What will it cost you?

Understand net price: cost after grants.

Net price means the estimated cost after grants and scholarships—money you usually do not repay. It is not the bill after taking out loans. Loans still have to be paid back. Work-study is money you earn through a job; it is not an upfront discount.

1. Open each college’s official net price calculator. Use the same family details for each estimate.
2. Check the year, who the calculator covers, and whether it counts merit scholarships. Save the result and date.
3. List tuition, fees, housing, food, supplies, computer needs and travel. Check which costs the estimate includes.
4. Compare the years needed for the full route. If it includes a later graduate degree, make a separate estimate for that stage.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education: calculators. Checked October 7, 2026.

Find each college’s full cost.

Compare the full yearly budget and the estimate after grants for each school on your list. Include tuition, fees, housing, food, travel, supplies and computer needs. Ask which studio costs are already counted.

• Resident tuition: a public college may charge less to students who meet its state’s residency rules. Do not assume that living there briefly qualifies.
• Private colleges: some have larger grants. Run the calculator before ruling a school in or out by its headline price.
• Commuting or transfer: compare travel, work time and remaining studio terms. Lower yearly tuition may still leave extra years to pay for.

A salary is before taxes and living costs. Median architect pay includes experienced workers; it is not a new graduate’s promise. Compare what you would need to cover across the full degree route.

U.S. Department of Education: net price calculators · Checked October 7, 2026.

Practice the cost calculation.

Made-up numbers for practice. This example is not a college’s price or an aid offer.

A loan can help pay the $20,000 now, but it must be repaid. Work-study is pay you earn at a job. Neither lowers the cost after grants.

For your own comparison, use each school’s calculator estimate or actual aid offer. Check what the yearly cost includes and how many years you would need.

Compare two colleges and add your notes.

Type into the fields below using calculator estimates or aid offers. Leave unknown amounts blank. Subtract grants and scholarships from the full cost; list loans and work-study separately. These fields do not calculate totals for you. The save and copy controls are below your notes. Use “Add comparison” there for another pair of colleges.

Copy your entries as text, download a text file, or choose to save on this device. Avoid saving on shared computers. Do not enter account numbers or tax documents.

Check financial aid forms and deadlines.

• Use the official FAFSA page to check the form for your entry year and eligibility. Federal aid is not available to every student; check the official citizenship and eligible-noncitizen guidance. School and state deadlines can be earlier than the federal deadline.
• Some colleges also use the CSS Profile or their own form. Check whether a fee waiver applies.
• Request application fee waivers when eligible. Portfolio upload fees may have a separate waiver process.
• Keep grant money, loans and work earnings separate when comparing offers. Check each scholarship’s renewal rules.
• If federal aid is not available to you, ask each school about its own grants, state aid and separate forms. If family information is missing, use the script to ask for a secure next step.