report.
Still unfunded (fed max)$0
First gap yearNone
The plan closes under stated inputs and federal loan capacityFull diligence detail
Auburn
Full summary card for this college included in your Report.
Begin your report
Alabama
Full summary card for this college included in your Report.
Begin your report
UT
Full summary card for this college included in your Report.
Begin your report
Harvard
single published rate, living on campus
Four years before aid$400,536
Merit that countsUnknown
Need-based aidUnknown
Borrowing plan and monthly payment lines included in your Report.
Still unfunded (fed max)$238,536
First gap yearYear 1
Does not close under current assumptionsFull diligence detail

A Financial Path that closes means the plan has a source for every dollar under the family’s stated inputs and the federal loan limits. It does not mean the college is inexpensive: closing takes family resources and, where needed, borrowing. Borrowing figures shown are principal before interest and fees.

?

Need-based aid is Unknown at every college in this report

Need-based aid for these colleges is Unknown today. The full Report identifies where each Unknown resolves and how much each could move the four-year picture.

1

The one thing to do first

Ole Miss: Sit an ACT retest and reach 32; Academic Merit Scholarship is worth $5,790 a year more, $23,160 over four years.

Worth $23,160 over four years on the published chart. Where: https://olemiss.edu/departments/enrollment-management/financial-aid/types-of-aid/scholarships/non-resident/entering-freshman/awards-automatic-consideration/nr-freshman-merit/index.php

Side by side

The same lines, every college

Numbers describe what the plan would draw under the federal-maximum scenario. They are not recommendations to borrow to those levels.

LineOle Missout-of-stateAuburnout-of-stateAlabamaout-of-stateUTin-stateHarvardsingle published rate
Cost of attendance, year 1$52,938Modeled$63,540Modeled$60,400Modeled$30,212Modeled$100,134Modeled
Four-year cost before aid$211,752ModeledPublished annual carried with no increase$254,160ModeledPublished annual carried with no increase$241,600ModeledPublished annual carried with no increase$120,848ModeledPublished annual carried with no increase$400,536ModeledPublished annual carried with no increase
Merit that counts as money, four years$60,000ModeledAnnual Published, carried four yearsUnknownUnknown$96,000ModeledAnnual Published, carried four years$0PublishedNo published tier metUnknownUnknown
Known awards entered$0Approved$0Approved$0Approved$0Approved$0Approved
Need-based aidUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknown
Family income contribution, four years$40,000Stated$40,000Stated$40,000Stated$40,000Stated$40,000Stated
Borrowing sources and payment linesIncluded in your Report
Financial PathThe plan closes under stated inputs and federal loan capacityDoes not close under current assumptionsThe plan closes under stated inputs and federal loan capacityThe plan closes under stated inputs and federal loan capacityDoes not close under current assumptions

Opportunities and risks

What could move the most money

Biggest financial opportunities

Published chart moves the family controls, ranked by four-year value. Each is on the college’s own published terms, not a guess.

Ole Miss: Sit an ACT retest and reach 32; Academic Merit Scholarship is worth $5,790 a year more, $23,160 over four years

Worth $23,160 over four years on the published chart.

$23,160four years

UT: Confirm which GPA University of Tennessee uses and whether 3.8 is reachable before the chart deadline

Worth $20,000 over four years on the published chart. Deadline January 5, 2027.

$20,000four years

Biggest financial risks

Assumptions each plan depends on, ranked by what moves if one fails.

Harvard: A fifth year at published rates

Merit is renewable for four years at most in our data; a fifth year is the full published cost less the family contribution, with no federal Direct loan room if the aggregate is used. Also at Auburn $53,540, Alabama $50,400, Ole Miss $42,938, UT $20,212.

$90,134moves

Alabama: The UA Scholar is not renewed after year one

Renewal requires a 3.0 GPA and 67% of credits completed. Losing it adds the award back to years two through four.

$72,000moves

Additional opportunities and risks for these colleges are included in your Report.

Funding gaps

Where each plan closes, and what remains for the colleges where it does not

Where a college’s four-year cost exceeds the family’s direct funding, the full Report shows what could cover the remaining cost under the family’s assumptions. The remainder for each college is below.

