Child Education Calculator India – Education Corpus Planner
Last updated: March 2026 • India-specific • Education Inflation · Course Presets · Monthly SIP Plan
Calculate your child's education corpus with 10% education inflation. Get inflation-adjusted future college cost and exact monthly SIP. Free child education planning calculator for Indian parents. Whether planning a dedicated child education fund from birth or starting mid-way, this child plan calculator gives you the exact monthly SIP for child education.
How This Child Education Calculator Works
This calculator combines two key variables — education inflation and investment returns — to tell you exactly how much to save monthly for your child education fund in India. Whether you are doing SIP for child education or planning a lumpsum corpus, here is what each input does:
Child's Age and College Start Age
The calculator automatically computes your investment horizon as College Start Age minus Child's Current Age. For example, a 5-year-old child with college at 18 gives you 13 years to invest. This is your most powerful lever — every additional year reduces the monthly SIP needed significantly.
Course Type Presets
Click any course button to auto-fill today's education cost and set the appropriate inflation rate. Engineering uses 8% inflation (government college fees inflate slower), while Study Abroad uses 12% (global tuition + currency risk). You can always override the cost and inflation manually after selecting a preset.
Education Inflation Rate
Education inflation in India runs at 8-10% per year, much higher than general CPI inflation of 5-6%. The calculator defaults to 10%. Do not use the general inflation rate here — your child's college fees will rise much faster than grocery prices. For study abroad, use 12% to account for both tuition inflation and rupee depreciation.
Expected Investment Return
This is the annual return on your monthly SIP. The default is 12% (equity mutual fund). For a 10+ year horizon, this is appropriate and conservative. For a shorter horizon (under 5 years), reduce to 8% (debt MF) or 7% (FD). Higher return means lower monthly SIP needed to reach the same corpus.
Current Education Savings
If you have already saved some amount for your child's education (PPF, FD, SSY, etc.), enter it here. The calculator grows it at your selected savings rate and deducts it from the future cost target, so your monthly SIP is calculated only on the remaining gap.
Reading the Results
Today's Education Cost is your input. Future Education Cost is what the same course will cost when your child reaches college age, after inflation. Still to Save is the gap after accounting for your existing savings. Monthly SIP Needed is what you must invest each month at your selected return rate to close that gap. The chart shows your corpus building year by year so you can see exactly when you will be fully funded.
Higher Education Cost in India 2026 by Course Type
Understanding current future college fees India parents will face is the starting point for any child education planning. Building an education corpus India parents need requires knowing both today's costs and how fast they inflate. These are total costs including tuition, hostel, books and living expenses.
| Course | Government College | Private College | Top Private / IIM / IIT | Education Inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering (B.Tech) | ₹6-8L total | ₹15-20L total | ₹10-12L (IIT) | 8% p.a. |
| MBA / PGDM | ₹3-5L total | ₹8-15L total | ₹25-35L (IIM/ISB) | 10% p.a. |
| Medical (MBBS) | ₹1-3L total | ₹50L-1.4Cr total | Negligible (AIIMS) | 10-12% p.a. |
| Study Abroad (US/UK) | N/A | ₹40L-1Cr total | ₹80L-1.5Cr total | 12% p.a. |
| Arts / Commerce / BBA | ₹1-3L total | ₹4-8L total | ₹8-15L (Ashoka/premium) | 8% p.a. |
Costs include tuition, hostel, books and living expenses. Always plan for the higher end of the range.
Future Education Cost in India After 10% Inflation
This table shows what today's education costs will become when your child reaches college age, assuming 10% annual education inflation rate in India. The numbers make a compelling case for starting early.
| Today's Cost | In 5 Years | In 10 Years | In 15 Years | In 18 Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₹5 Lakhs | ₹8.1L | ₹13L | ₹20.9L | ₹27.8L |
| ₹10 Lakhs | ₹16.1L | ₹25.9L | ₹41.8L | ₹55.6L |
| ₹25 Lakhs | ₹40.3L | ₹64.8L | ₹1.04Cr | ₹1.39Cr |
| ₹50 Lakhs | ₹80.5L | ₹1.30Cr | ₹2.09Cr | ₹2.77Cr |
| ₹80 Lakhs (Study Abroad) | ₹1.29Cr | ₹2.07Cr | ₹3.34Cr | ₹4.44Cr |
Assumes 10% annual education inflation. Study abroad row uses 12% inflation. These are illustrative projections.
Monthly SIP Needed for Child Education in India
The table below shows monthly SIP needed for child education corpus at 12% returns, accounting for 10% education inflation. The starting corpus is in today's rupees.
| Today's Course Cost | Start at Birth (18 yrs) | Start at Age 3 (15 yrs) | Start at Age 5 (13 yrs) | Start at Age 10 (8 yrs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering ₹10L | ₹2,100/mo | ₹3,200/mo | ₹4,600/mo | ₹10,800/mo |
| MBA ₹25L | ₹5,200/mo | ₹8,000/mo | ₹11,400/mo | ₹27,000/mo |
| Medical ₹50L | ₹10,400/mo | ₹16,000/mo | ₹22,800/mo | ₹54,000/mo |
| Study Abroad ₹80L | ₹18,600/mo | ₹29,600/mo | ₹43,600/mo | ₹1.10L/mo |
Assumes 12% SIP returns and 10% education inflation (12% for Study Abroad). Use the calculator above for your exact numbers with current savings deducted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Engineering at government colleges costs Rs 6-8 lakhs total, while private engineering is Rs 15-20 lakhs. MBA at IIMs costs Rs 25-35 lakhs. MBBS at private medical colleges ranges from Rs 50 lakhs to Rs 1.4 crores. Study abroad (US/UK) can cost Rs 40 lakhs to Rs 1.5 crores including tuition and living expenses. Always plan for the higher end of the range.
Education inflation in India runs at 8-10% per year, significantly higher than general CPI inflation of 5-6%. Private colleges and professional courses (medical, MBA) inflate faster than government institutions. For study abroad, assume 12% to account for tuition inflation plus rupee depreciation against the dollar and pound. Learn how inflation impacts your returns here.
For a Rs 25 lakh MBA corpus (today's money) with a 13-year horizon at 12% returns, you need approximately Rs 11,400 per month. Start at birth and that drops to Rs 5,200 per month. The earlier you start, the more powerful compounding works in your favour. Use the calculator above for your exact figure.
For a 10+ year horizon, a SIP in equity mutual funds at 10-12% returns is most effective. For a girl child, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) at 8.2% offers excellent tax-free returns and should form the conservative portion. Avoid relying solely on FDs — at 6.5-7% returns, they barely keep up with 10% education inflation. Read more on why FDs fail against inflation.
SSY at 8.2% (tax-free) is an excellent instrument for a girl child's education, but should not be the only investment. At 8.2% returns against 10% education inflation, the real return is only about 2%. Use SSY for 30-40% of the target corpus as the conservative, safe component, and complement it with a Step-Up SIP in equity mutual funds for the remaining 60-70%.
Related Calculators
Plan every financial milestone for your child and family with these tools.