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Scholarship/Grant Calculator

Calculate net cost after scholarships, grants and expected contribution.

About Scholarship/Grant Calculator

Only gift aid genuinely reduces cost, since loans merely defer it. Unmet need is what determines how much borrowing an offer actually requires, which is the figure worth comparing between institutions. A larger headline aid package can leave more unmet need than a smaller one at a cheaper institution, which is why net cost rather than aid amount is the right comparison.

Formula

Scholarship/Grant

Unmet need = cost of attendance − gift aid − expected contributions

gift aid
Scholarships and grants, which do not need repaying
unmet need
The gap that must be met by borrowing or additional work

Worked example

With the default values below, Scholarship/Grant Calculator returns Unmet Need to Borrow of $13,000.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Total cost of attendanceminimum 0
42,000
Scholarships awardedminimum 0
12,000
Grants awardedminimum 0
6,000
Expected family contributionminimum 0
8,000
Student earnings contributionminimum 0
3,000

Results

Unmet Need to Borrow
$13,000.00
Total Gift Aid
$18,000.00
Net Cost After Gift Aid
$24,000.00
Share of Cost Covered by Gift Aid
42.86%
Total Expected Contributions
$11,000.00

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Scholarship/Grant
  3. 3Unmet Need to Borrow= 13,000.00
  4. 4Total Gift Aid= 18,000.00
  5. 5Net Cost After Gift Aid= 24,000.00
  6. 6Share of Cost Covered by Gift Aid= 42.86
  7. 7Total Expected Contributions= 11,000.00

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 5 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
  • This is an estimate for general information and not professional financial, tax or legal advice. See the full disclaimer for the limits that apply to this kind of calculator.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Scholarship/Grant calculated?

Unmet need = cost of attendance − gift aid − expected contributions Only gift aid genuinely reduces cost, since loans merely defer it. Unmet need is what determines how much borrowing an offer actually requires, which is the figure worth comparing between institutions.

Why does Scholarship/Grant matter?

A larger headline aid package can leave more unmet need than a smaller one at a cheaper institution, which is why net cost rather than aid amount is the right comparison.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 5 inputs: Total cost of attendance, Scholarships awarded, Grants awarded, Expected family contribution, Student earnings contribution. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.

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