What's a COA Budget?
The Cost of Attendance Budget (COA) represents the estimated cost of attending Davenport University for two semesters. The purpose of this budget is to provide you, the student, with an idea of what your expenses might be to attend.
A variety of expenses are included in Cost of Attendance, including:
- tuition
- registration and other required fees
- books
- living expenses
- transportation
- an estimate of personal expenses related to attending school
Cost of attendance is only an estimate based upon the average expenses of all students. These costs therefore, do not necessarily represent every expense a student might incur throughout a given year. Your actual experience may be different from these averages based on your own personal spending choices and on how many courses you take each semester.
Note: The estimated budget is based on a student being enrolled in two consecutive semesters. The institution will adjust the estimates if a student enrolls in only one semester or in three semesters. The Federal Government allows a variety of expenses to be included, but not all.
2019-2020 ACADEMIC YEAR
STUDENT |
BOOKS |
LIVING EXPENSES |
| Undergraduate (on-campus) | $916 | $12,928 |
| Undergraduate (off-campus, Dependent) | $916 | $10,568 |
| Undergraduate (off-campus, Independent) | $916 | $23,652 |
| Graduate | $350 | $23,738 |
COA - Defined
Tuition & Fees
Tuition and fees are based on your enrollment status (full-time, three-quarter time, half-time and less than half-time). Your advisor can assist you with establishing a more specific tuition estimate. Please refer to the current tuition and fee charges.
Books
The books estimate reflects the typical cost of all books and supplies for attending DU courses at a specific enrollment status (full-time, three-quarter time, half-time and less than half-time). Davenport generally estimates $250 to $600 per semester for books and supplies. Part-time students enrolled in one or two courses typically have expenses ranging from $250 to $350 per semester. Full-time students typically have expenses ranging from $300 to $600 per semester. Some programs may have higher or lower book costs. It may be possible to obtain books below those estimates, and students are encouraged to consider other alternatives when possible, such as used books, textbook rental, e-books, etc.
Room & Board
Davenport estimates room and board costs for different categories of students, based on US Bureau of Labor Statistics data for the state of Michigan, incorporating national data where appropriate. The room and board budget component includes basic housing and food costs for the amount of calendar time in the period of enrollment. For a standard two semester COA budget, this is approximately eight months. For a one semester COA budget, this is approximately four months.
Students enrolled during a semester but attending only one session of the semester will have a reduced room and board component to reflect the actual period of enrollment. Therefore, a student attending only session one and no attendance in session two will have a room and board component that reflects two months of living expenses.
Transportation
This reflects the typical cost of traveling to attend class. This again is an average, and your actual experience may be different based upon your transportation choices.
SOME TRANSPORTATION-RELATED COSTS CANNOT BE INCLUDED, SUCH AS:
- the purchase of a vehicle
- insurance
- major repairs
Personal
Davenport includes an estimate of personal expenses for the time that a student is enrolled. These costs are averages. Your actual experience depends upon your personal choices.
INCLUDES AN ESTIMATE OF STUDENTS' PERSONAL EXPENSES, INCLUDING:
- hygiene items
- clothing
- minor housekeeping expenses
- cell phone usage
- social activities
- other personal needs
Final Note: It is important to keep in mind that you control many of your costs and can make adjustments to make sure that your can cover your costs.
Other Things to Know
WHEN DETERMINING YOUR ELIGIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL AID, THE GOVERNMENT ALLOWS DAVENPORT TO INCLUDE DIRECT COSTS, LIKE:
- tuition
- books
- fees
AND INDIRECT COSTS, LIKE:
- transportation
- room and board
- personal expenses.
To determine these costs, Davenport must establish average expenses for all students. We base the averages on living expense statistics from the federal government. Davenport does take into account the fact that especially many of our online students live across the United States. Once your financial aid award is complete, you will see your estimated cost of attendance.
It is important to keep in mind that these costs are averages across the entire university and that you have control over many of these costs. You can adjust your expenses to keep your costs under control. Although student loans are available, Davenport encourages you to keep borrowing to a minimum.
Generally COA budgets are for one or more full semesters with estimated expenses based on a student's level (undergraduate or graduate), campus and enrollment status. If a student's individual enrollment does not span the length of the semester, federal regulations require the university to reduce the expected expenses in the COA budget based on the length of the student's expected enrollment. For example, if a student is taking two courses in session one of a semester and no courses in session two, the COA will be reduced to include expected costs only for the two months associated with session one.
Assigning COA Budgets
Since budgets are determined based upon the student's enrollment status, DU must make some assumptions at the time the financial aid is packaged if the student is not registered for courses. Students not registered will be assigned a budget that reflects the average enrollment status for the campus the student is attending. Once a student is registered, the financial aid office will adjust the COA accordingly to match the enrollment status of the student.
COA by the Numbers
Below, see the numbers for some components of certain COA budgets based upon student categories and full-time enrollment for the entire semester. Tuition and fees are not included in the chart since that is based upon the student's expected charges based upon registered courses. Please note, these represent a year of enrollment (two semesters). Numbers will be halved for students attending only one semester.
2019 - 2020 Academic Year by Semester
| Graduate, session-only, half-time (3 credits) | |
| Direct Costs (tuition, fees, estimated books) | $3018 |
| Indirect Costs (personal, transportation, room & board) | $5989 |
| Total Semester COA | $9007 |
| Graduate, 1st session AND 2nd session, full-time (6 credits) | |
| Direct Costs (tuition, fees, estimated books) | $5511 |
| Indirect Costs (personal, transportation, room & board) | $11869 |
| Total Semester COA | $17380 |
| Graduate, full semester, half-time (3 credits) | |
| Direct Costs (tuition, fees, estimated books) | $3018 |
| Indirect Costs (personal, transportation, room & board) | $11869 |
| Total Semester COA | $14887 |
| Graduate, session-only, full-time (6 credits) | |
| Direct Costs (tuition, fees, estimated books) | $5511 |
| Indirect Costs (personal, transportation, room & board) | $5989 |
| Total Semester COA | $11500 |
| Graduate, full-semester, full-time (6 credits) | |
| Direct Costs (tuition, fees, estimated books) | $5511 |
| Indirect Costs (personal, transportation, room & board) | $11869 |
| Total Semester COA | $17380 |
| Undergraduate, full-semester, full time (15 credits) | |
| Direct Costs (tuition, fees, estimated books) | $12313 |
| Indirect Costs (personal, transportation, room & board) | $11826 |
| Total Semester COA | $24139 |
| Undergraduate, full-semester, full time (12 credits) | |
| Direct Costs (tuition, fees, estimated books) | $10012 |
| Indirect Costs (personal, transportation, room & board) | $11826 |
| Total Semester COA | $21838 |