Which is more affordable: the University of Florida or the University of Houston?

Include UF’s tuition and required fees, housing and meal plan or off-campus rent, books, transportation, health insurance if applicable, and personal expenses. Do not treat a federal loan as a discount; it is money you will repay.

Houston may make more sense for a student receiving a large renewable merit award or need-based grant there, especially if the award explicitly covers the nonresident tuition difference. Check whether the scholarship is guaranteed for four years, its GPA and enrollment requirements, and whether it can increase or decrease after the first year. Also add repeated travel between Texas and Florida, since those costs can be meaningful.

Compare each school’s official financial-aid offer using the same worksheet: total billed costs plus realistic living and travel costs, minus only grants and scholarships that do not need repayment. Run both schools’ net price calculators as a preliminary check, but let the final aid offers control the decision. The lower four-year net cost, not the lower posted tuition figure, is the meaningful comparison.