Can We Include In the Cost of Attendance an Average Cost For Extra Fees Incurred For Certain Programs?

Scenario: Students in a certain academic program have extra fees--fees that are not included in our standard cost of attendance (COA).

Answer: Yes, including extra fees is permissible. You may want to consider having a program-specific COA that includes the actual or average extra fees. For example, a nursing or physician's assistant student may have higher costs associate with not only fees, but books, course materials, supplies, and equipment; laboratory costs; etc., whereas a English major will not be subject to the same educational costs. However, you may want to look at how an average may affect your ability to exercise professional judgment (PJ) if a COA adjustment is needed to assist a student who has maxed out on his budget.

Note: Effective with the 2023-24 award year, the COA component for “books and supplies” has been renamed “books, course materials, supplies, and equipment.”