CFI Blog

529 Plans by State

If you’ve decided to try to put aside money for your child’s college education in a qualified 529 plans, then the next step is figuring out what 529 plan is right for you. This is not a list of prepaid tuition plans; that list would be rather long indeed!

Note: There are some states which offer Advisor plans. Those are the same plans which you can do yourself, except you’re going to needlessly reduce the amount you can save for your kids’ college by paying a commissioned advisor to invest in the same funds for you. DON’T MAKE THAT MISTAKE!

I also do not include the actual underlying expense fees of the funds in which these plans can invest. I’m simply tabulating the fees charged by the states, the fund administrators, and where applicable, sales commissions. In instances where there are multiple fees, I list the highest possible fees.

State Link Prog.

Mgmt

Fee

State Admin

Fee

Max

Load

Annual Fee Notes
AL College Counts 529 Plans 0.32% 0.10% 3.50% $12.00 The commission is for Structure A. See “The Cost of Fees in Your Investments” for why you should avoid this fee.
AK Alaska 529 Plan 0.20% 0.00% 0.00% $20.00 Also manages the University of Alaska College Savings Plan
AK Alaska 529 Freedom Plan 0.35% 0.05% 4.50% $25.00 See “The Cost of Fees in Your Investments” for why you should avoid the load cost.
AZ Arizona 529 Plans Home Page
AZ Arizona Fidelity 529 Plan 0.20% 0.15% NOTE $- The maximum sales charge is not disclosed in the Fact Kit. See “The Cost of Fees in Your Investments” for why you should avoid the load cost.
AZ Arizona Ivy Funds 529 Plan ? ? 3.41% ? VERY difficult to determine fees and loads
AZ Arizona College Savings 529 Plan 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% $- CD rates are well below tuition inflation
AR Arkansas 529 Gift Plan 0.43% 0.13% 0.00% $20.00
AR Arkansas iShares 529 Plans 0.35% or 0.30%, depending on investment 0.05% 0.00% $10.00
CA California 529 scholar Share Plan 0.05% 0.05% 0.00% $-
CO Colorado 529 College Invest Direct Portfolio Plan 0.36% 0.10% 0.00% $20.00
CO Colorado Scholars Choice 529 Plans 0.25% – called an “annual distribution fee” 0.10% 3.50% $20.00 See “The Cost of Fees in Your Investments” for why you should avoid the load cost.
CO Colorado Smart Choice 529 Plan 0.10% 0.00% 0.00% $- CD rates are well below tuition inflation
CO Colorado Stable Value Plus 529 Plan 0.99% 0.00% 0.00% $- Invests in annuity contracts at rates below tuition inflation (see above)
CT Connecticut CHET 529 Plan 0.18% 0.01% 0.00% $- Advisor funds have a load
DE Delaware 529 Plan 0.20% 0.15% NOTE $- Maximum sales charge is not disclosed in the Fact Kit. See “The Cost of Fees in Your Investments” for why you should avoid the load cost.
DC DC 529 Plan 0.10% 0.05% 4.75% $15.00 The annual fee is $30 for non-residents
FL Florida 529 Plan 0.08% 0.00% 0.00% $- $50 application fee
GA Georgia Path 2 College 529 Plan 0.15% 0.06% 0.00% $-
HI Hawaii 529 Plan 0.69% 0.00% 0.00% $20.00
ID Idaho Saves 529 Plan 0.70% 0.05% 0.00% $20.00
IL Illinois Bright Start 529 Savings Plan 0.15% 0.03% 0.00% $10.00
IN Indiana College Choice CD 529 Plan 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% $- CD rates are well below tuition inflation
IN Indiana College Choice Direct 529 Plan 0.44% 0.00% 0.00% $20.00
IA Iowa College Savings 529 Plan 0.32% 0.00% 0.00% $-
KS Kansas Learning Quest 529 Plan 0.20% 0.00% 0.00% $-
KS Kansas Schwab 529 Plan 0.20% 0.00% 0.00% $-
KY Kentucky Saves 529 Plan 0.49% 0.00% 0.00% $-
LA Louisiana Start Saving 529 Plan 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% $- Worst website design I encountered. Only available to Louisiana residents.
ME Maine Next Generation 529 Plans 0.20% 0.05% 0.00% $-
MD Maryland College Savings 529 Plan 0.20% 0.00% 0.00% $20.00
MA Massachusetts 529 Plan 0.20% 0.15% NOTE $- Maximum sales charge is not disclosed in the Fact Kit. See “The Cost of Fees in Your Investments” for why you should avoid the load cost.
MI Michigan Saves 529 Plan 0.08% 0.05% 0.00% $-
MN Minnesota Saves 529 Plan 0.34% 0.0125% 0.00% $-
