How should I compare the total cost of Johns Hopkins vs WashU for undergrad?

To compare Johns Hopkins and WashU for total undergraduate cost, focus on your actual net price at each school, not the published price. Both are expensive private universities with similar major cost categories, but the real difference usually comes from grant aid, loan expectations, travel costs, and how your housing and personal expenses change after first year. Start with each school’s financial aid offer side by side and treat that as the center of the comparison.

For the direct billed costs, compare tuition, mandatory fees, housing, and meal plans exactly as listed in your admitted-student portal or cost of attendance page. Then separate out indirect costs like books, transportation, and personal spending, because those can vary a lot by student and by distance from home. A flight-heavy trip schedule to Baltimore or St. Louis can change the real annual cost more than people expect.

A practical way to compare them is to build a four-year spreadsheet with these lines for each school: billed costs, grants and scholarships, student loans, work-study, travel, books, health insurance if needed, and likely yearly increases. Also note whether any scholarships are guaranteed for four years, whether aid is all grant or partly loan, and whether merit aid is included. The cheapest option on paper for year one is not always the cheaper degree by graduation.