The Cost of Attendance (COA) is an estimate of a student's education expenses for a specified period of enrolment. This can be based on many areas. Various items need to be taken into account including the college fees. Books and stationary should be taken into account, as should accommodation expenses. Living costs such as food, utilities, and miscellaneous costs need to be accounted for. A student can lower the cost of attendance slightly by maintaining part-time employment while they are at school. Their wages from this employment should cover some of their weekly costs, for example food and bills and socializing costs. The total estimations for a student's educational expenses affects the amount of student loans they may be allowed to apply for.

Many colleges publish figures on their websites that estimates the average cost of attendance at their school. This includes tuition fees as well as other residential and non-residential costs. The cost of attendance amounts and the amounts that can be contributed by family members affects the amount of financial aid accessible to the student in question. If a student cannot produce the total cost of attendance then they must take out a student loan to make up the difference.

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