What Is Cost of Attendance?
So you’re concerned about paying your tuition…who isn’t? By now, the “T” word has come to mind or peaked its head in conversations with your parents with the question, “How will it get paid?” Then you see the term “cost of attendance” somewhere and might think it’s another word for tuition, right? Well, not exactly…
Your cost of attendance is an estimated amount of money needed to attend a school for a given year. The school determines what your cost of attendance will be, but it usually consists of, but not limited to, the following:
- Tuition
- Institutional fees
- Room and board
- Books
- Transportation
- Personal expenses
Note that this amount is also the limit of financial aid (loans, grants, scholarships, etc.) that you can receive that year. Consider each piece of your total cost of attendance instead of tuition only during your research. Using a spreadsheet to compare schools side by side can help you compare the affordability of each school!