FAFSA aid packages: Do College Cost estimates include all expenses or just tuition?

The "College Cost" section shows the school's estimate of your total annual cost of attendance (COA), not necessarily what you'll pay directly to the school in one payment. It typically includes: 1. Direct costs (paid directly to school): Tuition, fees, on-campus housing/meal plans 2. Indirect costs (estimates for planning): Books, supplies, transportation, personal expenses You'll only pay the direct costs to the school, usually broken into semester or quarterly payments. The indirect costs are estimates to help you budget for additional expenses you'll handle separately throughout the year. Does that help clarify things? If you share the specific breakdowns from each school, I could explain exactly what you're looking at.

idk but when i got my finacial aid last year they included all kinds of stuff in the "cost" that i never actually paid to the school. like they said $1200 for books but i spent way less buying used and renting. and they put in some random amount for "living expenses" even tho i live at home. it's weird.

The "College Cost" section in your financial aid offers is showing the total Cost of Attendance (COA), which includes both direct costs (paid to the school) and indirect costs (personal expenses). Here's how it breaks down: 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 (paid to school): • Tuition and fees • Room and board (if living on campus) 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 (not paid to school): • Books and supplies • Transportation • Personal expenses Most schools will bill you by semester (so 2 payments per year), though some offer monthly payment plans for an extra fee. Tip: Look at the "Net Price" after all grants/scholarships are applied to see what you'll actually pay out of pocket through loans or cash.

When I got my financial aid package, I literally had to CALL the school because none of it made any sense!!! The guy explained that all the "personal expenses" and "transportation" stuff is just ESTIMATES of what typical students spend. I was SO MAD because it made the total look way higher than what I actually had to pay the school. They do this so students can borrow enough loan money to cover everything, but it's SO CONFUSING!!

I was confused about this same thing last year! The financial aid office explained that they split it up into fall/spring semester payments (so two payments). But here's the thing - the actual amount due to the school is ONLY the tuition, fees, and room/board if you're living on campus. All that other stuff (books, transportation, personal) is just their estimate of what you might spend on your own throughout the year.

I had the same issue reaching the financial aid office to clarify these questions. After getting disconnected multiple times, I used Claimyr.com to get through to an actual human at the Federal Student Aid office. They have this service where they wait on hold for you and call when an agent is ready. Saved me hours of frustration! There's a video that explains how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent explained exactly what others are saying - only tuition, fees, and room/board are billed directly by the school. Everything else is just estimates to help with budgeting.

ALSO!!!! Make sure you check if your financial aid package covers the WHOLE YEAR or just one semester!!! My friend thought she was getting twice as much aid as she actually was because she didn't realize the numbers were for the full year not per semester. Then when second semester came she had no money left and had to take out last-minute loans!!!

One more important thing to consider when comparing these schools: look at the types of aid they're offering, not just the total amounts. • Grants and scholarships = free money (never repaid) • Work-study = earned by working part-time on campus • Federal loans = must be repaid, but have better terms • Private loans = typically higher interest rates Some schools look more affordable initially but offer mostly loans, while others might have a higher "net cost" but provide more grants/scholarships. This makes a huge difference in what you'll actually pay over time.

btw another thing i learned the hard way - they usually estimate like $1000-1500 for books but i spent way less using chegg, amazon rentals, pdf versions online etc. same with the "personal expenses" - totally depends on your own spending habits