A tuition figure is only one part of a college budget. Use this guide to organise two options on the same basis, see which numbers are confirmed, and prepare specific questions for a financial aid office. The worksheet is a planning template: copy it into your own document or print it. It does not collect your financial information or calculate an aid award.
1. Compare the same period and living arrangement
Write the school, programme, attendance period and intended living arrangement at the top of each column. Do not compare one semester with a full academic year, or a campus-housing estimate with a commuting estimate without explaining the difference. Federal Student Aid notes that cost-of-attendance periods can differ between programmes. Its financial aid dictionary explains the distinction between cost of attendance, an aid offer and net price.
Beside each number, record its source and the date you checked it. Use “unknown” when you lack a figure; a blank cell should not silently become zero. Keep one version of the worksheet before an aid offer arrives and another after you receive it, so you can see which assumptions changed.
2. Build a comparison you can explain
Start with each school's published cost of attendance, then check what it already includes before adding your own expenses. The categories below are prompts, not extra charges to add automatically. An amount already included in the school's total must not be counted again.
| Record for the same period | Option A | Option B |
|---|---|---|
| School, programme and dates covered | Write here | Write here |
| Published total cost of attendance | Amount + source | Amount + source |
| Tuition, mandatory fees, housing and food | Included? Check | Included? Check |
| Books, supplies, equipment and travel | Included? Check | Included? Check |
| Your additional costs, not already included | Amount + reason | Amount + reason |
| Total planned costs after checking overlaps | Total A | Total B |
| Confirmed grants and scholarships for this period | Amount + conditions | Amount + conditions |
| Planned costs minus confirmed grants and scholarships | Remaining amount | Remaining amount |
| Unresolved question and person to contact | Next action | Next action |
3. Keep the cost and the way you pay separate
For a net-price comparison, subtract grants and scholarships from costs. Keep borrowing and expected earnings in a separate funding plan: a loan must be repaid, and work-study requires work rather than arriving as an automatic tuition discount. Use confirmed offers instead of counting a scholarship application as money already received. Federal Student Aid's guide to evaluating aid offers explains these categories and the comparison method.
Create three short lists below your table: “confirmed funding,” “possible funding” and “still unexplained.” Put each item in only one list. Include an amount, the relevant period and any condition you still need to check. If you are considering borrowing, ask for the actual terms and repayment information separately; this worksheet does not decide whether a particular loan fits your circumstances.
4. Add a calendar beside the total
A yearly total can hide a timing problem. Make a simple log with four columns: expense, due date, expected funding date and question to resolve. Include any deposit you are considering and the written cancellation or refund terms. If the dates do not line up, ask the school which approved arrangements exist before assuming you can pay later.
For an award described as renewable, record the stated renewal conditions and ask what must happen in later years. Keep a one-time award in the period it covers. Build a separate “next year” version rather than multiplying a first-year result across an entire degree without checking the assumptions.
5. Take useful questions to the school
- Which costs in my worksheet are already included in your estimate?
- Does this aid offer cover the same attendance period and enrollment level I used?
- What must I do to accept or retain each offered award?
- How should I report an outside scholarship, and could it change my existing aid offer?
- Where can I find written due dates and the person who can clarify an unfamiliar charge?
Save the reply beside the relevant row, then update the worksheet's date. For finding possible awards, use the scholarship search guide. For this site's named programme, check its current-status notice rather than treating historical award information as confirmed future funding.