Brandeis University launched Faye, an AI-powered cost calculator that gives prospective students a personalized price—tuition, room, board, need-based aid, and merit scholarships combined—before they ever apply. It takes about 10 minutes. The tool launched in beta in May 2026, with a full rollout planned for August 1 to align with the Fall 2027 application cycle. No other major university is known to offer this level of price transparency this early in the process.
The standard advice has always been: apply first, then see what the school offers you.
Brandeis just changed that.
On May 19, 2026, Inside Higher Ed reported that Brandeis University president Arthur Levine is hoping the school's new AI-powered cost calculator—named Faye—will push other institutions to be more upfront with students about what they will actually pay.1 The tool was also featured in The New York Times.
What Faye Does Differently
Faye is not a standard net price calculator. The net price calculators that colleges are legally required to post use rough income estimates and return a general range. They don't account for merit aid, and the numbers are often wrong.
Faye asks for actual academic information—transcripts and test scores—alongside your family's financial details. In about 10 minutes, it produces a personalized figure that combines both need-based aid and merit scholarships into a single, clear number.2
"Brandeis has always been committed to expanding access for those historically excluded from higher education," said Levine. "Today, one of the greatest barriers is family income. Faye is about showing that a top-tier university can be accessible to far more students than they may think."2
The estimate Faye provides is described as an all-but-guaranteed price of attendance once a student is admitted and their information is verified.
10 minutes — is how long it takes to get a personalized cost estimate from Brandeis's Faye calculator, combining tuition, room, board, need-based aid, and merit scholarships into one number.
Why This Matters for Families
One of the most demoralizing parts of the college search is spending months on applications—sometimes paying hundreds of dollars in fees—and then learning you can't afford the school that accepted you. Financial aid offers don't arrive until spring, often just weeks before deposit deadlines. The pressure makes it nearly impossible to compare financial aid offers thoughtfully.
The FAFSA gives schools your income data, but schools decide when to share offers, and those offers don't always make clear what a family actually owes. Our guide to reading a financial aid award letter shows just how opaque the standard process is.
Faye moves the honest conversation earlier. You get a real number before you write a single essay.
Net price calculators are required at every college receiving federal aid, but they're notoriously inaccurate for families with unusual financial situations or strong academic credentials. Faye adds academic data—GPA and test scores—to the calculation, which makes merit aid estimates far more accurate.
How the Tool Was Built
Brandeis developed Faye in partnership with Noodle, an education technology company. The tool is currently available for U.S. citizens and permanent residents interested in Brandeis's undergraduate program.
The calculator reflects both need-based aid and merit awards in a single calculation, going beyond what most schools publish on their average cost of college pages. Brandeis's sticker price for 2026–27 runs around $82,000 per year. Faye's purpose is to show families that the net cost—after all aid—often looks very different from that number.
What's Coming Next
The beta version is live now. The full rollout is planned for August 1, 2026, when the Fall 2027 undergraduate application opens.
If this model spreads, it could shift how students approach the college search entirely. Right now, the opaque aid timeline advantages schools—students commit before they fully understand what they're paying. A tool like Faye, if adopted widely, would put more negotiating power back in students' hands.
What to Do
- If you're considering Brandeis, try Faye at affordability.brandeis.edu before deciding whether to apply
- If the number still feels out of reach, read our guide to writing a financial aid appeal letter
- Use our financial aid comparison guide to put any offer in context against competing schools
- For context on why merit aid has grown: merit aid is increasingly outpacing need-based aid at private colleges, and understanding that shift helps you negotiate better
- If you haven't completed the FAFSA yet, start with our step-by-step FAFSA guide
The honest price of college shouldn't be a mystery until April. One school just decided to tell you sooner.
Footnotes
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Inside Higher Ed. (2026, May 19). 5 Questions for Arthur Levine on the Real Price of College. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/students/financial-aid/2026/05/19/5-questions-arthur-levine-real-price-college ↩
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Brandeis University. (2026, May). Brandeis launches Faye, a first-of-its-kind platform that shows students what they'll pay before they apply. Brandeis Stories. https://www.brandeis.edu/stories/2026/may/faye-cost-calculator.html ↩ ↩2
