Cost of Attendance (COA) is the total estimated cost of one academic year at SF. It includes direct costs the college bills and indirect costs a student takes on while enrolled. COA is the federally defined ceiling on total financial aid: a student cannot receive more total aid than their COA. It is also one of two inputs to a student's financial need (financial need equals COA minus SAI), which determines eligibility for need-based aid.
What COA Includes
Direct costs (billed by SF)
Indirect costs (incurred while enrolled but not billed by SF)
- Course materials and supplies (books, online course materials)
- Housing (on-campus or off-campus living expenses)
- Food
- Transportation
- Personal expenses
- Loan fees (federal origination fees on any loans borrowed)
- Dependent care (for students with dependents)
Federal rules require COA to reflect realistic estimates for a full academic year. Actual costs vary by student.
How COA Varies
COA varies by:
- Enrollment level
- Living situation (with parents, off campus independently, or on campus)
- Residency for tuition purposes (Florida resident or non-resident)
- Program, since some carry specific direct-cost components
Requesting a COA Adjustment
A student with unique expenses not reflected in the standard COA can request an adjustment through the special circumstances process. Examples include:
- Higher dependent care costs
- Documented medical expenses
- Program-specific travel
- Disability-related costs
A COA increase may open up additional loan eligibility if the student has not already reached their loan limit.
COA adjustments fall under professional judgment and are requested as a Special Circumstances review, one of the Special Situations. To start one, a student contacts the Financial Aid Office.
COA and Outside Scholarships
Outside scholarships (those from sources other than SF or federal or state programs) count toward COA. If outside scholarships plus existing aid exceed COA, other aid is reduced to bring the total within COA. Loans are typically reduced first, then need-based grants. The same logic applies whenever a new aid source pushes total aid over the cap, including a parent borrowing Parent PLUS on top of student aid that already fills COA.
Current COA Figures
SF Financial Aid publishes COA tables each year by enrollment level, residency, and living situation. See SF's Financial Aid Cost of Attendance page on sfcollege.edu [WEB LINK: SF Cost of Attendance page] for current figures.