How should I compare financial aid offers from the University of Florida and the University of Rochester?

Choose the offer with the lower guaranteed four-year net cost, not the one that lists the larger total aid figure. Do not count federal loans or work-study as reductions in price.

Make a side-by-side annual budget using each school’s billed charges first: tuition and mandatory fees, housing, and meal plan. Subtract only grants, scholarships, tuition waivers, Florida Prepaid payments, and any Bright Futures funding you are clearly eligible to receive.

Treat loans separately. Direct federal loans may be included in either package, but they are debt in the student’s name and should be added back when deciding what the education truly costs. Parent PLUS loans, private loans, and any “expected borrowing” are not aid at all. Work-study is an opportunity to earn wages through an eligible campus job, not money automatically applied to the bill, so include it only if you realistically expect to work those hours.

Then compare the remaining amount your family must cover each year through savings, current income, or borrowing, and project it across four years.