For families with award letters in hand

Your award letter, decoded.

Schools format their offers to look generous. We translate them to what your family actually pays — and show you what they're hiding.

Step 1 of 2

Tell us about your family situation

This sets the baseline for analyzing your offers. Same inputs as the True Cost Calculator — if you've used that tool, the math here will be consistent.

Family income (gross, before tax) $200,000

Above the donut hole threshold — most need-based aid does not apply

Family size (people in household) 4

Including the student. Affects Cal Grant eligibility ceilings.

California resident?

Determines Cal Grant and Middle Class Scholarship eligibility at California schools.

Student GPA (weighted) 3.85

Student SAT score 1450

Used for merit calibration where PCG has school-level data. ACT can be converted using a concordance table.

Has your family experienced a documented circumstance change since FAFSA was filed?

If "yes," our diagnostic engine will fire a Professional Judgment appeal recommendation where applicable. Schools can use federal-discretion authority to revise SAI based on documented circumstance changes.

Methodology

How the diagnostic engine reads your letter

Six checks run against every letter you enter. Each is calibrated against PCG's verified school dataset (134 schools, CSAC 2026-27 ceilings, Common Data Set publications). Below is what each check does and how to interpret the severity ratings.

Cost of Attendance Truthfulness

Compares the letter's stated COA against PCG's verified 2025-26 figure for the school. Flags understatements (which are real hidden costs the family will absorb) as high severity.

Aid Composition

Compares the percentage of your offer that is grant aid vs. loans/work-study against the school's CDS-published average for typical admitted students. Below-typical compositions are leverage points for appeals.

Need-Met Reality

Computes demonstrated need from your real Cost of Attendance minus your SAI, then measures how much of that need the letter's gift aid actually covers. Self-help (loans, work-study) does not count toward need being met. Coverage below 90% is a high-severity gap.

Self-Help Disguise

Detects loans or work-study presented with aid-sounding labels ("scholarship," "award," "aid," "grant"). When schools blur this line, families often miscount repayment burden as money received.

Merit Calibration

Compares the merit award you received against PCG's calibrated range for typical awards at that school given your profile. For deeper merit-leverage analysis, this check links to the Merit Aid Strategy Tool.

Cal Grant Sanity

For California residents at California schools, checks whether the letter's Cal Grant amount matches CSAC's 2026-27 family-size-aware eligibility ceilings. Catches missing Cal Grants for eligible families.

Severity model

HIGH — Concrete dollar harm or material misrepresentation. Worth addressing before May 1.

MODERATE — Concerns that warrant attention but aren't urgent. Worth understanding before deciding.

INFORMATIONAL — Context to be aware of. Not actionable on its own.

CHECKS OUT — The letter holds up under analysis on this dimension.

Your award letter, decoded.

Tell us about your family situation

How many letters do you have?

Add an award letter

Gift Aid — money you don't repay

Self-Help — money you repay or earn

Anything you don't recognize? — optional

Your award letters

Your letters, normalized.

How the diagnostic engine reads your letter