Child Education Planner India 2026

General inflation figures (5-6%) tend to understate real education cost growth in India, where private schooling and professional courses have often risen faster. Many families model 8-12% for private education and competitive-exam-linked paths, but the right number depends on your city and institution — test a low, base, and high scenario rather than relying on one figure.

A realistic plan includes books, transport, uniforms, devices, and hostel or living costs, plus coaching (for JEE/NEET-track students), test series, and application fees where relevant. Plans that only budget for tuition tend to fall short once these additional costs are added up.

It projects your entered current annual cost forward using the education inflation rate and the years until your child reaches college age, then estimates the monthly SIP or lump sum needed to reach that corpus using your expected return assumption. Since returns are market-linked, actual results can vary from this projection.

Saving the full corpus reduces reliance on debt, but starting late can make that difficult. A common approach is to build a strong base corpus through savings and treat an education loan as a smaller supplement if a gap remains — this calculator helps you quantify that gap.

Review at least once a year, and immediately after major events like a school change, a significant fee hike, or a change in your income. Education costs and your own financial situation can shift meaningfully year to year.