Cost of Attendance (COA)

Cost of Attendance (COA), also referred to as a student’s budget at College of Coastal Georgia, is an approximate cost of a student’s total expenses for an academic year that includes the following:

• Tuition and fees
• Books, course materials, supplies, and equipment
• Living expenses (including both housing and food)
• Transportation
• Miscellaneous personal expenses
• Federal student loan fees

The Department of Education requires that College of Coastal Georgia establish a Cost of Attendance that sets a limit on the amount of financial aid that can be received during an academic year. These costs are derived from many factors that include College Board Living Expense Budgets, College of Coastal Georgia bookstore requirements, on-campus housing costs, campus meal plans, etc., and are reviewed each aid year. These numbers are estimates based on the components and the factors listed above. This means that your actual costs/expenses may be different from what is listed on a student’s COAST account or their Financial Aid Offer letter. It also means that the total amount of a student’s aid, which includes but is not limited to, scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study, cannot exceed the student’s total Cost of Attendance.

The COA initially assumes full-time enrollment (12+ credit hours) and is reduced for less than half-time (5 credit hours or less). Terminology also used to explain COA would be Direct Costs and Indirect Costs. Direct Costs are those that will be applied to the students COAST account. Indirect Costs are those that a student incurs, but are not applied to a student’s COAST account.

The COA for students enrolled less than half-time includes only tuition, fees, books, course materials, supplies, equipment and transportation (no miscellaneous and personal expenses). COAs for less than half-time students will be recalculated after second sessions attendance verification.

COA Adjustments

Students with expenses associated with dependent care, studying abroad, accessibility accommodations or the purchase of a computer should contact the Financial Aid Office to potentially have their COA increased and their aid eligibility reevaluated. Please note that adjustments made to a student’s COA due to the purchase of a computer will be a one-time adjustment.

NOTE: Any adjustments made do not guarantee a student’s eligibility for additional federal financial aid.