coa-gr
The Cost of Attendance (COA) is a budget constructed to approximate the expenses which a student will incur that are directly related to enrollment. Note that tuition rates and COA figures are subject to change at any time. When a student submits a FAFSA, we create a basic COA based on half-time enrollment and estimated tuition charges. If additional funds are needed outside of what is originally awarded, we can increase the tuition and fees portion of the student’s budget to match actual charges. COA components for students enrolled at least half-time include:
- Tuition and Fees
- Living Expenses
- Personal Expenses which includes an allowance for Health Insurance
- Books and Supplies
- Transportation
- Miscellaneous Expenses
The COA for students enrolled less than half-time who are applying for a private alternative loans, does not include living expenses. This is based on current federal regulations.
Students who have dependent child care costs, are paying more than the included Health Insurance allowance, are taking a Study Abroad class, or have unreimbursed Medical Expenses, may appeal the Cost of Attendance by submitting a written letter of explanation. Documentation of additional expenses must be included with the letter along with a new Supplemental Graduate Loan Questionnaire requesting the additional loan amount the student is interested in borrowing. In addition, we will include a one-time only purchase of a new computer of up to $1,500. Students interested in this allowance must purchase the computer and submit a copy of the receipt and letter of appeal along with a new Supplemental Graduate Loan Questionnaire for reimbursement.
An allowance for off-campus housing is included in the standard budget. Tuition and fees are based on the University's academic year rates. Transportation, personal expenses, and books and supplies are estimated figures based on area trends, and in some cases, derived from data provided by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Students who obtain campus based housing will have the same allowances as students living off-campus.
A GW graduate student's Cost of Attendance will be further contingent upon four specific factors:
- The student's program of study
- The GW cost per credit hour for the student's program of study
- The number of credit hours for which the student is registered
- The number of months in the student’s loan period
There is no standard tuition rate for GW graduate students. The amount of tuition you will be billed is dependent upon the campus(es) of enrollment, the number of credits enrolled in each semester, as well as the current tuition rate for the semester in question. Please be aware that most programs increase tuition costs as approved by the Board of Trustees starting with each summer semester. As a result, students may be charged slightly more tuition in the summer than was paid during the fall and spring. However, there are some programs that have a fixed tuition rate and students enrolled in these programs will be charged the same amount each semester regardless of the number of credit hours or the Academic Year in which enrolled. Complete tuition schedules are available online at the Student Accounts Office website.
The following chart delineates examples of Cost of Attendance budgets for full-time enrollment (9 credits per semester) and half-time enrollment (6 academic credits per semester) covering the fall and spring semesters. Tuition in these examples is based on $1,950 per credit hour. Fees are assessed at $3.00 per credit hour.
For planning purposes, you can use the COA worksheet (Excel Spreadsheet) to create an estimated Cost of Attendance based on a specific loan period, tuition rate and campus of attendance.
| FULL-TIME (9 Credits Per Semester) | PART-TIME (6 Credits Per Semester) | ||||
| FALL | SPRING | TOTAL | FALL | SPRING | TOTAL |
Tuition and Fees | $17,550 | $17,550 | $35,100 | $11,700 | $11,700 | $23,400 |
Living Expenses | $11,200 | $14,000 | $25,200 | $11,200 | $14,000 | $25,200 |
Books and Supplies | $900 | $900 | $1,800 | $600 | $600 | $1,200 |
Transportation | $550 | $550 | $1,100 | $550 | $550 | $1,100 |
Personal Expenses | $2,400 | $3,000 | $5,400 | $2,400 | $3,000 | $5,400 |
TOTAL | $32,600 | $36,000 | $68,600 | $26,450 | $29,850 | $56,300 |