Can the Summer Cost Of Attendance Include Periods For Modules In Which the Student Is Not Enrolled?

No. The summer cost of attendance (COA) may only include costs associated with modules in which the student is enrolled.

When an academic program is offered in standard terms (semesters, trimesters, or quarters), and the program’s standard academic year meets the Title IV definition of an academic year in 34 CFR 668.3(a), the school is allowed to combine all summer modules (mini-terms or mini-sessions) into a single term/payment period for Title IV purposes. This is true even if the combined summer term is less than the length of regular standard term. For example, if a school’s standard academic year is fall through spring semesters and is at least 30 weeks in length, then the school can combine summer modules to create a summer “semester” for purposes of awarding and disbursing Title IV funds.

When the combined summer term begins before and ends after July 1, it is called a crossover payment period.

For such a combined summer term, a student's COA must reflect only the costs that are associated with the modules in which the student is actually enrolled (including registration and pre-registration). The COA cannot include costs associated with the modules in which the student is not enrolled. This means you may have to prorate costs, such as housing and food, to cover only the modules in which the student is enrolled if the student is not enrolled throughout the summer payment period. For example, the school combines three modules to form the summer term, but the student enrolls in the first and third modules. This student’s summer COA can reflect only the costs associated with the first and third modules. 

There is no regulatory citation for this issue, since ED previously was prohibited from regulating COA. The information is based upon the general concept that a student's COA should be a reasonable estimate of a student's educational expenses for a given period. Including costs for a module (mini-session or mini-term) in a combined term for which a student is not enrolled would be an inaccurate estimate of a student's actual costs for the period. 

You still use the full-year, full-time COA when determining the student’s Federal Pell Grant award. If the program’s academic year includes the summer term, then the costs for the summer term must be included in the cost for a full academic year when determining the award amount. 

See Volume 3, Chapter 2 of the FSA Handbook.

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." See Section 472 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended, [20 USC 1087LL]. 

Student Aid Reference Desk: For additional information, try the Student Aid Reference Desk. It is a central hub of all the important financial aid resources you need with direct links to legislation, regulation, Dear Colleague Letters, and other ED and NASFAA references. It is updated on a rolling basis with the latest news and changes.