CollegeCoverage detailUnfunded (fed max)First gap
Ole MissSee full Report$0None
AuburnSee full Report$92,160Year 2
AlabamaSee full Report$0None
UTSee full Report$0None
HarvardSee full Report$238,536Year 1
Ole Miss
Unfunded (fed max): $0 · First gap: None
The full Report shows how the family’s stated sources apply to this college’s four-year cost, with what to verify.
Auburn
Unfunded (fed max): $92,160 · First gap: Year 2
The full Report shows how the family’s stated sources apply to this college’s four-year cost and what could cover the remaining $92,160, with what to verify.
Alabama
Unfunded (fed max): $0 · First gap: None
The full Report shows how the family’s stated sources apply to this college’s four-year cost, with what to verify.
UT
Unfunded (fed max): $0 · First gap: None
The full Report shows how the family’s stated sources apply to this college’s four-year cost, with what to verify.
Harvard
Unfunded (fed max): $238,536 · First gap: Year 1
The full Report shows how the family’s stated sources apply to this college’s four-year cost and what could cover the remaining $238,536, with what to verify.

CollegeClearly identifies what exists and what it would have to cover. What you do is your decision.

Before you commit

What this family should do next

Every action from every college, organized by priority and timing rather than by college. Dated items come first because a missed date cannot be recovered; the largest Unknowns come next because they move the most money; the rest follow. Part 2 carries the same items college by college.

1

Do first: items with a published deadline

In date order. Each date is the college’s own, quoted from the source in Part 2.

2

Then resolve the largest Unknowns

These are the figures no one can know yet. Each names who resolves it and how much it could move.

3

Chart moves worth pursuing

Published chart thresholds within reach, ranked by four-year value.

4

Confirm before relying on it

Assumptions the plan depends on. Get each one in writing before a deposit.

5

Before the first bill

No dollars attached in this report, but each affects when and how the bill arrives.

  • Ole Miss: Run University of Mississippi’s net price calculator (find it on the college’s financial aid site) and keep the result to enter when your actual award letter arrives
    Need-based aid is a major Unknown here and could materially change the four-year picture. Run the college’s net price calculator and enter the actual offer when it arrives.
    Where: University of Mississippi financial aid office
    No published date

Additional prioritized items across colleges are included in your Report.

Part 2

Diligence detail

Everything above is drawn from the detail below: each college’s published cost lines, the merit evaluation, the need-based aid statements, the four-year table, the conditions, what breaks the plan, the full funding map with what to verify, the checklist, and the sources with the dates they were read. Read it when you want to check a number or take an item to the college.

College 1

University of Mississippi

MS, public. Applied as out-of-state, living on campus.

The plan closes under stated inputs and federal loan capacity
Family income, borrowing, monthly payment, and outcome lines included in your Report.
1

What it costs before any aid

Tuition$31,068Published
Capital improvements fee$100Published
Student activity fee$60Published
Housing$8,030Published
Food$5,580Published
Books and supplies$1,200Published
Personal$3,500Published
Transportation$3,400Published
Cost of attendance, 2026–27$52,938Published

Source: University of Mississippi, published cost of attendance, 2026 - 2027 (read September 18, 2026)

$211,752Modeled
Four-year commitment before aid

Annual figure is Published; the four-year total assumes renewal terms are met (see conditions). Published 2026–27 cost of attendance times four, at current published rates with no increase assumed. This is the size of the commitment before merit, need-based aid, or family money. Every later figure in this section is a subtraction from it.

Applied as out-of-state, living on campus. Billing calendar, semester split, and payment plan terms are Unknown in our data; the checklist asks the bursar for them.

2

Merit that counts as money

$15,000 a yearPublished

Academic Merit Scholarship. Published tier, automatic. Evaluated on unweighted GPA (the college does not state which scale it uses; the lower figure is used); ACT 31 superscore. Renewable for 4 years. Counted as $60,000 over four years.

What would move it, on the published chart

  • ACT 32 (1 point above the score used) reaches the Academic Merit Scholarship at $20,790 a year: $23,160 more over four years.
  • A 3.75 GPA reaches the Academic Merit Scholarship at $18,000 a year: $12,000 more over four years.

