A student’s Cost of Attendance goes beyond the standard tuition costs. It includes a number of factors related to attending college including living expenses, books, transportation, and other miscellaneous costs. Understanding what the Cost of Attendance entails, and how it’s calculated, can help you better understand what sort of aid you can receive and plan accordingly. What follows is a breakdown of some of the concepts that are considered when calculating your Cost of Attendance.

Tuition

Tuition and fees are based on full-time enrollment, defined as 12-18 credit hours per term for undergraduate students. Those electing fewer than 12 credit hours are charged on a per-credit-hour basis. Those electing more than 18 hours must pay for additional credits. For financial aid eligibility, full-time for graduate students is defined as eight credit hours per term. (However, for tuition rate purposes, full-time for graduate students is defined as nine credit hours per term.) The undergraduate and graduate rates for the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts are shown on the Cost of Attendance breakdown; tuition and fees may be higher or lower, depending on a student's program of study. Current full- and part-time tuition and fees for all U-M schools and colleges are available from the Office of the Registrar.

Housing and Food

The Office of Financial Aid uses the Michigan Housing rate for a standard double-occupancy rate in a residence hall to base calculations for housing costs. This calculation applies for students living both on- and off-campus. There are also considerations given for commuting when applicable.

Books, Course Materials, Supplies, and Equipment

Calculations for book costs will depend on the school, college, and program in which you are enrolled. You can contact the Office of Financial Aid to get specific figures for what your respective program book costs will be.

Transportation and Miscellaneous Personal Expenses

This category includes student expenses such as transportation, meals not covered under the standard meal contract, cell phone bills, clothes, personal hygiene, student insurance, and entertainment. It is quite variable and will be updated on the OFA website as it changes.