# Scholarship Gap Calculator

> Compare a year’s cost of attendance with scholarships, grants, family help, savings and work to find the funding gap and what it means per month.

Category: Education · Applies to: Worldwide · Last updated: 2026-10-29
Interactive calculator: https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/scholarship-gap-calculator

The funding gap is the cost of attendance minus every resource you can count on. Knowing it early tells you how much more aid, work or borrowing you need.

Also called: Funding gap calculator, Unmet need calculator.

## Inputs
- Tuition and fees (default 18000; optional)
- Housing and food (default 9000; optional)
- Books and supplies (default 1200; optional)
- Travel and other costs (default 1800; optional)
- Scholarships and grants (default 12000; optional)
- Family contribution (default 6000; optional)
- Your savings (default 3000; optional)
- Work earnings during the year (default 2500; optional)
- Months in the academic year (default 9)
- Currency

## Results
- Funding gap for the year
- Cost of attendance
- Resources counted
- Share of cost covered
- Gap per month
- Surplus if fully funded

## Formula

```
Gap = max(0, Cost − Resources);  Coverage = Resources ÷ Cost × 100;  Gap per month = Gap ÷ Months
```

Where:
- Cost: tuition + housing + books + other costs for the year
- Resources: scholarships + family contribution + savings + work earnings

## Worked example
1. Cost = 18,000 + 9,000 + 1,200 + 1,800 = 30,000.
2. Resources = 12,000 + 6,000 + 3,000 + 2,500 = 23,500.
3. Gap = 30,000 − 23,500 = 6,500, which is 722.22 a month over 9 months; 78.33% is covered.

**Result:** This student is 6,500 short for the year (about 722 a month), with 78% of the cost covered.

## What the result means

Close a gap with more grants or scholarships first, then work or savings, and borrowing last. Recheck it each year, because costs rise and some awards are one-off.

## Assumptions and limits
- All amounts are for one academic year and are certain to be received.
- Loans are deliberately not counted as a resource; add them only if you want to see the remaining gap after borrowing.

## Questions

### Where do I find the cost of attendance?

Most universities publish an estimated cost of attendance (tuition, fees, housing, food, books and personal costs) on their financial-aid page.

### Is the gap the same as unmet need?

Close. Official unmet need is calculated by the aid office using its own expected family contribution; this calculator uses the amounts you enter.

## Related calculators
- [College Tuition Inflation Calculator](https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/college-tuition-inflation-calculator)
- [Student Monthly Budget Calculator](https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/student-monthly-budget-calculator)
- [Savings Goal Calculator](https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/savings-goal-calculator)

_This calculator gives estimates for planning. It is not financial advice, and lenders’ actual terms, fees and rounding may differ._

Source: GM¹X CalcVerse — https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/scholarship-gap-calculator