Section 5: Financial Aid:

Financial Aid Cost of Attendance (COA)

The Financial Aid Cost of Attendance (COA) is an estimate of the educational costs for the academic year and is used for calculating a student’s Federal Student Aid (FSA) program fund eligibility (Pell Grant, FSEOG, Direct Loans, and TEACH Grant). Students may view their cost of attendance along with their financial offer on their myFinAid page.

Walden includes the following components in the COA:

• Tuition and Fees
• Books and Supplies
• Living Allowance
  • Room and Board (housing and food)
  • Transportation/Internet
• Loan Fees
• Doctoral Miscellaneous Allowance (doctoral programs only)

Walden reviews the COA annually and adjusts the COA components based on institutional information and economic data.

The following allowable charges may be added to the COA within pre-defined caps if accompanied by requested documentation. Eligibility for additional loan funding to pay for these allowable charges depends on additional financial aid eligibility after the initial offer is determined. Students who seek an increase in the COA for any of the allowable charges below must start by discussing their financial aid options with a Walden financial aid counselor.  

• Computer Purchase
• Program required residency and field experience fees, transportation, and lodging
• Dependent Care Expenses associated with time in school
• Disability Related Educational Expenses not covered by a third party

Generally, the FSA program funds available in an academic year exceed the costs for tuition and fees and Walden strongly encourages students to borrow only what they need for educationally related expenses.