The lowest tuition is not always the lowest-cost education offer. Mandatory fees, housing, travel, insurance, deposits, equipment, currency and the timing of scholarship or family money can change both the total and the amount that must be borrowed. An offer letter shows one number; the real decision depends on a dozen.

Education Offer & Funding Gap Lab compares each offer on the same timeline. Enter every cost in its native currency and due term. Apply scholarships only to eligible components and keep renewal conditions visible. Allocate savings, family contributions, work income and loans through a transparent funding waterfall so that the same money cannot fill two gaps.

The term cash plan exposes timing. A refundable deposit is still cash required before it is returned. A scholarship paid after tuition can leave a temporary shortfall. Currency and renewal-failure scenarios show how an apparently affordable offer changes without presenting a forecast.

Compare total net cost, peak gap, required borrowing, conditional funding share and an entered loan schedule. The program does not assess admission, award eligibility, visa rules or suitability of a loan. It gives a consistent financial comparison from the information entered.

Worked example from the fictional demo. Tuition is 10,000 and the scholarship is 20 % of tuition only, so the aid is 2,000 — the 5,000 for student housing is not reduced. A refundable housing deposit of 1,000 is due on 15 May, before the family money arrives with the first term on 1 September. Over the year the funds cover the costs, yet the cash plan shows a temporary gap of 1,000 from 15 May: the money has to arrive earlier or a bridge is needed. The year-2 scholarship depends on a renewal, so the baseline leaves it out and the “all conditions met” view adds it. A second offer is priced in EUR: each EUR cost is converted with the rate you entered, 1.1, and a +10 % stress view changes the EUR amounts only. If a rate is not known for a future date, that offer keeps its native-currency total and its converted comparison is marked incomplete instead of being shown as zero.

What it does not do: it does not apply to schools, judge admission chances, decide whether you qualify for an award, interpret visa or immigration rules, recommend a lender or a loan, or contact anyone. No country's tuition, aid or student-loan rules are built in. There is no winner badge and no hidden score — a weighted figure appears only if you enter your own weights.

Try the full demo first: three fictional scenarios (three international offers; lower tuition with an earlier deposit; scholarship renewal with a currency drop) with every screen, “How calculated” and sample reports open. One-time purchase: the full online tool for this product plus the downloadable offline program package. PRO: full online access while your subscription is active, without the new offline package. Both let you keep the reports and backups you create.