How can I compare whether MIT or Duke will be more affordable after financial aid?

Compare MIT and Duke using each school’s own net price calculator with exactly the same family information, then compare the estimated annual amount your family would actually pay, not the published sticker price. Both schools use need-based aid processes that can produce very different results for the same applicant because they may assess home equity, business assets, noncustodial-parent information, and sibling enrollment differently. For U.S. applicants seeking institutional aid, plan to submit both the FAFSA and CSS Profile required by each college.

Each calculator is the most useful first estimate, but update it if a parent’s income, employment, or assets change before enrollment.

Duke may land differently for families whose circumstances involve assets or income sources that its aid office evaluates in a different way. Check whether the Duke estimate includes any expected student summer earnings, work-study, or loans, and distinguish those from grants and scholarships.

When official offers arrive, make a one-year comparison with the same categories: tuition and fees, housing and food, books and travel, grants/scholarships, work-study, and loans. A difference in first-year net price can matter more if one package includes renewable grant aid while the other relies on borrowing or earnings.

If the estimates or final awards differ sharply from your family’s actual ability to pay, submit a documented appeal to the relevant financial-aid office, citing changed income, unusual medical costs, a job loss, or another specific circumstance. Compare the final written offers before making a decision; advertised affordability policies are useful context, but the award letter is the number that matters.