Does a School Have To Publish Its Cost Of Attendance (COA)?

Yes, it is a Title IV requirement. Please see the excerpt from 34 CFR 668.43(a)(1):

"(a) Institutional information that the institution must make readily available to enrolled and prospective students under this subpart includes, but is not limited to—

(1) The cost of attending the institution, including—
(i) Tuition and fees charged to full-time and part-time students;
(ii) Estimates of costs for necessary books and supplies;
(iii) Estimates of typical charges for room and board;
(iv) Estimates of transportation costs for students; and
(v) Any additional cost of a program in which the student is enrolled or expresses a specific interest;"

In the November 4, 2022 Dear Colleague Letter, GEN-22-15, the U.S. Department of Education provided the following guidance in COA-Q8:

"Under the [FAFSA Simplification] Act, institutions must make publicly available on their website a list of all the elements of COA and disclose such elements on any portion of their website describing tuition and fees. Can the Department give further guidance on where and how institutions can meet this requirement?

As noted, institutions must make publicly available on their website a list of their COA elements and on any webpage discussing tuition and fees. Under the HEA, institutions otherwise have flexibility in determining specifically how and where to best provide the information. Institutions should be able to demonstrate to the Department a reasonable approach to providing the required information in all the appropriate places."

Note: Effective with the 2023-24 award year, the COA component for "room and board" has been renamed "living expenses." "Room" has been renamed "housing" and "board" has been renamed "food." Additionally, also effective with the 2023-24 award year, the COA component for "books and supplies" has been renamed "books, course materials, supplies, and equipment;" and the COA components for "living expenses," for "books, course materials, supplies and equipment," for "transportation," and for "miscellaneous" are now separate cost components. See the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended [20 USC 1087LL].

Please also see Volume 2, Chapter 6 of the FSA Handbook.