How can I compare Georgetown and UVA’s total college cost after financial aid?

There is no single cheaper option: UVA is often far less expensive for Virginia residents, while Georgetown can be comparable or less costly for some students with stronger need-based aid. Start with each school’s official financial-aid offer, not its sticker price, and calculate the same annual net cost for both. Multiply that estimate by four only after checking which parts of the aid package are renewable.

For each college, add billed charges: tuition, mandatory fees, housing, and the meal plan. Then add realistic indirect expenses, including books and course materials, transportation between home and campus, personal expenses, health insurance if needed, and a computer or other required equipment. Georgetown’s Washington, DC location can make local personal and travel spending meaningfully different from Charlottesville, so use your own likely travel frequency and spending habits rather than treating the schools’ estimates as identical.

Subtract only grants and scholarships that do not have to be repaid. Separate federal work-study from grants: work-study is an opportunity to earn wages through a job, not money automatically credited to the bill. List student loans and parent loans separately as well; they reduce what is due now but increase the family’s total cost through repayment and interest.

For UVA, confirm whether your offer and tuition classification reflect Virginia resident or nonresident status, since that distinction is a major cost driver. For Georgetown, check the exact terms of institutional need-based aid and any outside scholarships. At both schools, verify whether aid is guaranteed to renew, whether it depends on demonstrated need each year, and whether academic, enrollment, or housing conditions apply.

A useful comparison is a four-column worksheet for each year: total cost of attendance, gift aid, loans/work-study, and remaining family payment. Include expected annual increases in tuition and living costs, then compare the four-year family payment and projected borrowing rather than the first-year bill alone.