Cost of Attendance Appeal

Federal regulations stipulate that your total annual financial aid, including loans and work study, not exceed a student's annual cost of attendance. However, if your education-related expenses exceed your current Cost of Attendance and you find yourself in need of additional funds, you can request a Cost of Attendance Appeal. This appeal is intended to increase your overall Cost of Attendance (i.e., budget) so that you may obtain additional loan funds to meet these education-related expenses. This appeal does not result in non-loan funding. The purpose of the appeal is to permit you to borrow additional loan funds to meet your higher-than budgeted expenses. Examples of these expenses are increased childcare expenses, unexpected housing costs, etc. 

The SFS Dashboard is primarily accessible to students who have filed the FAFSA. We encourage all eligible students to file, but if you are unable to file a FAFSA, please contact  with the subject line "COA Appeal - No FAFSA." A representative will reach out to you to discuss your next steps.

Housing Costs

If you reported 'Off-campus' or 'On-campus' for your housing choice, your Cost of Attendance includes a budget for housing and food. This budget is based on a 9-month enrollment period, which is the length of the Fall and Spring semesters combined. You can appeal this budget if your off-campus housing expenses for this 9-month period exceeds what is budgeted. Please see our Cost of Attendance page for this year's housing budget. We cannot include summer housing costs in the Fall/Spring budget, as Summer is a separate term. We also can only consider your costs for the terms in which you are actively enrolled. 

If you are living on-campus and your residence hall is more expensive then what we budgeted, we encourage you to submit this appeal. You can submit a copy of your student account statement displaying your residence hall charge as your supporting documentation.

Steps for Initiating a Cost of Attendance Appeal

Students can request the appeal through our Dashboard using the following steps:

  • The student should log into the SFS Dashboard.
  • Click on the red 'Manage Requests' button in the upper right hand corner.
  • Click on the button for a 2023-2024 Cost of Attendance Appeal
  • Provide a brief description of the change
  • Complete and sign the embedded webform and submit all requested documentation.
Suggested Documentation

Increased Housing Costs

  • a copy of the current lease or mortgage showing all persons residing at the location and the amount of monthly rent

Books & Supplies

  • Confirmation of excessing costs or test requirements
  • Confirmation of textbook prices

Transportation/Travel

  • Proof of expenses - transportation passes, parking passes, etc.

Child Care

  • Current statements showing current monthly rates

Computer/Electronic Purchase

  • Receipt from purchase
Expenses Not Considered for Appeal

Housing:

  • The student's Cost of Attendance only covers nine (9) months' enrollment. We cannot include expenses for summer or other terms when the student is not enrolled.
    • Example: A student signed a 12-month lease in July but will graduate in December. We cannot include expense for January-July in the Fall Cost of Attendance.
  • If you live with roommates, your rent calculation will be divided between all persons residing in the apartment.

Transportation:

  • Federal regulations do not permit financial aid offices to include car payments in a student's Cost of Attendance. Car Insurance may be included, but not the cost of the car itself.
  • When public transportation is available, our office may not be able to include the costs of private transportation (Uber, Lyft, etc.).

Other Expenses:

  • This appeal cannot be used to increase a student's Cost of Attendance to include expenses related to the parents' household (such as home repairs), personal expenses (cell phone, entertainment, etc.), or other non-education-related expenses.

There is not a deadline for submitting a Cost of Attendance Appeal. As long as you are actively enrolled, you may request the appeal during your registered term(s). However, there comes a point when we cannot provide a thorough review before the semester ends. As such, we recommend submitting your appeal no more than one week prior to the end of term to ensure our office can review before your enrollment ends for the year. Please see below for those suggested dates. We also strongly recommend providing all requested documentation with your appeal to ensure an efficient and timely review.

Due to condensed time frames, we cannot guarantee a timely review during the summer enrollment terms. Appeals requested during the summer sessions are reviewed on a case-by-case basis to ensure we can review and respond before the end of the term.

This table lists the recommended dates for submitted a Cost of Attendance Appeal

Enrollment Period

Last Day of the Enrollment Period

Last Day to Submit for a Full Review

Last Day an Appeal Can Be Approved

Fall 2024 registration only

December 17, 2024

December 2, 2024

December 9, 2024

Spring 2025 registration only, or Fall 2024 & Spring 2025

May 6, 2025

April 25, 2025

April 28, 2025