Understanding Your School’s Cost of Attendance (COA)

COA and Borrowing

The cost of attendance (COA) includes tuition, fees, housing, food (or living expenses), books, supplies, equipment, transportation, loan fees, other required school fees, and miscellaneous expenses. Review your school’s COA and use it as a guideline to determine how much you may need to borrow and use it to create a budget to manage your finances throughout medical school. Medical school expenses include both direct and indirect costs and examples of those costs are shown below.

Discuss the costs with your financial aid staff and review your school’s financial aid webpages for the COA each year of medical school. The published COA is likely the most accurate estimate of current costs for your school. This information will help you stay aware of realistic expenses, live within a manageable budget, and plan for upcoming expenses.