What is the Cost of Attendance(COA)?
Cost of Attendance (COA) is the amount it will cost a student to go to school. If a student is attending school at least half-time, the COA is the estimate of tuition and fees, cost of room and board (or living expenses), cost of books, supplies, transportation, loan fees, and miscellaneous expenses (including a reasonable amount for the documented cost of a personal computer), allowance for childcare or other dependent care, and costs related to a disability.
Cost of Attendance - Expected Family Contribution = Financial Need
Need is determined by completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Financial Aid Office will contact you if any additional documentation is required.
If a student pays for tuition with cash or another type of non-federal aid, you would still complete a financial aid appointment payment options and due dates.
What are the requirements to apply for aid?
To receive Federal Student Aid, you must:
- Demonstrate financial need (for most programs);
- Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen;
- Have a valid Social Security number (except for students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau);
- Be registered with Selective Service if you're a male (you must register between the ages of 18 and 25);
- Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program;
- Be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for Direct Loan Program funds;
- Maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or career school;
- Sign the certification statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid(FAFSA®) form stating that
- you are not in default on a federal student loan,
- you do not owe money on a federal student grant, and
- you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes; and
- Show you're qualified to obtain a college or career school education by
- having a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate;
- completing a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law (or—if state law does not require a homeschooled student to obtain a completion credential—completing a high school education in a homeschool setting that qualifies as an exemption from compulsory attendance requirements under state law); or
- Enrolling in an eligible career pathway program and meeting one of the "ability-to-benefit" alternatives described below.
Additional eligibility requirements can apply in certain situations, including for non-U.S. citizens and students with criminal convictions or intellectual disabilities.
How do I know if I am considered Dependent or Independent student?
If you answer "yes" to one or more of the following questions, you are considered an independent student for federal student aid purposes. You will not provide information about your parents on the FAFSA form.
If you answer "no" to all of the following questions, you are considered a dependent student for federal student aid purposes. You must provide information about your parents on the FAFSA form.
- Will you be 24 or older by December 31 of the school year for which you apply for financial aid?
- As of today, are you married? (Also, answer "Yes" if you are separated but not divorced.)
- At the beginning of the school year, will you be working on a master's or doctorate program (such as an M.A., MBA, M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., graduate certificate, etc.)?
- Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training? If you are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee, are you on active duty for other than state or training purposes?
- Are you a veteran of the U.S. armed forces?
- Do you now have—or will you have—children who will receive more than half of their support from you?
- Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and receive more than half of their support from you?
- At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a dependent or ward of the court?
- Has it been determined by a court in your state of legal residence that you are an emancipated minor or that someone other than your parent or stepparent has legal guardianship of you? (You also should answer "Yes" if you are now an adult but were in legal guardianship or were an emancipated minor immediately before you reached the age of being an adult in your state. Answer "No" if the court papers say "custody" rather than "guardianship.")
- Over the last year, were you determined to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless, as determined by (a) your high school or district homeless liaison, (b) the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or (c) the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program?