AidBridge

Award Letter Decoder

Enter the numbers from your award letter to split free money from debt, reveal hidden costs, and see what's still not covered.

Estimates only — verify with the college. Sign in to save your report.

College & student
College costs
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$

If listed

Free money
$
$
Money you repay
$
$
$
$
Work-study
$

Money earned through a job — usually not paid upfront

Deadlines
Missing documents

Separate with commas

Total estimated cost
$0.00
Free money (grants + scholarships)
$0.00
Loans (must be repaid)
No loans were entered
Work-study
—

Estimated amount still not covered

$0.00

Total cost, minus free money and any loans listed. An estimate — verify with the college.

Things to check (3)

The college did not show a clear net cost

Worth a look

Without a stated net cost, it is harder to know what you will actually pay. AidBridge estimated it for you, but the college's own number is important to confirm.

What you can do: Ask the financial aid office to confirm your true out-of-pocket cost before loans.

Cost of attendance is missing

Important

Cost of attendance is the total estimated cost for the year. Without it, the out-of-pocket estimate may be incomplete.

What you can do: Ask the college for the full cost of attendance, including housing, books, and other expenses.

The aid offer looks incomplete

Worth a look

No aid amounts were entered, so the breakdown cannot be calculated yet.

What you can do: Enter the grant, scholarship, work-study, and loan amounts from the aid letter, or upload a redacted copy.