How can I compare the affordability of Cornell and Georgia Tech after financial aid?

The biggest practical tradeoff is that Cornell may offer substantial need-based institutional grant aid, while Georgia Tech can be dramatically less expensive on its published price for Georgia residents but often provides less need-based institutional aid to nonresidents. Do not compare the grant totals alone: compare each school’s final net cost after subtracting only grants and scholarships that do not need to be repaid. Treat federal loans, parent loans, and work-study as ways to finance the bill, not as reductions in the cost.

For each offer, make a one-year worksheet with tuition and required fees, housing and food, estimated books and personal expenses, health insurance if applicable, and travel home. Subtract Cornell or Georgia Tech institutional grants, federal or state grants, and outside scholarships that are confirmed and renewable. Keep subsidized or unsubsidized federal loans, private loans, and work-study in separate columns so you can see both the actual price and the amount your family would need to borrow or earn.

Then check the terms behind each award. Confirm whether grants are renewable for four years, whether they require annual financial-need review, whether a scholarship has GPA or enrollment requirements, and whether either college expects your family contribution to rise in later years. At Georgia Tech, residency status is especially important: in-state and out-of-state tuition create very different outcomes, and changing residency for tuition purposes is not something to assume. At Cornell, ask the financial aid office to clarify whether the package will remain need-based and how outside scholarships affect institutional grant aid.

A slightly higher annual cost can still be preferable only if the difference is covered by nonrepayable aid rather than loans or an unrealistic work expectation.