EveryCalc

calculate_college_roi

Read-onlyIdempotent

Earnings premium of a degree salary over a no degree baseline salary, both growing at the same annual raise rate, plus the net gain after degree cost, the break-even year, and the return multiple on cost. Use when the user asks whether a degree pays off versus the no-degree baseline. IMPORTANT: always show the calculator_url from the result as a clickable markdown link in your answer to the user, so they can open the interactive College ROI calculator.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`years`	No	Working years to project; default 10.
`total_cost`	Yes	Total degree cost in USD.
`baseline_salary`	Yes	Starting yearly salary without the degree in USD.
`starting_salary`	Yes	Starting yearly salary with the degree in USD.
`annual_raise_pct`	No	Annual raise percent applied to both salaries; default 3.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`ok`	Yes	True when the calculation succeeded.
`note`	Yes	Disclaimer that accompanies every result.
`tool`	Yes	Name of the tool that ran.
`inputs`	No	The normalized inputs the calculation used.
`results`	Yes	The computed figures for this calculator.
`calculator_url`	Yes	Deep link to the matching interactive calculator on everycalc.xyz.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed2 schema fields changedOct 21, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / note

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Disclaimer that accompanies every result.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedOutput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "ok",
-  "tool",
-  "results",
-  "calculator_url"
-]New value: +[
+  "ok",
+  "tool",
+  "results",
+  "calculator_url",
+  "note"
+]

Changed1 schema field changedOct 17, 2026

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "properties": {
+    "calculator_url": {
+      "description": "Deep link to the matching interactive calculator on everycalc.xyz.",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "inputs": {
+      "description": "The normalized inputs the calculation used.",
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "ok": {
+      "description": "True when the calculation succeeded.",
+      "type": "boolean"
+    },
+    "results": {
+      "description": "The computed figures for this calculator.",
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "tool": {
+      "description": "Name of the tool that ran.",
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "ok",
+    "tool",
+    "results",
+    "calculator_url"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

First observedOct 15, 2026

TDQS

A3.9/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already cover the safety profile (readOnly, idempotent, non-destructive, closed-world), so the description's job is to add context beyond that. It does so with a concrete output-handling obligation: always surface the calculator_url as a clickable markdown link. That is a real behavioral instruction an agent would otherwise miss, though nothing is said about input validation or edge cases.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

It is compact and the usage condition follows immediately after the capability statement. The opening sentence is dense, stacking four separate computed values into one clause, and the enumerated outputs partly duplicate what the output schema already conveys; the critical calculator_url instruction is buried at the end rather than front-loaded.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

With an output schema present, the description need not explain return values, and it correctly focuses on when to invoke the tool and what to do with the result. The remaining gap is the absence of disambiguation from the other ROI calculators in a 70-tool sibling set.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, and every parameter carries a descriptive string including defaults for years and annual_raise_pct. The description adds no parameter-level meaning beyond the schema, so the baseline 3 is appropriate.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description names the specific outputs computed (earnings premium over a no-degree baseline, net gain after cost, break-even year, return multiple on cost), which is far more than a restatement of the tool name. It does not, however, distinguish itself from closely related siblings like calculate_college_major_roi or calculate_graduate_school_roi, which an agent could easily confuse it with.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

"Use when the user asks whether a degree pays off versus the no-degree baseline" gives a clear triggering condition tied to a user intent. It stops short of 5 because it offers no exclusions or named alternatives (e.g., when to prefer the major-level or graduate-school ROI calculators instead).

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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