Cost of Attendance

The estimated cost of attendance (COA) or “student budget” is an approximation of the total costs a typical student may incur during the academic year (fall and spring semesters). The COA is the sum of the projected costs for tuition, fees, room and board (or off-campus housing costs), books and supplies, transportation, loan origination fees, and miscellaneous personal expenses.

Items included in the COA are either direct or indirect costs. Direct costs are assessed by the University, will appear on the student’s semester bill, and include tuition, fees, and room and board. Indirect costs are expenses incurred by the student that are not payable to the University and include transportation, off-campus living expenses, loan origination fees, books and supplies, and miscellaneous personal expenses. For planning purposes, students can expect that the COA budgets presented here are reasonable estimates of direct costs but that there will be some variation, depending upon individual students’ actual course enrollments, choice of residence hall, or meal plan; actual costs for tuition, fees, room, and board are available on the Web site. Students can also expect wider variation in indirect costs, as these are largely dependent on individual lifestyles, circumstances, and spending habits – some students will spend more, while others will spend less.

COA budgets are revised annually and are based upon residency status (e.g., on- versus off-campus housing), academic level (e.g., undergraduate versus graduate student), and registration status (e.g., number of registered credits). Totals provided are for the academic year (fall and spring semesters); costs for one term are obtained by dividing the full-year cost in half. COA budgets for summer enrollment are prepared on an individual basis once a student has submitted a Summer Financial Aid Application.

2020-2021 COST OF ATTENDANCE BUDGETS