Scholarship Gap
Calculator

It's the difference between the total cost of attendance (tuition, fees, housing, etc.) and the total scholarships, grants, and other aid awarded — the amount that still needs to be covered by other means like savings, work, or loans.

Gap = Total cost of attendance - Total scholarships and grants received. It's important to use the full cost of attendance, not just tuition, since housing, fees, and books can add significantly to the real total cost.

Loans are borrowed money that must be repaid, not aid that reduces your actual cost — including them in the gap calculation would understate how much of your education is genuinely unfunded and needs to be addressed through non-debt sources or accepted as debt deliberately.

Yes, both the cost side (tuition often rises annually) and the aid side (some scholarships are one-time or renewable only with conditions like maintaining a GPA) can change, so the gap should be recalculated each academic year rather than assumed constant.

Common approaches include applying for additional scholarships, part-time work or work-study programs, family contributions, and student loans as a last resort — most students use some combination rather than relying on a single source.