When you're looking at college costs, you'll see two different numbers thrown around, and it's important to understand what each one means.

Tuition 

Tuition is simply what the college charges for your classes and instruction. Think of it as the price tag for the academic experience itself.

Tuition covers:

• Course instruction
• Access to academic facilities and resources
• Sometimes mandatory fees (technology, activity, health services)

Cost of Attendance (COA)

COA, on the other hand, is the college's estimate of what it will actually cost you to attend for one year, and it includes a lot more than just tuition. This is the number colleges use when calculating your financial aid package.

Estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) includes:

• Tuition and fees
• Room and board (whether you live on or off campus)
• Books and supplies
• Transportation (getting to/from campus)
• Personal expenses (laundry, toiletries, entertainment)
• Important Notes about COA 
• COA is an estimate - they are taking an average of the price of all of their dorms on campus, an average of the different meal plans available, etc. So know that your COA could be higher.
• COA estimates usually have lower-than-actual travel cost estimates if you will be at an out-of-state college. Often they estimate $1500 for travel, but if a student will be coming home several times throughout the year, if parents will be traveling to/from the college for move in and out, etc. that number can quickly add up. So be prepared!
• COA does NOT include Greek-life expenses and these can often add up quickly! It’s not unusual for the dues, new clothes, parties, etc. to cost an additional $5-10K that is rarely talked about. So it’s important to include that into your overall budget if sororities and fraternities are already under discussion!

A word of caution: The difference can be significant. For example, a college might have $15,000 in tuition, but a total COA of $30,000 once you factor in housing, meals, books, and other living expenses. So be very careful when colleges advertise their costs. Marketing materials and headlines often highlight only the tuition because it looks much more affordable. Always dig deeper to find the full Cost of Attendance to get a realistic picture of what you'll actually need to budget for college.

Important College Planning Tip

It is critically important that parents and students are “on the same page” about the cost of college AND that you are communicating this with your college consultant! While we know it can be difficult to talk to your student about your finances, it is a waste of time, and potential heartache, to have a student put their heart and soul into applications for colleges to which there is very little (to no!) chance that as a family, you are willing to pay a certain amount. It is far better up front to set reasonable expectations about an upper limit on an annual cost for college! I cannot stress this enough - it’s important to have this figured out BEFORE students start working on their college lists!