How should I compare the total cost of attending Duke versus Columbia?

The biggest practical tradeoff is that Columbia’s New York City location can create higher day-to-day discretionary costs, while Duke’s Durham location may require more planning for flights or longer-distance travel depending on where you live. Both schools publish a full cost of attendance that includes tuition, mandatory fees, housing, food, books, personal expenses, and travel estimates, so compare those totals rather than tuition alone. Your actual deciding number should be each school’s net cost after grants and scholarships, as shown in the financial-aid offer.

Put the two aid letters side by side and separate gift aid from loans and work-study. Subtract only grants and scholarships from each school’s billed and estimated annual costs; loans must be repaid, and work-study is earned through a job rather than applied automatically to your bill.

For Duke, look closely at on-campus housing and meal-plan charges, student health insurance if you are not covered by a family plan, and travel to Durham. For Columbia, include its housing and dining charges, health insurance, transportation within New York City, and realistic personal spending. Columbia students can manage costs with public transit and campus resources, but meals, entertainment, and off-campus purchases can add up more easily in Manhattan.

Also compare renewal terms for all four years: required enrollment status, academic-progress rules, whether need-based aid is recalculated annually, and likely tuition or housing increases. The less expensive choice is the one with the lower four-year net estimate after nonrepayable aid, with a reasonable buffer for travel and personal expenses, not necessarily the one with the lower posted price.