Cost of Attendance (COA)

Cost of Attendance

The Cost of Attendance (COA) is the estimated total cost of attending an institution for one academic year based on enrollment, residency, dependency status, and housing status as reported on the FAFSA.   The COA is the estimate of tuition, fees, books, course materials, supplies, equipment, living expenses (housing & food), transportation, miscellaneous expenses, and loan fees.  Please note, the COA is not the amount that is owed the college. 

Costs of Attendance (COA) at East Central College can be divided into Direct Costs and Indirect Costs.  These costs can be defined by:

1.  Direct Costs – what you will be billed directly from ECC.
2. Indirect Costs – what we estimate it will cost you, on average, for other parts of your student experience.

Tuition and fees estimated in ECC’s Cost of Attendance (COA) are based on a full-time student enrolled in each semester for the year (Fall and Spring semester).

The Financial Aid Office determines the Cost of Attendance each year.  The financial aid programs are to supplement other resources the student may have to cover all living expenses.  The college may award financial aid up to the student’s COA, but even the maximum aid awarded will not necessarily meet all the student’s other costs during the school year.

When the student’s enrollment for the current term is confirmed, and if they are enrolled in less than full-time hours, their COA will be reduced to accurately reflect their educational costs.  East Central College assumes an enrollment of 13 or more credit hours during the fall and spring academic year to calculate COA.