What is the Cost of Attendance?
We establish a Cost of Attendance (COA) to provide you with a reasonable estimate of the cost of attendance at Northwest Missouri State University. Each student’s COA can vary based on the type of student, residency of the student, and their designated program. To review the cost for undergraduates, graduates, or Online Professional, please click on the appropriate box below to determine your estimated Cost of Attendance.
How is Cost of Attendance determined?
In order to determine your financial need for the federal assistance programs, Northwest develops a Cost of Attendance (COA) budget as stipulated within the federal guidelines. This budget includes
- Billable expenses which are charges you are billed such as tuition, technology fee, book usage fee, and housing and food.
- Non-billable expenses which are estimated allowances for personal expenses, transportation and educational supplies. These are not billed to students or paid to the University but are included for planning purposes so that students have an idea of the type of additional financial resources they may need. The student and/or parent may choose to use financial aid to pay any of these expenses.
All cost of attendance components are estimated costs. For example,
- Undergraduate tuition and fees is based on 30 credit hours per year while actual charges will be based on the number of credit hours in which a student is enrolled.
- Estimated housing and food is based on a standard food plan and the average housing cost on campus. This cost is included in the budget regardless of whether the student lives on or off campus, but the actual cost will be determined by based on the student’s food plan and housing arrangement.
