The Cost of Attendance is an estimate of the total expenses a typical student would incur during one academic year. This estimate encompasses not only tuition and fees but also incorporates basic living expenses. It is often referred to as the student’s ‘budget,’ as the Cost of Attendance determines a student’s eligibility for need-based aid and serves as the maximum limit on the amount of financial aid a student can receive per federal regulations throughout the academic year. More information on this can be found here.
Consequently, a student’s actual expenses may differ from those listed on their award letter.
However, it’s important to note that financial aid, which includes scholarships, grants, loans, federal work-study, etc., cannot exceed the established budget.
The cost of attendance is further broken down into billable and non-billable items.
Billable Items
Tuition: These figures reflect the cost of tuition and fees for a student taking 12-18.5 credits during each of the Fall and Spring semesters (which is considered full time). This does not include specific course fees and parking fees.
Fees: These are fees as determined by the Board of Regents and Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. The Special Use fee, Asset Preservation, and Eastern Experience are applied to all students, whereas the Student Health fee is dependent on the student attending courses on-campus(credit hours apply). More information on this can be found here.
Housing and Food: EKU calculates this figure by using the weighted average of a double-occupancy room on campus and the 7-day meal plan per federal regulations(3 meals per day). Specific rates depend on which residence hall and meal plan a student selects. Residence hall rates can be found here and meal plans can be found here. Even students who do not live on campus are budgeted for room and board to offset any living expenses.
Required Textbooks: Beginning with Fall 2026, due to federal changes to Title IV of the Higher Education Act, the current EKU BookSmart free textbook rental program could result in students losing some or all of their federal financial aid. To avoid this, EKU BookSmart will now offer discounted textbooks at $26 per credit hour, which will not interfere with a student’s need assessment.
Non-Billable Items
Personal: This is an estimate of costs for personal expenses for the year. Money actually spent on these types of items will vary from student to student. These items will not appear on the student’s EKU bill.
Transportation: This is an estimate of the cost of traveling to and from campus or the cost of operating and maintaining a vehicle. This does not include a parking permit, which will be directly billed to the student’s account.