<p>Hey there!</p>
<p>After getting my financial aid award letter, I was sitting down trying to figure out how much my family and I will actually be paying out of pocket for my first year. In the letter, it says the total cost is $19,476 for in-state (which I am) and $38,000 for out-of-state. However, I looked up the breakdown of the total cost, and they factor in things such as loan costs ($120), personal expenses ($1,500), and books ($1,000). So, isn't the total cost really just $16,856 for in-state and $35,380 for out-of-state? I mean, I'm paying for books (probably renting most) and my own personal expenses, so they can't really "charge" me for that stuff, right? I guess I'm just confused as to how I will be "billed" come August. Can anyone clarify this?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>You are not billed for personal expenses, books, etc… Those are just estimates on how much you will spend.</p>
<p>You are billed for tuition, fees, housing, and your meal plan, which totals $18,856-HOPE. Half of that amount will be billed to you in August.</p>
<p>That makes sense, but why would they offer loans or grants to cover the total cost including personal expenses and such?</p>
<p>It doesn’t just make sense; that is the way it works. They offer aid to cover the total cost of attendance, which includes personal expenses, books, etc… While they do not bill you for these items, you still have to spend that money in order to attend, so they are included in the cost of attendance.</p>
<p>i was really confused about this too when i saw my award letter.</p>
<p>They are not billing you for those things; they include them in the budget so that you can get loans and aid to cover the total cost. You cannot get more in aid than what the budget is, so it is nice that they include those things. You can get your budget bumped once to include a computer (very nice if you have lots of scholarships; merely helpful if you are taking out loans to cover school).</p>