Compare college costs and financial aid
Separate grants from loans and calculate what each school would actually cost.
You will learnCalculate net price and compare aid offers without treating loans as discounts.
Quick scenario
Choose an answer to see the explanation.Which number is most useful for a first comparison of two college offers?
Worked example
Comparing two college offers
Harbor College costs $38,000 and offers $21,000 in grants and scholarships: a $17,000 net price. Pine costs $29,000 and offers $10,000 in gift aid: a $19,000 net price. Harbor starts higher but costs $2,000 less after gift aid.
Harbor: $38,000 − $21,000 = $17,000; Pine: $29,000 − $10,000 = $19,000
| Harbor published cost | $38,000 |
|---|---|
| Grants & scholarships | − $21,000 |
| Harbor net price | $17,000 |
| Pine net price | $19,000 |
Key ideas
Three things to know
Separate grants from loans
Grants and scholarships generally do not need repayment. Loans do. Work-study is money a student may earn through an eligible job. It is not an upfront discount from the bill.
Read more
- Gift aid: grants and scholarships
- Earned aid: work-study wages
- Borrowed aid: student or parent loans
- Cost: tuition, fees, housing, food, books, transport, and personal expenses
Check the full cost over time
Check whether scholarships renew, what grades or enrollment are required, whether housing is guaranteed, and which costs may change. Compare expected borrowing separately so a larger loan offer does not look like a better price.
Verify each offer
Aid programs and limits can change. Use the actual offer, the school's aid office, Federal Student Aid, College Scorecard, MEFA, and Massachusetts OSFA instead of copying old maximums from an example.
Practice
Make each offer use the same labels
Use the example first. Then change one number and compare the result.
Interactive calculator
Compare two college offers
Subtract only grants and scholarships. Compare loans separately.
Knowledge check
Check your understanding
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