Education
The order aid is applied in, and why it matters
Packages are built in a sequence rather than from one source, and the sequence is where an offer's real shape comes from.
Most aid packages are assembled in an order. Money that does not have to be repaid is generally applied first, then work-study where it is offered, then federal loans, and only after that anything private. Two schools can advertise similar totals and differ completely in how much of the total is borrowed.
That is why the first thing to do with an offer is to split every line into repaid and not repaid. The aid office will confirm which is which, and asking for that in writing is an ordinary request.
The number that actually matters is the gap: the school's own published cost of attendance, minus the aid that does not have to be repaid. That is what has to be covered from earnings, savings or borrowing, and it is the figure to set side by side between schools.
A more expensive school can produce a larger offer and still leave a bigger gap. Comparing headline awards instead of gaps is the single most common way people choose the more expensive option while believing otherwise.
What to do next. Split each offer into repaid and not repaid, then compare the gap against each school's own published cost of attendance.
studentaid.gov outranks this page. Rules, figures and dates change
between academic years. This is written to help you read the official sources, not to
stand in front of them. Start there.
Nothing here is a determination. We cannot tell you what you qualify
for, and no website can. The programme and the office that runs it decide that, after
you apply.
Still have a question?
Describe what you are trying to work out and a member of the team will answer, or direct you to the office that makes the decision.