Net: College Aid Offer Decoder

Net reads your college financial aid offers and shows the real price: what the school costs after grants and scholarships, before a single loan.

AID LETTERS COUNT LOANS AS AID A letter can say "Remaining balance: $4,000" when the real price is $32,000, because loans, work-study and a Parent PLUS loan were subtracted as if they were discounts. Federal auditors found that most colleges leave out or understate the net price on their offers. Net puts the two numbers side by side.

SNAP IT, NET SORTS IT Import the PDF from the school portal, a screenshot or a photo, or scan the letter with the camera. Net reads it on your phone and sorts every line: free money, earned, student loans, parent loans, private loans, and costs. If Net isn't sure about a line, it asks you. An unclear line is never counted as free money, and the real price stays hidden until you decide.

WHERE DID THIS COME FROM? Tap any line to see the spot on the letter it came from.

WHAT THE LETTER DOESN'T SAY Net flags what's missing: an offer without the full cost of attendance, billed costs only, loans counted as aid, a private bank loan listed as aid, or a document whose text doesn't match the page. Add the school's published cost of attendance in one step.

FOUR YEARS UNDER THE 2026 LIMITS From July 2026, Parent PLUS loans are capped at $20,000 a year and $65,000 per student. Net plans all four years with rising costs, your grant rules (same every year, re-checked yearly, or first year only) and the federal loan limits, and shows the year the money runs short.

WHAT THE LOANS WILL COST See the student's balance when payments start, the monthly payment under Tiered Standard and the income-based plan at an expected salary, and what Parent PLUS costs each month and in total.

COMPARE, THEN ASK FOR MORE Put every offer side by side and see which is cheapest over four years. Then write a template appeal letter with your numbers filled in, a checklist of what to attach, and when to send it.

SHARE IT Share a card of the real price, with the school's name hidden if you like; the student's name is never on it. Export a family PDF for the kitchen-table conversation.

PRIVATE Offers never leave your phone. There's no account, no server and no tracking.

PAY ONCE Decoding your first offer is free, and so is the sample. One $9.99 purchase unlocks every offer, comparison, the four-year plan, payback, appeal letters and the family PDF. No subscription. Family Sharing included, so younger siblings are covered.

Net is an independent tool. It is not affiliated with any college or the U.S. Department of Education. Its figures are estimates from the letters you add; your school's financial aid office is the final word.

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