When comparing net price across schools, which metric helps students understand how much they will actually pay after aid?

• A. Sticker price
• B. Graduation rate
• C. Loan interest rate
• D. Net price

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that net price shows what you actually pay after aid. It’s calculated as the total cost of attendance (tuition, fees, room and board, etc.) minus gift aid (grants and scholarships that don’t need to be repaid). This is the figure that reflects how much you’ll owe out of pocket for that school, year by year, so you can compare schools on a like-for-like basis. Loan offers and interest affect how much you’ll pay later in total, but they don’t reduce the immediate out-of-pocket cost the way gift aid does, and sticker price doesn’t account for aid at all. So net price is the best metric for understanding actual payment after aid.