Cost of Attendance
Purpose
The US Department of Education directs the University to determine costs associated with attending The American University in Cairo (AUC) in order to determine the amount of financial aid for which a student may be eligible.
A student’s cost of attendance (COA) is established for use in determining a student’s eligibility for all federal student aid (FSA) program funds, including Federal Direct Subsidized Loan, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, and the Federal Direct PLUS Loan.
The cost of attendance for a student estimates a student’s educational expenses for a period of academic enrollment. It is an estimate of the student’s educational expenses for the academic year.
The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), defines the COA components for all FSA programs. These components include direct and indirect expenses.
The University COA consists of the following components:
- Tuition and fees
- Books and supplies
- Room and board
- Transportation
- Other costs
The University reviews, and if necessary, updates each component annually.
Applies to:
- AUC students
Policy Statement
The US Department of Education allows certain educational expenses to be used when determining a school’s COA. A school has the discretion to determine which costs will be used to determine the COA. At AUC, the following educational expenses are considered when determining the COA:
- Tuition and fees: These costs are determined for both undergraduate and graduate/professional students. Undergraduate students are budgeted for 12 credit hours each fall and spring semester. Graduate students are budgeted for nine credit hours each fall and spring semester. There are International and Egyptian budgets for each group.
- Books: This component is determined using an average cost for books for an academic year based on data from a random sample of students at each level.
- Room and Board: These costs are determined for both undergraduate and graduate/professional students. This cost is based on a standard double room at AUC on-campus housing estimate.
- Transportation: This category covers the costs of round-trip airfare to and from Cairo, Egypt, the cost for local transportation to and from AUC campus and a personal budget for travel and tourism within Cairo. Costs are based on survey data and annual information.
- Other costs: These costs are averaged from survey data. Personal expenses surveyed include clothing, laundry, personal grooming, household purchases, medical co-pays, and prescriptions etc.
A student’s cost of attendance can be adjusted in certain circumstances. Each of the standard components above can potentially be increased if the student has eligible excess expenses. These adjustments would be handled on a case-by-case basis using Professional Judgment. A student’s cost of attendance can also be increased for costs related to childcare, the purchase of a computer or software, or additional study abroad fees.