Terms of Service

Effective Date: October 5, 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

By purchasing or using College Cost Compass ("CCC") services (the "Service"), you agree to these Terms of Service.

2. Description of Service

CCC provides a $50 membership with self serve, automated estimated award letters based on the information you submit. Membership lasts for one year from the day you pay.

3. Eligibility

The Service is intended for users 18 years of age or older, or a student using it with a parent's or guardian's permission.

4. Payment

Payment is processed by our third party payment processor (Stripe) at the time of purchase. The $50 membership is a single charge, not a subscription. Membership lasts for one year from the day you pay. Before your year ends, we'll invite you to renew your membership. Nothing renews automatically.

Free Pell membership

If your student has a Student Aid Index (SAI) number of 0 or below (the full Federal Pell Grant), whether you typed it in from the FAFSA® or we estimated it, you may claim a free one-year membership instead of paying $50. It includes everything in the paid membership and lasts one year from the day you claim it. Nothing renews automatically. One free Pell membership per student. If the SAI number turns out not to be accurate, we may end the free membership and offer the paid membership instead. We may ask to see the FAFSA Submission Summary to confirm the SAI number, but we don't check routinely. Before your free year ends, we'll offer a second free year if your student's SAI number is still 0 or below, or otherwise the paid membership. All other terms apply to free Pell members the same as paid members.

5. Refunds

Not happy? Email us within 7 days of paying, tell us why, and we'll refund you. Contact us at info@collegecostcompass.com. Refunds are governed by our Refund Policy, incorporated here by reference.

6. No Guarantee and Disclaimer of Warranties

The estimated award letters are generated automatically from the data you provide and publicly available cost and aid formulas and data sources. CCC does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or applicability of any estimate, and an estimated award letter is not a substitute for an official financial aid offer from any institution, and not personalized financial, tax, or legal advice. THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, CCC's total liability for any claim arising from your use of the Service is limited to the amount you paid for the product the claim relates to. CCC is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including decisions made based on an estimated award letter.

8. Intellectual Property

All content, software, and materials provided as part of the Service are owned by CCC or its licensors and may not be copied, resold, or redistributed without permission.

9. Your Data and Privacy

Information you submit is handled according to our Privacy Policy.

10. Prohibited Use

You may not use the Service to submit false information for fraudulent purposes, attempt to reverse engineer the estimate methodology for resale, or resell or redistribute reports commercially.

11. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to conflict of law principles.

12. Changes to These Terms

CCC may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance.

13. Contact

Questions about these Terms can be sent to info@collegecostcompass.com or College Cost Compass, PO Box 5142, Haverhill, MA 01835-9991.