What is the Cost of Attendance?
Cost of Attendance (COA) is the price of a student to go to school; it is not the amount a student actually pays. There are many factors that go into calculating a school’s Cost of Attendance; including enrollment, residency, and living situation. This budget reflects typical expense patterns; so, while some students may spend more than standard amounts, others may spend less, depending on individual lifestyles and circumstances.
COA Includes Estimates of:
- An amount normally assessed by a student carrying the same academic workload, as determined by the institution.
- An allowance for books, course materials, and equipment, which must include all such costs required of all students in the same course of study, including a reasonable allowance for the rental or upfront purchase of a personal computer, as determined by the institution.
- An allowance, as determined by the institution, which may include transportation between campus, residences, and place of work.
- An allowance, as determined by the institution, for a student attending the institution on at least a half-time basis.
- An allowance for food and housing costs, as determined by the institution, to be incurred by the student attending the institution on at least a half-time basis, including:
- A standard food allowance that provides the equivalent of three meals each day, regardless of whether a student chooses institutionally owned or operated food services (i.e., board or meal plans).
- Institutions must provide an allowance for purchasing food off campus for a student that does not elect institutionally owned or operated food services.
- Housing allowances for students residing in institutionally owned or operated housing with or without dependents must be based on the average or median amount assessed to such residents for housing charges, whichever is greater.
- Housing allowances for students living off campus must include rent or other housing costs.
- For dependent students living at home with parents, institutions must include a reasonable standard allowance for living expenses that is not zero.
- For students living in housing on a military base or for which they receive a basic allowance under section 403(b) of title 37, United States Code, institutions must include a reasonable allowance for food on-campus or off-campus but cannot include housing costs.
- For all other students, institutions must include a reasonable allowance based on expenses incurred by such students.
- An allowance for reasonable costs, as determined by the institution, for a student in a study abroad program approved for credit by the home institution.
- An allowance for reasonable costs, as determined by the institution, associated with such employment for a student engaged in a work experience under a cooperative education program.
- An allowance based on the estimated actual expenses incurred for dependent care, based on the number and age of such dependents.
- Such allowance must not exceed the reasonable cost in the community in which such student resides for the kind of care provided; and
- The period for which dependent care is required includes, but is not limited to, class-time, study-time, field work, internships, and commuting time.
- An allowance, as determined by the institution, for expenses associated with a student’s disability, including special services, personal assistance, transportation, equipment, and supplies that are reasonably incurred and not provided for by other agencies.
- An allowance for the cost of any Federal student loan fee, origination fee, or insurance premium charged to the student or the parent of the student. The allowance:
- May be actual or average costs, as appropriate; and
- May not include the cost associated with non-Federal loans.
How much will it cost?
The annual college budget is based on 9 months of instruction, represented by a 16-week Fall term and a 16-week Spring term. Single term budgets are based on 4½ months of school, represented by a 16-week Fall or Spring term. Students in modular courses (courses whose start and end dates do not span the whole 16-week term) will have their budgets prorated. This is also true for Summer budgets, as they are based on the actual weeks of school a student’s schedule has.
Use the Maricopa Net Price Calculator to estimate your Cost of Attendance (COA) for a year of college! It will take any estimated grant and scholarship aid you may be eligible for into consideration. Note: Cost of Attendance varies slightly for each student, modular courses are not considered and Senior Citizen Tuition Rates are not reflected in this calculator.
The Financial Aid Office uses this budget to assess Financial Need for students, and process awards based on regulatory guidelines. Financial Need determines how much aid a student can receive by comparing their Cost of Attendance with their FAFSA Eligibility. Such eligibility is based on standard budget allowances, not on individual preferences and spending habits; and a student cannot receive aid that exceeds a student’s Cost of Attendance. A student also cannot receive aid if they are not enrolled nor participating in an eligible degree or certificate program.