How should I compare Duke and NYU financial aid offers?

The stronger offer is the one with the lower four-year cost after subtracting only grants and scholarships, not work-study or loans. Put Duke and NYU on the same one-year spreadsheet using the same categories: billed charges, living costs, nonrepayable aid, work-study, and loans. Do not treat either school’s estimated family contribution as a charge; it is an aid-calculation figure, and the actual amount your family pays is the remaining cost after aid.

Start with each school’s full cost of attendance for your likely housing and meal arrangement: tuition and required fees, housing, food, books, transportation, and personal expenses. Then subtract institutional grants, named scholarships, and outside scholarships that you can actually use. This produces the non-loan net cost, which is the cleanest comparison of what the education costs your family.

List work-study separately rather than subtracting it from the bill. It is an opportunity to earn wages through a job, often paid over the semester, not a tuition credit available at the start of the year. Likewise, list federal or private loans separately, with the annual amount and whether interest accrues while enrolled; a package that looks larger because it includes more borrowing is not financially stronger.

Separate costs that may be omitted or estimated differently, especially health insurance, travel home, course or program fees, and higher-cost housing. If one school’s official budget includes a larger allowance for these items, that does not necessarily mean it will require more cash, but it can affect aid eligibility.