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529 PLANS
529 fee study
Updated March 14, 2023
Millions of Americans invest in 529 plans each year to save for college. But before you invest, you should consider 529 plan fees and how they affect your budget.
Savingforcollege.com uses data from 529 program official disclosure statements to inform the 529 Fee Study below. The study compares the lowest and highest 10-year expense totals for all direct-sold 529 savings plans and 529 fees by state.
This reference makes it easy for you to compare 529 plan fees, even helping you narrow down the 529 plans with the lowest fees.
Please click here for a further explanation of this fee study.
Savingforcollege.com's 529 Fee Study -- As of March 2023
| 10-year costs on $10,000 investment | View report sorted by highest cost or lowest cost |
| State | Direct-sold 529 plan name | Lowest cost option | 2nd lowest option | 2nd highest option | Highest cost option | Annual account fee | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | CollegeCounts 529 Fund | $243 | $255 | $897 | $981 | $0 | |
| Alaska | Alaska 529 | $179 | $205 | $835 | $1084 | $0 | |
| Alaska | T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan | $205 | $406 | $835 | $1084 | $0 | |
| Arizona | AZ529, Arizona's Education Savings Plan | $141 | $154 | $1049 | $1166 | $0 | |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Brighter Future Direct Plan | $859 | $859 | $859 | $859 | $20 | LOWER figures ($659) apply to Arkansas residents eligible for account fee waiver. |
| California | The ScholarShare College Savings Plan | $64 | $77 | $518 | $580 | $0 | |
| Colorado | Direct Portfolio College Savings Plan | $565 | $565 | $565 | $565 | $20 | LOWER figures ($368) apply to Colorado residents and other accounts eligible for account fee waiver. |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) | $141 | $154 | $1049 | $1166 | $0 | |
| Delaware | DE529 Education Savings Plan | $141 | $154 | $1049 | $1166 | $0 | |
| District of Columbia† | DC College Savings Plan | $545 | $553 | $991 | $1063 | $15 | LOWER figures (ranging from $496 to $1,015) apply to DC residents who pay a $10 annual maintenance fee. |
| Florida† | Florida 529 Savings Plan | $25 | $37,29 | $311 | $559 | $0 | |
| Georgia | Path2College 529 Plan | $77 | $90 | $141 | $154 | $0 | |
| Hawaii | Hawaii's College Savings Program | $920 | $932 | $980 | $1016 | $20 | LOWER figures (ranging from $726 to $822) apply to Hawaii residents, eligible for account fee waiver. |
| Idaho | Idaho College Savings Program (IDeal) | $652 | $652 | $652 | $652 | $20 | LOWER figures ($456) apply to Idaho residents eligible for account fee waiver. |
| Illinois | Bright Start Direct-Sold College Savings Program | $122 | $135 | $642 | $981 | $0 | |
| Indiana | CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan | $403 | $422 | $871 | $992 | $20 | LOWER figures (ranging from $205 to $798) apply to Indiana residents and other accounts eligible for account fee waiver. |
| Iowa | College Savings Iowa | $230 | $230 | $230 | $230 | $0 | |
| Kansas | Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program (Direct-sold) | $256 | $268 | $823 | $859 | $0 | |
| Kansas | Schwab 529 College Savings Plan | $256 | $319 | $1002 | $1061 | $0 | |
| Kentucky | KY Saves 529 | $255 | $566 | $921 | $993 | $0 | |
| Louisiana† | START Saving Program | $0 | $26 | $104 | $138 | $0 | Zero-cost option is the fixed income fund managed by the state treasurer. |
| Maine | NextGen College Investing Plan - Client Direct Series | $271 | $283 | $635 | $647 | $0 | |
| Maryland | Maryland 529 - Maryland Senator Edward J. Kasemeyer College Investment Plan | $166 | $243 | $774 | $798 | $0 | |
| Massachusetts | U.Fund College Investing Plan | $141 | $154 | $1049 | $1166 | $0 | |
| Michigan | Michigan Education Savings Program | $84 | $96 | $160 | $236 | $0 | |
| Minnesota | Minnesota College Savings Plan | $157 | $170 | $296 | $359 | $0 | |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Affordable College Savings (MACS) Program | $786 | $810 | $883 | $906 | $20 | Figures would be HIGHER for accounts subject to the $20 annual document delivery fee (account owners who do not opt for electronic delivery). |
| Missouri | MOST - Missouri's 529 Savings Plan (Direct-sold) | $217 | $236 | $493 | $530 | $0 | |
| Montana | Achieve Montana | $947 | $956 | $976 | $977 | $25 | LOWER figures (ranging from $705 to $734) apply to Montana residents and other accounts eligible for account fee waiver. |
| Nebraska | Bloomwell 529 Education Savings Plan | $205 | $217 | $629 | $861 | $0 | |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Education Savings Trust - Direct College Savings Plan | $179 | $192 | $580 | $812 | $0 | |
