Cost of Attendance
The cost of attendance (COA) is an estimate of what a student may spend while pursuing their education and acts as a budget/cap on your financial aid. Every year Tarleton updates and publishes their cost of attendance based on data gathered about current cost of living.
The published COA assumes undergraduate students will be enrolled in 12 hours per semester and graduate students at 6 hours per semester. Before the semester starts, the financial aid office adjusts each student’s COA to more accurately reflect their enrollment. However, we recognize that students may incur higher costs than predicted.
Cost of Attendance (COA) Appeal
If you are experiencing higher than expected costs, you may contact the financial aid office at 254-968-9070 or [email protected] to discuss if a COA Appeal is appropriate for your situation. A successful appeal allows us to increase your COA, meaning we can increase your capacity to receive financial aid. This appeal does not guarantee that you will receive additional financial aid.
Common Reasons for a COA Appeal:
- Car repairs
- High out of pocket medical/dental expenses
- High rent
- Computer purchase
- Study abroad expenses
COA Appeals do not consider:
- Birthday parties/gifts
- Vehicle purchase/lease
- Medical expenses covered by insurance
- Expensive clothes
- Vacations
Documentation
You will need to support your claims with documentation. The documents will need to prove that the transaction was paid in full by the student or parent. The following are common acceptable documentation:
- Paid receipts
- Mortgage/lease
- Bank statements with highlighted transactions