Four checks for any award letter

About nine in ten colleges leave the net price out of their aid offers, or understate it.

U.S. Government Accountability Office, Financial Aid Offers: Action Needed to Improve Information on College Costs and Student Aid (GAO-23-104708, December 2022).

• Is the full cost listed? Tuition and fees, housing, food, books, travel — not just tuition.
• Are loans labelled as loans? A loan is money you pay back, with interest — it is not a gift.
• Is the net price shown? Full cost minus grants and scholarships only. If it isn't there, work it out yourself.
• Is the aid renewable? Does it say whether the grants come back next year, and what you must do to keep them?

The boxes are for you — nothing is saved or sent.