| Nevada | SSGA Upromise 529 Plan | $343 | $356 | $1025 | $1096 | $20 | LOWER figures (ranging from $356 to $1,096) apply to Nevada residents eligible for account fee waiver, or account owners invested in the Savings Portfolio. |
| Nevada | The Vanguard 529 Savings Plan | $154 | $166 | $493 | $530 | $0 | |
| Nevada | USAA 529 College Savings Plan | $701 | $762 | $1061 | $1108 | $0 | Figures shown do not include the $10 annual low-balance fee applicable to non-resident accounts with a balance under $1,000 that do not have an active automatic investment plan. |
| New Hampshire | UNIQUE College Investing Plan | $141 | $154 | $1049 | $1166 | $0 | |
| New Jersey† | NJBEST 529 College Savings Plan | $115 | $166 | $978 | $1049 | $0 | |
| New Mexico | The Education Plan's College Savings Program | $165 | $166 | $437 | $453 | $0 | |
| New York | New York's 529 College Savings Program - Direct Plan | $154 | $154 | $154 | $154 | $0 | |
| North Carolina | NC 529 Plan | $381 | $393 | $406 | $433 | $18 | Figures would be HIGHER for accounts subject to the $18 annual document delivery fee (account owners who do not opt for electronic delivery). |
| North Dakota | College SAVE | $799 | $799 | $799 | $799 | $20 | Figures would be LOWER ($604) for North Dakota residents eligible for account fee waiver. |
| Ohio | Ohio's 529 Plan, CollegeAdvantage | $186 | $200 | $487 | $548 | $0 | |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma 529 | $318 | $344 | $605 | $642 | $0 | |
| Oregon | Oregon College Savings Plan | $283 | $296 | $711 | $821 | $0 | |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania 529 Investment Plan | $363 | $364 | $464 | $489 | $10 | Figures would be HIGHER for accounts subject to the $10 annual document delivery fee (account owners who do not opt for electronic delivery). |
| Rhode Island | CollegeBound Saver (Direct-sold, Alternative NR) | $154 | $167 | $307 | $370 | $0 | LOWER figures (ranging from $26 to $243) apply to Rhode Island residents eligible for program management fee waiver. |
| South Carolina† | Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) | $26 | $51 | $255 | $306 | $0 | |
| South Dakota† | CollegeAccess 529 (Direct-sold) | $468 | $493 | $567 | $1096 | $0 | |
| Tennessee | TNStars College Savings 529 Program | $295 | $302 | $924 | $1055 | $0 | Figures reflect state subsidy. |
| Texas | Texas College Savings Plan | $418 | $431 | $530 | $655 | $0 | |
| Utah | my529 | $154 | $161 | $187 | $188 | $0 | |
| Vermont | Vermont Higher Education Investment Plan | $505 | $505 | $505 | $505 | $25 | Figures would be HIGHER for accounts subject to the $25 annual document delivery fee (account owners who do not opt for electronic delivery). |
| Virginia | Invest529 | $92 | $105 | $497 | $707 | $0 | Published figures do not include the one-time $50 application fee (if application is not submitted online.) |
| Washington | Dream Ahead College Investment Plan | $622 | $625 | $647 | $650 | $30 | |
| West Virginia | SMART529 Select | $915 | $971 | $1028 | $1030 | $25 | Figures would be LOWER for West Virginia residents and for high-balance and auto-contribution accounts eligible for account fee waiver. |
| West Virginia† | SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan | $147 | $151 | $232 | $233 | $0 | |
| Wisconsin | Edvest | $141 | $154 | $356 | $419 | $0 |
† This direct-sold plan is open only to state residents.
Financial Professionals
Pro Dashboard
Top 529 College Savings Plans
One-year rankings are based on a plan's average investment returns over the last 12 months.
| State | Plan Name | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana | Achieve Montana |
| 2 | Nevada | USAA 529 Education Savings Plan |
| 3 | West Virginia | SMART529 Select |
Three-year rankings are based on a plan's average annual investment returns over the last three years.
| State | Plan Name | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan |
| 2 | Indiana | CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan |
| 3 | Wisconsin | Edvest |
Five-year rankings are based on a plan's average annual investment returns over the last five years
| State | Plan Name | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan |
| 2 | District of Columbia | DC College Savings Plan |
| 3 | Wisconsin | Edvest |
10-year rankings are based on a plan's average annual investment returns over the last ten years.
| State | Plan Name | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan |
| 2 | Wisconsin | Edvest |
| 3 | South Carolina | Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan (Direct-sold) |