The published chart in our data is labeled 2026-2027. The chart for 2027–28 entry may differ; confirm it on the college’s page.

  • Awarded automatically on admission. No separate scholarship application required.
  • Renewable for up to 4 years, subject to the school’s renewal requirements.
  • This school does not publicly specify whether merit thresholds use weighted or unweighted GPA. Use your school-reported GPA; your actual award may differ.
  • This award applies specifically to the non-resident fee portion of tuition.

Source: University of Mississippi, published scholarship information, 2026-2027 (read September 18, 2026)

3

Need-based aid

?

Need-based aid is Unknown today

The full Report identifies where this Unknown resolves and how it could change the four-year picture.

4

Four years, year by year

LineYear 1 (2027–28)Year 2 (2028–29)Year 3 (2029–30)Year 4 (2030–31)Four years
Cost before aidPublished 2026–27 cost of attendance carried at current published rates; no increase assumed$52,938Modeled$52,938Modeled$52,938Modeled$52,938Modeled$211,752
Subtracted: money that reduces the bill
Merit that counts as moneyPublished tier $15,000, renewed under the college’s terms−$15,000Modeled−$15,000Modeled−$15,000Modeled−$15,000Modeled$60,000
Known awards entered$0Approved$0Approved$0Approved$0Approved$0
Need-based grantsNever estimated. Resolves at the college’s net price calculator or the offer.UnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknown
Family income, borrowing, and remainder linesIncluded in your Report
5

Financial Path

!

The plan closes under stated inputs and federal loan capacity

Assumptions this plan closes under, and the funding composition it draws, included in your Report.

What could change it

  • need-based aid, which is Unknown today
  • the merit chart year
6

What breaks it

The Academic Merit Scholarship is not renewed after year one

Renewal is on the college’s terms. Losing it adds the award back to years two through four.

$45,000moves

A fifth year at published rates

Merit is renewable for four years at most in our data; a fifth year is the full published cost less the family contribution, with no federal Direct loan room if the aggregate is used.

$42,938moves

Additional risks that would shift the funding sources, and by how much, are included in your Report.

7

Funding Map: University of Mississippi

The full Report shows how the family’s stated sources apply to this college’s four-year cost and what could cover any remainder, with what to verify.
Begin your report
8

Before you commit: this college

9

Sources for this college

Published federal terms for reference: Direct undergraduate 6.52% and Parent PLUS 9.07% for loans first disbursed July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. Rates for loans first disbursed July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028 are set each May and were not published when this report was produced.

College 2

Auburn University

Auburn University — Full diligence section included in your Report
For this college the full Report includes: cost of attendance breakdown, merit analysis with any threshold opportunities, need-based aid handling, four-year year-by-year picture, Financial Path verdict, risks that could break the plan, funding-map analysis with what to verify, prioritized actions, and cited sources.
Begin your report

College 3

University of Alabama

University of Alabama — Full diligence section included in your Report
For this college the full Report includes: cost of attendance breakdown, merit analysis with any threshold opportunities, need-based aid handling, four-year year-by-year picture, Financial Path verdict, risks that could break the plan, funding-map analysis with what to verify, prioritized actions, and cited sources.
Begin your report

College 4

University of Tennessee

University of Tennessee — Full diligence section included in your Report
For this college the full Report includes: cost of attendance breakdown, merit analysis with any threshold opportunities, need-based aid handling, four-year year-by-year picture, Financial Path verdict, risks that could break the plan, funding-map analysis with what to verify, prioritized actions, and cited sources.
Begin your report

College 5

Harvard University

Harvard University — Full diligence section included in your Report
For this college the full Report includes: cost of attendance breakdown, merit analysis with any threshold opportunities, need-based aid handling, four-year year-by-year picture, Financial Path verdict, risks that could break the plan, funding-map analysis with what to verify, prioritized actions, and cited sources.
Begin your report

Funding map

What could cover any remaining cost

Consolidated funding-map view included in your Report
Where a plan does not close under the family’s stated inputs, the full Report shows what could cover the remaining cost for each college, with what to verify.
Begin your report

Method and federal terms

Included in your Report

The full Report documents its methodology, federal loan terms and rates in effect for the report period, and all sources cited.
Begin your report