MS Mississippi 529 Plan 0.50% 0.00% 0.00% $-
MO Missouri 529 Plan 0.30% 0.00% 0.00% $10.00
MT Montana College Savings 529 Plan 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% $- CD rates are well below tuition inflation
MT Montana Saves 529 Plans 0.77% 0.00% 0.00% $25.00
NE Nebraska Nest 529 Plan 0.26% 0.03% 0.00% $-
NE Nebraska College Savings 529 Plan 0.26% 0.03% 0.19% $-
NV Nevada 529 Plan” 0.27% 0.02% 0.09% $20.00 Sales load is called “tactical asset allocation fee”
NV Nevada Vanguard 529 Plan 0.43% 0.00% 0.00% $20.00 Annual fee is if balance is under $3,000
NV Nevada USAA 529 Plan NOTE 0.00% 0.00% $30.00 Annual fee is $15 if balance is greater than $3,000; program management ratio rolled into overall fund fee
NH New Hampshire 529 Plans 0.20% 0.15% NOTE $- Maximum sales charge is not disclosed in the Fact Kit. See “The Cost of Fees in Your Investments” for why you should avoid the load cost.
NJ New Jersey Best 529 Plan 0.20% 0.00% 0.00% $- Only available to NJ residents
NM New Mexico Education 529 Plan 0.10% 0.10% 0.00% $25.00 Annual fee waived if balance is greater than $10,000
NY New York 529 Plan 0.14% 0.00% 0.00% $-
NC North Carolina College Fund 529 Plan 0.25% 0.00% 0.00% $-
ND North Dakota College Save 529 Plan 0.68% 0.10% 0.00% $20.00
OH Ohio College Advantage Plan 0.18% 0.00% 0.00% $-
OK Oklahoma Saving 529 Plan 0.40% 0.00% 0.00% $-
OR Oregon College Savings 529 Plan 0.20% 0.05% 0.00% $-
PA Pennsylvania 529 Plans 0.49% $50 enrollment fee;
PA Pennsylvania Investment 529 Plan 0.36% 0.10% 0.00% $- Hybrid of prepaid plan and savings plan; matches to type of tuition for school chosen. You need to read and understand the disclosure statement to get full details. It has historically run short of obligations.
RI Rhode Island 529 Plans 0.20% 0.00% 4.00% $- Only available to RI residents; RI retains right to charge 0.10% state admin fee; max sales charge if purchased through an adviser; .25% distribution fee (back load) for Alternative RA
SC South Carolina Future Scholar 529 Plan 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% $- Only available to SC residents
SD South Dakota College Access 529 Plans 0.35% 0.35% 5.50% $20.00 Only available to SD residents; sales charge for advisor sold funds
TN Tennessee Stars 529 Plan 0.30% 0.00% 0.00% $- Spelling errors on an education page. Lovely.
TX Texas College Savings 529 Plan 0.15% 0.10% 0.00% $-
UT Utah Educational Savings 529 Plan 0.20% 0.00% 0.00% $15.00 Annual fee dependent on account balance
VT Vermont Education Investment 529 Plan 0.35% 0.00% 0.00% $-
VA Virginia College 529 Plan 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% $- CD rates are well below tuition inflation
VA Virginia Vest 529 Plan 0.20% 0.00% 0.00% $- $25 application fee
WA Washington 529 Plan NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE Hybrid plan only available to WA residents. Each unit purchased is worth 1% of highest tuition in Washington, but can be used at any college in U.S. 2013 unit price is $172; current unit payout is $117.82.
WV West Virginia Smart 529 Plan 0.25% 0.00% 0.00% $- Smart WV Direct – only available to WV residents
WV West Virginia College Savings Select 529 Plan 0.42% 0.05% 0.00% $25.00
WI Wisconsin EdVest 529 Plans 0.08% 0.00% 0.00% $20.00
WY See Colorado

Download the table here: List of 529 Plans By State (PDF Version)

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John Davis
John Davis is a nationally recognized expert on credit reporting, credit scoring, and identity theft. He has written four books about his expertise in the field and has been featured extensively in numerous media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNN, CBS News, CNBC, Fox Business, and many more. With over 20 years of experience helping consumers understand their credit and identity protection rights, John is passionate about empowering people to take control of their finances. He works with financial institutions to develop consumer-friendly policies that promote financial literacy and responsible borrowing habits.

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