How should I compare financial aid offers from UW–Madison and Miami University of Ohio?

The lower-cost offer is the one with the smaller four-year net price after renewable grants and scholarships, not the one showing the larger total “financial aid” figure. At UW–Madison, your residency status can dramatically change the tuition side of the comparison; at Miami University, verify whether any merit scholarship is guaranteed for all four years and whether its amount depends on a GPA, enrollment level, or other conditions. Treat grants and scholarships as real reductions in cost, but do not count loans or work-study as free aid.

Build the same one-year budget for each school: tuition and required fees, housing and meal plan, estimated books and supplies, health insurance if applicable, transportation home, and personal expenses. Subtract only gift aid that is actually applicable to those charges. Then separate the remaining amount into what your family can pay from savings or income, federal student loans, work earnings, and any Parent PLUS or private loans.

Pay special attention to whether each award is renewable. Read the scholarship terms for required GPA, credit load, residency rules, and whether the award stays flat while tuition, housing, and meal-plan costs rise. A first-year package can look attractive but become less affordable if a scholarship is not renewed or does not increase with costs.

Compare borrowing over all four years, not just this fall. Federal Direct student loans are usually more manageable than Parent PLUS or private loans because their terms and protections are more standardized. Work-study can be useful, but it is permission to earn wages through an eligible job, not money automatically credited to your bill; estimate it conservatively based on realistic hours during the academic year.

Use each school’s net price as a starting point, then ask the financial aid office to clarify any unclear renewal terms, missing charges, or loan types.