Why are 20% of colleges still hiding their 2024-2025 cost of attendance? FAFSA delays involved?

You're right, and it's definitely connected to the FAFSA delays. Many schools can't finalize their cost of attendance because they're still waiting on federal aid calculations to come through. The delayed FAFSA rollout pushed everything back in the financial aid timeline. Schools usually need to know their exact financial aid budget before setting final COA numbers. \n\nMy recommendation: call the financial aid offices directly. They often have preliminary numbers they can share over the phone even if they haven't published them officially. When my son was deciding between schools last month, I found that 3 out of 4 were willing to give us unofficial estimates when I explained our situation.

Thanks, I'll try calling tomorrow. But it's been nearly impossible to get through to financial aid offices lately - I've been on hold for hours with no luck. Do you think these preliminary numbers will be close to the actual costs?

same thing happened to us!! its super annoying, my daughter got into fordham and they wont tell us the final cost, just gave us an 'estimated package' with last years tuition numbers... like how am i supposed to make a decision with old info???? the deadline is in 2 weeks!!!

Ugh I feel this. We're in the same boat with my son's top choice. They sent a fancy acceptance package but conveniently left out the actual price tag for next year. Real helpful guys, thanks 🙄

I work in higher ed administration (not financial aid specifically), but I can tell you this is actually a strategic decision at many institutions. Schools don't want to be the first to announce significant tuition increases, so they wait for peer institutions to post first. It's a game of chicken. \n\nThe FAFSA delays have given them a convenient excuse, but in reality, most colleges have their tuition rates approved by their boards months in advance. They just don't want to announce 5-7% increases while students are still deciding. I'd call and specifically ask for the tuition rate approved by their board of trustees - that number definitely exists.

That's... extremely frustrating if true. So they're essentially hiding prices until after deposit deadlines? Isn't that borderline unethical? I can't imagine any other industry where you'd commit to paying for something without knowing the price.

As a financial aid counselor, I can clarify this situation. It's a mix of factors:\n\n1. The FAFSA delays absolutely impacted the entire aid cycle. Many schools are still processing 2024-2025 aid packages that would normally be done in February.\n\n2. Some institutions are waiting on their state legislatures to finalize state grant programs, which affects their overall aid budgets.\n\n3. Schools want their Cost of Attendance (COA) to align with their final aid packages, and rushing those numbers can lead to incorrect estimates.\n\nI would recommend contacting the financial aid offices directly, but also request an extension on your deposit deadline. Many schools are granting extensions this year specifically because of the FAFSA delays. This is an unusual year, and most colleges understand the difficulty for families.

Thank you for this insight. I'll definitely ask about deadline extensions - that hadn't occurred to me. I've tried calling financial aid at both schools multiple times but can't get through. Is there a specific approach that works better for reaching financial aid officers during this busy season?

I had the EXACT same problem last week trying to reach financial aid at my son's school!! After trying for days with no luck, I used a service called Claimyr to get through to them. It basically holds your place in line and calls you when a real human picks up. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. Ended up saving me hours of hold time and I finally got the preliminary cost info we needed. Good luck!

does that actually work? sounds too good to be true tbh

It worked for me! Not just for the school but also when I needed to call Federal Student Aid to fix an issue with our FAFSA. Apparently lots of people are using it this year with all the FAFSA chaos.

OK so here's what's REALLY happening (according to my sister who works in university administration). The schools ALREADY KNOW what they're charging for 2024-25. They 100% have those numbers finalized internally. But they're hiding behind the FAFSA delays as an excuse not to publish them because they know students are deciding between multiple schools right now and they don't want cost to be the deciding factor.\n\nTHIS IS DELIBERATE!!! They want you to commit based on prestige/emotions and THEN hit you with the real bill after you've paid your non-refundable deposit. It's absolutely predatory and should be illegal. My niece lost her deposit at one school last year when the final costs came in $7K higher than their \

This is what I was afraid of... Have others experienced this too? Getting significantly higher costs after committing? This makes me really nervous about making any decisions without final numbers.

This may happen at some institutions, but it's not standard practice. Most reputable colleges don't engage in this kind of bait-and-switch. While final costs might differ slightly from estimates, a $7K difference would be highly unusual unless there was a major change in financial circumstances or aid eligibility.

Something that might help - ask specifically for their

That's a great tip! I'll specifically ask for direct costs when I call. At least that would give us something concrete to compare between schools.

my daughters school finally sent us the REAL costs yesterday after we bugged them for weeks!!! it was 4.8% higher than last year's tuition.... so yeah theyre definitely hiding the increases until the last minute 😡

That tracks with what we're seeing too. Just got official numbers from one school - 5.2% increase, which they conveniently left out of all their

One more thing to consider - while a school's published COA might not be finalized, their financial aid award letters should provide you with the actual costs they're using to calculate your aid package. Look at the award letters you've received - they should break down their cost calculations. If they're being ambiguous there too, that's a red flag about transparency.

That's the problem - the award letters from these two schools just say

Since you mentioned the May 1st decision deadline, I should note that hundreds of colleges have extended their decision deadlines this year specifically because of the FAFSA delays. The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) has a list of schools with extended deadlines. Don't feel pressured to commit without complete information - reach out and ask for more time.

Thank you for this information! I'll check the NACAC list and reach out to both schools about possible extensions. This whole process has been so much more stressful than when my older son applied 4 years ago.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue! My son was accepted to 4 schools and 2 of them are being completely vague about 2024-25 costs. What's really frustrating is that one school told me over the phone that they "expect" tuition to increase but couldn't give me even a ballpark figure. Meanwhile, I'm trying to compare actual financial aid packages and make an informed decision. The FAFSA delays have definitely made everything more complicated, but I agree with others here that some schools seem to be using it as an excuse to delay announcing what are probably significant tuition hikes. I've started keeping a spreadsheet of which schools are being transparent vs. which ones are being evasive - it's actually becoming a factor in our decision-making process. Transparency matters, especially when we're talking about potentially taking on debt for the next 4 years. Has anyone had luck getting actual numbers by going through admissions counselors instead of financial aid offices? Sometimes they have more flexibility to share preliminary info.