Cost of Attendance for Graduate Students

ILASFA Conference 2014

Emily Osborn, DirectorNorthwestern University Chicago Campus

Michelle Ortiz Wortel, DirectorUniversity of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine

Agenda

Overview of Cost of Attendance

Professional Judgment and Common Issues

Cost of Attendance

A student’s cost of attendance (COA) provides the foundation for reasonable educational expenses.

COA, along with the EFC, is the means for awarding need-based financial aid and limits the total financial aid a student may receive.

COA Allowable Costs

Allowable costs determined by school Tuition and fees Books and supplies Transportation Miscellaneous personal expenses Room and board Loan fees

See HEA Part F, Sec 472; FSA Handbook Vol 3, Ch 2

COA Allowable Costs(continued)

Add on an individual basis Dependent care One time cost for first

professional license or certificate

Study-abroad expenses Disability expenses Employment expenses for co-op

study

Tuition and Fees Normally assessed for a student

carrying the same academic workload

Includes costs of rental or purchase of equipment (including equipment for instruction by telecommunications), materials, or supplies required of all students in the same course of study

Books, Supplies, Transportation, Miscellaneous Personal Expenses Includes a reasonable amount,

determined and documented by the school, for the rental or purchase of a personal computer

May also include costs for operating and maintaining a car used to and from school (but not for the purchase of a vehicle)

Room and Board For students without dependents,

living at home with parents, the allowance is determined by school

For students living on campus, the allowance is the standard amount normally assessed most residents

For those living off-campus, not with parents, the allowance must be based on reasonable expenses for the student’s room and board

Loan Fees

For students receiving loans, the loan fees required to receive them

Required for federal loans e.g. origination fee

Optional for non-federal loans Use exact loan fees charged or

an average charged for same type of loan

Dependent Care Covers care during periods that include,

but are not limited to class time, study time, field work, internships, and commuting time for the student

Amount based on the number and age of dependents

Amount not to exceed reasonable cost in the community for the type of care provided

Professional License or Certificate

One-time direct costs for first professional license or certificate

Program must require license or certificate

Only allowed one time per student per eligible academic program

Professional License or Certificate (continued)

Costs must be incurred during (not after) a period of enrollment, even if the exam is after the end of the period fees to take a licensing exam costs of applying for and obtaining

the license or certification at school’s discretion, costs

incurred in traveling to a residency interview for a medical student

Study Abroad If approved for credit by the

student’s home institution, reasonable costs associated with such study may be included

May include transportation to and from the study abroad location

Disability ExpensesAllowance for expenses related to the student’s disability

Special services Personal assistance Transportation Equipment Supplies reasonably

incurred and not provided by other agencies

Employment Expenses for Co-op StudyAllowance for reasonable costs associated with such employment

For example: Travel to and from work Uniforms

COA Restrictions & Exceptions

Less than half-time enrollment

Only include tuition, fees, books, supplies, transportation , and limited amount for dependent care

Room & board for a limited duration

Do not include miscellaneous or personal expenses

COA Restrictions & Exceptions(continued)

Correspondence study

Generally, COA is restricted to tuition, fees, books and supplies

If required residential training may include books, supplies, travel allowance, room and board

COA Restrictions & Exceptions (continued)

Incarcerated Students

Limited to tuition, fees, books and supplies

Ineligible for FSA loans If student is in a federal or

state penal institution, they are ineligible for Pell

Professional JudgmentNothing in this part shall be interpreted as limiting the authority of the financial aid administrator, on the basis of adequate documentation, to make adjustments on a case-by-case basis to the cost of attendance…

HEA Sec 484(c)

Professional Judgment (continued)

Authority to adjust COA on a case-by-case basis to allow for special circumstances

Adjustments must be documented in the file Justify it Student request Receipts Credit card statements

One-Time Licensure Increases

One Time Licensure Increases

At Northwestern we provide increases under the “One Time Licensure” allowance for students in the Law and Medical programs Costs associated with registering for the Bar Costs associated with traveling for residency

interviews

Costs Associated with Registering for the Bar Exam

Each year we collect all of the costs associated with registering for the Bar Exam in Illinois to determine our standard allowance. These costs include the on-time registration costs of:

the IL Bar Exam, Character and Fitness Questionnaire, MPRE, exam laptop fee, loan fees

We do not automatically build in this allowance. 3L students are notified of this allowable increase and must request the increase by contacting the aid office

If student is not taking the IL Bar and the costs associated with another state’s Bar exceed the IL Bar, student must gather documentation of the other state’s expenses and submit those along with the request for the increase.

Residency Travel Request We allow a one-time increase of up to $3,000

with no documentation, though students must complete a request form If students incur costs greater than $3,000, they

must document all of the costs associated with residency travel

In 2013 a total of 9 students requested increases 6 took the $3,000, 1 borrowed $1,000 and 2

appealed for additional funding Both were in very selective tracks and so were told to

pursue a second track as well 1 increase for $14,957 1 increase for $20,922

Residency Travel Request Form

What are some of your unique COA cases?

Questions?

Contact Info• Emily Osborn, Director

Northwestern University Chicago Campus– eosborn@northwestern.edu

• Michelle Ortiz Wortel, DirectorUniversity of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine– mortiz3@uic.edu