Perna, Laura WWright-Kim, JeremyJiang, Nathan2023-05-222023-05-222019-03-272019-03-27Perna, L. W., Wright-Kim, J., & Jiang, N. (2019). Questioning the Calculations: Are Colleges Complying with Federal and Ethical Mandates for Providing Students with Estimated Costs? (Penn AHEAD Research Brief – March 2019). Philadelphia, PA: The Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy (PennAHEAD), University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/1336This study uses web sphere analysis to examine the usability and usefulness of information that selected four-year colleges and universities are providing about the costs of attendance via their Net Price Calculators (NPCs) and cost-related websites. The analyses show that some colleges and universities are not only failing to comply with federal NPC mandates but also ignoring their ethical responsibility, as noted by the National Association of College Admission Counseling, “to provide complete, factual, and readily accessible information that will allow students and their counselors to make informed college comparisons and choices.”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/college costsfinancial aidpublic policydescriptive analysesAccess and Completion in Higher EducationWorking Paper