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Lost in Translation: Why Financial Aid Offers Need Clarity Now More Than Ever
December 2, 2025
By Naomie L’amour
When I received my acceptance letter from Pace University, I felt an overwhelming sense of hope. The letter stated that I had been awarded a $100,000 scholarship. To me, as a first-generation college student with little understanding of how financial aid worked, that amount sounded like a full ride. I believed I was financially secure and ready to begin my college journey without hesitation or fear.
A few weeks before freshman year began, that sense of security disappeared. I received a bill showing that I still owed nearly $20,000 out of pocket. I was blindsided. No one had explained that the scholarship was spread across four years rather than awarded all at once, or that it would not cover the full cost of attendance. Even more alarming, I learned about Parent PLUS loans for the very first time when my mother had to apply for one at the last minute so I could remain enrolled. What had been presented as an opportunity quickly turned into panic.
I spent two years at Pace under constant financial stress. While I accepted responsibility for pursuing my education, the lack of clear, upfront information left my family and me unprepared for the true cost. There was no simple breakdown of what was owed, what was covered, and what remained. Planning ahead felt impossible when the numbers kept shifting, and the language remained unclear. My transfer to John Jay College was intentional and rooted in both affordability and transparency. At John Jay, I pay nothing out of pocket and receive a refund. For the first time, I could clearly see my tuition, my grants, and my actual cost. That contrast showed me just how powerful, honest, and accessible financial communication can be. It determines whether students move forward with confidence or with fear.
My experience is not an exception. It reflects a nationwide failure in how financial aid is presented. A 2022 U.S. Government Accountability Office report found that 91 percent of colleges either omit or understate the net price, the amount students are actually expected to pay after grants and scholarships. uAspire’s report, Caution: Prices May Vary, found 11 different methods used to calculate student costs across roughly 200 financial aid offers. Some schools subtract grants from the full cost of attendance. Others subtract both grants and loans from only tuition and fees. These inconsistencies make it nearly impossible for students to accurately compare offers or budget for college.
When aid offers lack transparency, the consequences are serious. Students take on loans they do not fully understand, choose schools they cannot truly afford, or leave college altogether because of unexpected costs. First-generation students, low-income students, and students of color are disproportionately affected because they are less likely to have access to guidance that helps navigate this process.
Financial aid should be an empowering tool. Instead, it is often presented as a confusing mix of technical language, vague labels, and missing context. There is currently no federal requirement for a standardized aid format. Some schools clearly separate grants from loans, while others group everything under the misleading label of “financial aid.” Some include the full cost of attendance, while others leave it out entirely.
This inconsistency undermines the purpose of financial aid and reinforces inequality in access to higher education. The GAO has recommended that Congress require a standardized aid format that clearly itemizes costs, distinguishes between types of aid, and provides an accurate net price.
I know how urgent this reform is because I lived without it. If I had understood the true cost of my education from the beginning, I could have made more informed choices, protected my family from financial strain, and avoided unnecessary debt. No student should arrive at college only to discover that their education was never financially secure to begin with.
That is why the reintroduction of the Understanding the True Cost of College Act by Senators Smith and Grassley and Representatives Krishnamoorthi and Young matters so deeply. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would require standardized, consumer-tested aid offers that use clear language and consistent terminology so students finally know what they are agreeing to before they commit. Financial aid should not be a mystery. It should be a roadmap to opportunity.
A few weeks before freshman year began, that sense of security disappeared. I received a bill showing that I still owed nearly $20,000 out of pocket. I was blindsided. No one had explained that the scholarship was spread across four years rather than awarded all at once, or that it would not cover the full cost of attendance. Even more alarming, I learned about Parent PLUS loans for the very first time when my mother had to apply for one at the last minute so I could remain enrolled. What had been presented as an opportunity quickly turned into panic.
I spent two years at Pace under constant financial stress. While I accepted responsibility for pursuing my education, the lack of clear, upfront information left my family and me unprepared for the true cost. There was no simple breakdown of what was owed, what was covered, and what remained. Planning ahead felt impossible when the numbers kept shifting, and the language remained unclear. My transfer to John Jay College was intentional and rooted in both affordability and transparency. At John Jay, I pay nothing out of pocket and receive a refund. For the first time, I could clearly see my tuition, my grants, and my actual cost. That contrast showed me just how powerful, honest, and accessible financial communication can be. It determines whether students move forward with confidence or with fear.
My experience is not an exception. It reflects a nationwide failure in how financial aid is presented. A 2022 U.S. Government Accountability Office report found that 91 percent of colleges either omit or understate the net price, the amount students are actually expected to pay after grants and scholarships. uAspire’s report, Caution: Prices May Vary, found 11 different methods used to calculate student costs across roughly 200 financial aid offers. Some schools subtract grants from the full cost of attendance. Others subtract both grants and loans from only tuition and fees. These inconsistencies make it nearly impossible for students to accurately compare offers or budget for college.
When aid offers lack transparency, the consequences are serious. Students take on loans they do not fully understand, choose schools they cannot truly afford, or leave college altogether because of unexpected costs. First-generation students, low-income students, and students of color are disproportionately affected because they are less likely to have access to guidance that helps navigate this process.
Financial aid should be an empowering tool. Instead, it is often presented as a confusing mix of technical language, vague labels, and missing context. There is currently no federal requirement for a standardized aid format. Some schools clearly separate grants from loans, while others group everything under the misleading label of “financial aid.” Some include the full cost of attendance, while others leave it out entirely.
This inconsistency undermines the purpose of financial aid and reinforces inequality in access to higher education. The GAO has recommended that Congress require a standardized aid format that clearly itemizes costs, distinguishes between types of aid, and provides an accurate net price.
I know how urgent this reform is because I lived without it. If I had understood the true cost of my education from the beginning, I could have made more informed choices, protected my family from financial strain, and avoided unnecessary debt. No student should arrive at college only to discover that their education was never financially secure to begin with.
That is why the reintroduction of the Understanding the True Cost of College Act by Senators Smith and Grassley and Representatives Krishnamoorthi and Young matters so deeply. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would require standardized, consumer-tested aid offers that use clear language and consistent terminology so students finally know what they are agreeing to before they commit. Financial aid should not be a mystery. It should be a roadmap to opportunity.
Naomie L’amour is a senior at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a legal intern at the New York City Law Department, and a former uAspire Policy Fellow.