How should I compare financial aid offers from the University of Georgia and Princeton?

Compare the offers by calculating your actual four-year family cost, not by comparing each school’s headline cost or total aid amount.

Start with each school’s cost of attendance, then subtract only grants and scholarships that do not have to be repaid. Separate direct billed charges, such as tuition, fees, housing, and meal plan, from indirect estimates such as books, transportation, and personal expenses. The remaining amount is the projected out-of-pocket cost before any optional borrowing.

Do not count federal loans or parent loans as “free aid.” A loan can cover a bill now, but it creates repayment obligations, so list it separately with the annual amount and expected total borrowed over four years. Treat work-study similarly: it is an opportunity to earn wages through a campus job, not money automatically applied to your bill. Estimate only the amount you realistically expect to earn after considering the hours involved.

For each offer, check whether grants are renewable for four years, whether the amount can change if family finances change, and whether there are GPA, enrollment, residency, or credit-hour conditions. Also compare health insurance, travel from home, likely annual tuition or housing increases, and any one-time enrollment costs.

A useful final comparison is a simple four-year table: total grants and scholarships, expected family payment, optional student borrowing, expected work earnings, and remaining gap for each school.