College Loan Payback MicroSim
Run the College Loan Payback MicroSim
Edit the College Loan Payback MicroSim on the p5.js Editor
Sample iframe
Copy the text below directly into your course web page.
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Actual Figures for 2025
Annual College Costs
The annual “sticker price” of a year at a private undergraduate college in 2025 is expected to be $57,000.
By 2029, the average “sticker price” for a private four-year college could approach $65,000–$70,000 per year.
Student Loan Interest Rates Averages
According to Education.org, for the 2023–2024 academic year, the average undergraduate direct loan rate was 6.53%. This is the highest rate ever for college loans.
For Federal Student Loans for undergraduates, the federal Direct Loan interest rates have fluctuated between roughly 3.7% and 5.5% in recent years, tied to the yield on 10-year Treasury notes.
Annual Cost for Trade Schools
On average, one might see $10,000–$15,000 per year for many trade school programs.
Sample Prompt
Prompt
Create a new MicroSim that helps students calculate how long in years and months it would need to pay back a college loan. Use input controls for number of years in college (1 to 6), cost per year in college (default of $50K) with a rage control of values from $1K to $120K, Interest rate estimate in percentage using known averages as the defaults, and monthly payment after college. Add a "Calculate" button that will show the calculation intermediate results and the total time to pay back the debt.
Remember to use the MicroSim width-responsive Generation Rules in the Project Knowledge area so that the graphics and sliders adjust to the container size.
Note
A sample of MicroSim generation rules are here