How can I compare the total cost of attending UC San Diego and Purdue?

As a California resident, UC San Diego will often have a substantial built-in price advantage because you qualify for UC resident tuition, while Purdue would bill you at its nonresident rate. Compare each school’s official cost of attendance and then subtract only grants and scholarships you are actually offered, not loans or work-study. UC San Diego may also be more favorable if you qualify for need-based UC aid or a Cal Grant; Purdue aid can reduce the gap, but its nonresident tuition remains the key number to examine.

Start with the current UC San Diego and Purdue cost-of-attendance pages, selecting UCSD’s California-resident estimate and Purdue’s out-of-state estimate. For each, list direct billed charges separately: tuition and mandatory fees, campus housing, and meal plan. Then add realistic indirect expenses: books and course materials, personal expenses, local transportation, health insurance if you will not waive the campus plan, and round-trip travel home during breaks.

Use each college’s Net Price Calculator with the same family income, assets, and tax information. Once admission decisions arrive, replace calculator estimates with the actual financial-aid offers. Treat federal direct loans, parent loans, and work-study as ways to pay rather than discounts; compare grants, scholarships, and any tuition-specific awards first.

For UCSD, also check whether your aid package includes Cal Grant, UC Grant, or other campus grants, and whether aid changes if you live on campus, off campus, or with family. Calculate a four-year estimate, allowing for possible housing and fee increases, rather than choosing based only on first-year cost.