Costs

Know the Costs

Your college education is a big investment and it's important to invest wisely. Learn more about the Cost of Attendance (COA) and how this federally required breakdown of estimated annual costs is used. 

Want an even more detailed cost estimate? Use our Net Price Calculator to fill in details about your financial situation and receive an estimate of your college costs. 

*Please note that the calculator does not represent a final determination or actual award of financial assistance or a final net price. It is an estimate based on price of attendance and financial aid provided to students in a previous year.

Want to build a semester estimate of your bill based on your room and meal plan choices? Use our Build Your Estimate calculator to help plan for one semester of full-time enrollment. 

*Please note the calculator does not represent your actual billing statement and is only a tool to help you plan for the expenses. 

Cost of Attendance (COA)

When it comes to budgeting and paying for college, things can get confusing quickly. Students and parents are faced with unfamiliar terms, tons of acronyms and dozens of forms. A straightforward question—how much do I need to pay to go to this college—turns out to have answers that are anything but simple.

What is it?

The COA is the total approximate cost associated with attending college for one academic year, which includes items that the student doesn’t pay to the school but may still have. It is NOT the actual price you will pay. Federal law requires both direct (paid to the college) and indirect (paid elsewhere) expenses to be included and is ONLY used with financial aid processing. This allows students to use financial aid to help cover expenses beyond what is billed by the school. For example, room and food are included in the COA whether you live on or off campus. 

• What’s the difference between direct and indirect costs?: 
  • Direct costs are expenses you pay directly to the school, like tuition and housing. Indirect costs include things like textbooks, transportation and personal expenses. When students live off campus, room and food become indirect costs. 
• How does the COA impact financial aid?
  • While the COA can help you estimate potential expenses you'll see on your bill when you use the direct costs, it also functions as a cap on the total amount of financial aid a student may receive from all sources. If you are a student who has successfully earned many scholarships from private organizations, we recommend meeting with our office prior to beginning enrollment so that you are aware of any changes such scholarships may have on the rest of your financial aid. 
• Where can I find the COA?
  • The COA is included on your financial aid offer letter and are listed below. Please see Your Financial Aid Offer Letter Explained for more information on using the COA to help estimate your annual costs payable to UWRF after financial aid. 

How is it different than my bill?

Federal law requires all schools to calculate an estimated average COA for one academic year, so it is NOT the actual price of what you will pay, it is an estimate only of what attending school might cost. This means the COA is different from your estimated bill in several important ways. By law, it must include:

• an estimate for the average cost for a residence hall room;
• an estimate for food and meals which covers the cost for 21 meals per week for the academic period;
• allowances for personal, transportation, and necessary educational supplies that are not billed by the school; and
• allowances for housing and food expenses for students living with parents, even if parents pay for all housing and food costs.

How do I estimate my bill?

Before you receive your billing statement each semester, you can view a breakdown of the estimated annual tuition and fees for Wisconsin, Minnesota and other non-resident undergraduates, or you can use the “Build My Estimate” calculator. 

What is included and where do the amounts come from? 

• Tuition is based on your residency as determined by the Registrar’s Office.
  • Minnesota costs are based on the assumption that the student has applied and been approved for Minnesota Tuition Reciprocity. 
  • CAFES degree students pay an additional program fee of $267.76 per semester.
  • Required fees are based on the segregated fees.
  • Textbook rental fee is itemized on your COA but is part of tuition on your billing statement.
• Room and food are based on the average housing costs for a residence hall room and the 21 weekly meal plan. As many upperclassmen and commuters live off campus, these are reflected as indirect costs and will not be included on your actual billing statement. Please review your housing and meal plan contracts to confirm you are signed up.
• New students (first time incoming and transfer) have a New Student Fee of approximately $230.00 for the first semester only. 
• Academic, personal, transportation and out-of-state travel are simply projections based on common expense items (ex. clothing, toiletries, basic cell phone plan, laundry, cleaning, entertainment, gas, vehicle maintenance, parking, notebooks, calculators, lab equipment and residence hall furnishings). Actual expenses for these items will vary from student to student and should be used merely as guidelines to budget your expenses. 
• Federal Direct Loan Fee is a projection of the origination fee that is withheld from an accepted/borrowed federal student loan before it is disbursed to the student billing account. This means the loan amount you accept will be reduced by the loan fee before it is paid to your bill. Current Federal Loan Rates and Fees can be found at StudentAid.Gov. If you do not accept a federal student loan offer or have not applied for FAFSA, this will not apply. 

Can other expenses be included in the COA?

In addition to the items listed above, the cost of purchasing a computer for use while enrolled at UW-River Falls may be added to a student's Federal Cost of Attendance one time during a student's academic career, with adequate documentation of the computer expense. Please speak with the financial aid office if you have questions.

Are there costs that aren’t included? 

Yes. Since the COA is regulated by federal law, it’s possible a student will have charges on their billing statement that aren’t reflected in their cost of attendance. Such items include, but are not limited to, online course fees and special course fees and athletic participation fees (please check with your coach for more information). 

Key Takeaways

• COA is the average annual cost to attend college.
• COA includes tuition and fees, room and board, books, supplies and other expenses.
• COA is used for financial aid ONLY when processing FAFSA. 
• Very few students pay the full cost of attendance. 
• Your actual tuition bill may vary from your COA based on your housing, food and other charges.