How should I compare net price between WashU and Vanderbilt?

The biggest practical tradeoff is whether one package reduces the amount your family must pay from savings or current income, rather than merely replacing that amount with student borrowing or work expectations. Compare WashU and Vanderbilt using the same one-year “family cash cost” calculation: billed charges minus grants and scholarships, then add realistic expenses that are not billed by the university.

Start with each school’s tuition, required fees, housing, and meal plan. Subtract only gift aid, meaning institutional grants, outside scholarships, and merit awards that do not have to be repaid. Keep federal student loans separate: they can make the first-year bill easier to pay, but they are still debt. Treat work-study separately as well, because it is an opportunity to earn wages through a job, not an upfront credit against the bill.

Then add books, personal expenses, travel home, and health insurance if you cannot use a family plan. St. Louis and Nashville can create different travel costs depending on where you live; also check each school’s housing and meal-plan requirements, since those affect how flexible later years may be. Do not count a parent loan as financial aid when judging affordability.

The lower true net price is the school with the smaller four-year expected family contribution after excluding loans and unearned work-study, while including your likely travel, insurance, and personal costs. If the totals are close, the package with more renewable grant aid and less uncertainty is the safer financial choice.