How should I compare undergraduate financial aid offers from Georgia Tech and Stanford?

Compare the offers by calculating your family’s actual four-year cash cost, not by comparing grant totals. Stanford’s larger sticker price can make a larger grant look more generous while still leaving a higher bill, and Georgia Tech’s value changes dramatically depending on whether you qualify for in-state tuition and Georgia state scholarships such as HOPE or Zell Miller. Put each school’s billed costs, required family contribution, loans, work expectations, and expenses not covered by the bill into the same spreadsheet.

Start with direct annual charges: tuition, mandatory fees, housing, and food. Then subtract only grants and scholarships that are confirmed and renewable. Keep federal work-study separate from grants because it is earned through a job, and list student and parent loans separately because they must be repaid. Include health insurance if you will use the school plan, as well as realistic travel, books, personal expenses, and any computer or program-specific costs.

For Georgia Tech, verify whether the offer assumes in-state or out-of-state residency and whether any Georgia state award is included, estimated, or listed separately. Ask how maintaining a scholarship depends on enrollment, GPA, credit completion, or residency. For Stanford, examine whether the package includes an expected student contribution from summer earnings, work-study, or a loan, and whether the aid calculation reflects your family’s assets and unusual circumstances.

Review each award letter for parent income, business or farm ownership, home equity, noncustodial-parent information, medical expenses, sibling enrollment, and one-time income. If either school used incomplete or unrepresentative information, request a professional judgment or aid reconsideration promptly and provide concise documentation. Also ask both offices how need-based aid is recalculated after the first year, especially if income, business revenue, or sibling college enrollment may change.