Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in Connecticut
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply. See every Connecticut college priced for your income
From the state
Across state lines
From the colleges
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
In our Connecticut scenarios, with good parent credit, a SmartTuition plan saves a median of about $7,100 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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From the state
Connecticut's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
Roberta B. Willis Scholarship
State scholarships for Connecticut residents seeking a first associate or bachelor’s degree at the state’s public and independent colleges. A full-time student with need can get up to four thousand five hundred dollars a year. A need-and-merit award is larger.
Source: Connecticut General Statutes, Section 10a-173, Roberta B. Willis Scholarship program
““Eligible student” means a student who is (A) a resident of the state, (B) enrolled at an institution of higher education in a course of study leading to such student's first associate or bachelor's degree”
“Participating institutions of higher education shall make awards (A) to eligible full-time students in an amount up to four thousand five hundred dollars”
“The Roberta B. Willis Scholarship need and merit-based grant shall be awarded in a higher amount than the need-based grant awarded pursuant to subsection (d) of this section”
Connecticut's 529 tax deduction
Money you put into a CHET account comes off your Connecticut income, up to $5,000 a year, or $10,000 on a joint return, and more counts over the next five years. Take money out for anything other than school costs and Connecticut taxes the earnings.
Sources: CHET 529 College Savings Plan, Tax advantages and CHET 529 College Savings Plan, Frequently asked questions
“Contributions are deductible for Connecticut income tax purposes up to $5,000 per year for a single return or $10,000 per year for a joint return. If you exceed this amount, you can carry over the excess amount for the 5 taxable years following the deduction.”
“Only the portion of the non-qualified withdrawal attributed to investment earnings will be subject to federal and state income taxes, plus a 10% federal penalty.”
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Connecticut State University public | None published | — | $29,224 |
| Connecticut College private | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay | $97,594 |
| Fairfield University private | None published | — | $86,765 |
| Quinnipiac University private | None published | — | $82,129 |
| Sacred Heart University private | None published | — | $79,477 |
| Trinity College private | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay | $101,930 |
| UConn public | None published | — | $38,448 |
| University of Bridgeport private | None published | — | $57,386 |
| University of Hartford private | None published | — | $71,630 |
| Wesleyan University private | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay | $103,197 |
| Yale University private | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay Yale’s zero parent share award: all billed costs and estimated travel for families with typical assets and an income below $100,000 Yale’s tuition commitment: need-based scholarships that meet or exceed the cost of tuition for families with typical assets and an income below $200,000 | $99,096 |
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
7 more Connecticut colleges have no page here. For 1 of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. The rest mainly teach graduate students or run online programs. Show them
- Eastern Connecticut State University
- Southern Connecticut State University
- Western Connecticut State University
- University of New Haven
- University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus
- University of Connecticut-Stamford
- United States Coast Guard Academy
Across state lines
The New England Tuition Break, run by the New England Board of Higher Education.
Coming to Connecticut from elsewhere in New England
Students from Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont can pay no more than 175% of resident tuition at New England public colleges, in the programs each college has approved.
Some programs are open to every New England student; others depend on the student's home state.
These 5 colleges in Connecticut take part:
- Central Connecticut State University
- Eastern Connecticut State University
- Southern Connecticut State University
- University of Connecticut
- Western Connecticut State University
Going from Connecticut to another New England state
A Connecticut student can use it at public colleges in the other five states. The Board's search lists the approved programs and the rate at each college.
Source: New England Board of Higher Education, Tuition Break
“provides significant tuition savings to residents of the six New England states when they enroll at out-of-state public colleges and universities within New England and pursue approved programs.”
“The rate is based on a percentage (up to a maximum of 175 percent) of a college’s in-state rate.”
“The programs that are marked with a [F] are eligible for all New England residents. The programs without a [F] are state dependent for eligibility.”
Paying the rest
Your SmartTuition plan uses your savings, your 529, your loans and your award letter.
Build your SmartTuition plan, $99 →Best once your award letter arrives. No letter yet? Get the monthly email.
How we worked these out
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The $7,100 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving over our Connecticut scenarios. Each scenario is a household in Connecticut at one of its colleges. Its income is one of 8 from $45,000 to $200,000, and its savings are none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price each college at the aid it reports for the income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. A saving is the difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest, the federal tax credit and Connecticut's tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan. Credit matters: parents with fair credit borrow at a higher rate, which changes the saving.
A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out, as is one at a college that reports no aid for the income. The figure is for a household that lives in Connecticut.
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.