Cost of Attendance

Cost of Attendance (COA)

The Cost of Attendance, or budget, is the total estimated costs that a student can expect to
spend on educational expenses during an academic year. The Office of Financial Aid uses
direct and indirect costs (defined below) to develop annual COAs, which are used to determine
the maximum Federal, State, Institutional, and private resources students can receive to cover
their expenses.

Direct Costs

Direct costs are charges that will appear on a student’s billing statement (from the Office of
Student Accounting): tuition, mandatory fees, housing (if living on-campus), and meal plans.

Indirect Costs

Indirect costs are not on the billing statement, but students should budget for the year: books and 
supplies, off-campus housing and food, transportation, and personal/miscellaneous expenses.
COAs vary among students, based on factors such as:
~ Enrollment status, e.g., fulltime, halftime, less-than-halftime
~ Housing status – on-campus, living with parent, or off-campus
~ Residency (for tuition assessment) – NJ or Non-NJ

Students can appeal standard COAs for reasonable and documentable education-related
expenses such as: dependent care, disability, course-related computer purchase, co-operative
education, and study abroad programs. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for more information.