<p>In my financial aid package, there are several categories such as tuition, room and board, books, fees, and miscellaneous. say the fee for books is 1254, does this mean I MUST pay 1254 to the college for my books? or is it possible to spend say, only 700, by buying used books? or is tuition and room and board the only fees i have to pay to the college, and the rest are merely estimated and i am on my own?
also, is the meal plan part of room and board? thanks</p>
<p>Except for tuition and other fees + room and board you are on your own free will to spend (you can spend 1,254 on books or 537 or 1,865). Yes meal plan is part of room and board.</p>
<p>thanks simba. is the meal plan is part of room and board, then why is possible to select different ones? won't every just select the best one since room and board is one price?</p>
<p>bump.......</p>
<p>not all room and board prices are the same. The board (meal plan) may be 10 14, 19, meals a week, but some schools require freshmen to take the 19 meal plan. Also, most colleges offer different room rates (single, suite, etc.).</p>
<p>The amount shown on the fin aid form is not cast in stone, but usually the cost of a double room in a traditional dorm with a 19 meal plan. Look on the website for a list of all room rates.</p>
<p>as cmbmom says go to college web site to get the exact prices. The Finaid plan is jyst the average. Colleges charge different for different types of room and how many meals you will take/wk. In my son's college, room rates are same for any type of room, but meal cost vary by about 10-15% depending on plan.</p>
<p>My Ds school the rooms vary from traditional dorms (cheapest) to suites, apartments etc - all at varying costs. There are about 7 Meal plans with varying costs. The cost of attendance for room and board is an average cost and the real cost could be a little less or a lot more.</p>
<p>Books are an estimate and may be more or less depending on how many classes you take, what the classes are, and whether you can get 2nd hand books.</p>
<p>On my Ds school the tuition estimate in COA is for 12 hours (the minimum to be full time) - she will probably take 15 as 12 per semester would make it at least 5 years to graduate.</p>
<p>So there are a lot of variables to consider when you sign up for classes, dorms, meal plans - some of which may cause a pleasant surprise financially and others that will cause the opposite.</p>