The 4 Numbers Every Family Must Find in Their Financial Aid Award Letter

That financial aid award letter sitting on your kitchen table? It's not telling you the whole story. Before you say yes to any college offer — and before May 1st rolls around — there are four specific numbers every family needs to pull out of that letter. Not the big headline total. Not the "estimated family contribution." The four numbers that actually determine what you'll owe, what you'll borrow, and what nobody bothered to explain. We'll show you exactly where to find them, what they mean, and what to do once you see them clearly.