Displacement Calculator

Some colleges reduce your institutional grants or work-study after you win an outside scholarship — a practice called scholarship displacement. That means the award you earned doesn't fully add to your aid. Example: win a $5,000 scholarship, your school cuts $3,000 from your grant, and you only net $2,000. Not every school does this, and many let you appeal — and this calculator shows your real numbers so you know what to expect before you apply.

Policies vary by school and aid type: need-based aid is reduced more often than merit aid, while public schools and federal aid (Pell, SEOG) are less affected, and loans and work-study are the most common targets. Ask your financial aid office — policies aren't always published.