Cost of Attendance
Financing a college education is an important investment and understanding a student's financial aid budget is a key component. The cost of attendance is calculated by each university for one academic year of attendance (generally Fall/Spring). At DBU, if you attend summer classes, a separate budget will be determined. Your cost of attendance reflects your estimated expenses prior to financial aid. In addition to the information provided on the Cashier’s webpage, we encourage you to use our Net Price Calculator to help you estimate your cost to attend DBU.
The current tuition and fees for undergraduates, exclusively online, graduate and doctoral students are found on the Cashier Office website. Please note some programs/majors have additional lab/clinical costs. The Cashier Office webpage is also a useful resource for understanding costs and payment plan options offered by the University. Click the links above to learn more.
Your student budget is made up of two parts: direct costs that are billed to your university account and indirect costs that are not necessarily billed directly to your university account, but are costs you may incur during the enrollment period. Indirect cost items vary per student depending on their individual situation. Visit the FSA webpage Understanding College Costs for additional information.
Direct vs. Indirect Costs
When evaluating the cost of attendance at a university, it's essential to understand the distinction between direct and indirect costs. These terms refer to different types of expenses that students may incur while attending college. Direct costs are those that are billed by the institution, such as tuition, fees, meal plans, and housing (if living on campus). Indirect costs, on the other hand, include expenses like books, supplies, transportation, and personal living expenses that may not be billed directly to students. For financial aid purposes, the estimated cost of attendance incorporates both direct and indirect costs, which are both considered when determining your financial aid package. Whether you live on-campus, off-campus, or at home, these choices will impact your overall costs. We encourage you to review all potential expenses (direct and indirect) in order to understand your total cost of attendance and explore financial aid options to help manage these costs.
Direct Costs
Direct costs are expenses that the university directly charges to students. These costs typically include tuition, fees, and sometimes room and board if the student is living on campus. These are costs that are due directly to the university at the start of each term of attendance.
Students will only be charged housing and meal plan costs if they reside on campus in university-owned housing and have a meal plan or elect to have a commuter meal plan. If not, then a student’s direct costs to the university will normally only include Tuition and Fees.
Indirect Costs
Indirect costs are expenses that students may incur as a result of attending college that are not directly billed by the university. These costs can vary greatly depending on a student's individual circumstances and choices. Indirect costs may include items such as textbooks, supplies, transportation, and personal expenses like off-campus rent, groceries, or entertainment. While these costs are not directly charged by the university, students may still incur these personal charges over the year to attend a university.
Factors that Impact Your Financial Aid
Changes to your enrollment, classes, charges, housing, or academic standing may affect your financial aid eligibility or the amount of aid you receive. In some situations, making a change after your financial aid has been awarded or disbursed may result in an adjustment to your aid or create a balance you must pay.
For example, your financial aid may be affected if you add or drop a course, withdraw from classes, change your enrollment level, repeat a course, change your program, receive a change in academic standing, or have other changes to your student account.
Because financial aid rules can be complex and vary by aid program, contact your financial aid counselor or the DBU Financial Aid Office before making a change that could affect your enrollment, academic program, or student account. We can help you understand how a planned change may affect your financial aid before you make the change.
Staying in contact with the Financial Aid Office and reviewing your financial aid information regularly can help you avoid unexpected changes to your aid or balance due.
Enrollment
Your enrollment level is one of the most important factors that can affect your financial aid. The amount and type of aid you are eligible to receive may depend on how many credit hours you are enrolled in and when changes are made.
For example, dropping a course may change you from full-time to part-time enrollment, which could reduce or cancel certain types of financial aid. A change in enrollment may also affect your student account balance and charges, as well as your eligibility for federal student loans, scholarships, grants, or other aid programs.
Dropping or withdrawing from a course can also affect your academic progress and expected graduation date. In some circumstances, withdrawing from classes after the term begins may have additional financial aid consequences.
Before dropping, adding, or withdrawing from a course, talk with your academic advisor to understand how the change may affect your academic plan. You should also contact the DBU Financial Aid Office before making the change so you can understand how it may affect your financial aid and whether you could have a balance due.
When in doubt, contact Financial Aid before changing your enrollment. We can help you understand the potential financial impact before you make a decision.
Housing
Your housing status can affect your financial aid because it is part of your cost of attendance (student budget). For example, changing from living in DBU housing to commuter status may lower or increase your cost of attendance, which could affect your financial need and affect need-based aid such as Federal Work-Study or Direct Subsidized Loans.
Before changing your housing status, contact the DBU Financial Aid Office to understand how the change may affect your financial aid.
Repeating Courses
Federal financial aid regulations limit the number of times a student may repeat a course and receive federal financial aid for that course.
If you fail or withdraw from a course, you may generally repeat the course and receive federal financial aid, provided you continue to meet all other eligibility requirements, including Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
Once you have successfully completed a course with a passing grade, federal regulations allow you to repeat that course one additional time and receive federal financial aid. For federal financial aid purposes, a passing grade means any grade higher than an F, regardless of whether the grade meets DBU's academic requirements for your program.
After that one additional repeat, the course is not eligible for additional federal financial aid. For example:
- First attempt: Student receives an F or withdraws (W) → The student may repeat the course with federal financial aid.
- Second attempt: Student earns a passing grade → The student may repeat the course one additional time with federal financial aid.
- Third attempt: The course is no longer eligible for federal financial aid if the student has already used federal aid for the allowable repeat.
If a student passes a course, repeats it using federal financial aid, and then fails the repeated attempt, the student may not receive federal financial aid to repeat the course again.
How an Ineligible Repeat Affects Enrollment
A course that is not eligible for federal financial aid because of the repeat-course limitation cannot be included when determining the student's enrollment status for federal financial aid purposes.
For example, if a student is enrolled in 12 credit hours and 3 credit hours are an ineligible repeat, only 9 credit hours may be counted toward the student's federal financial aid enrollment status.
This may affect the student's eligibility for certain types of financial aid, particularly aid that requires a minimum enrollment level, such as federal student loans. The ineligible course may also affect the student's charges and other financial aid considerations, depending on the student's circumstances.
Students should contact the DBU Financial Aid Office if they have questions about how repeating a course may affect their financial aid eligibility.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is crucial for students who wish to continue receiving financial aid. SAP ensures that students are making steady progress toward completing their degree or program within a reasonable time frame. To meet SAP standards, students must maintain a minimum GPA (UG 2.0, Grad/Doctoral 3.0), successfully complete a certain percentage of their coursework (UG 66.67%, Grad/Doctoral 67%), and stay within the maximum time frame of not exceeding 150% of the published duration of the degree program. Failing to meet these requirements can result in the loss of financial aid eligibility. Understanding and adhering to SAP policies is essential for staying on track academically and financially throughout your college journey.
Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility Used
Federal law limits the total amount of Federal Pell Grant funding an eligible student may receive over their lifetime. The maximum lifetime eligibility is equal to 600%, or approximately six full-time academic years of Pell Grant funding.
Each full Scheduled Award represents 100% of Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU). Your LEU percentage increases as you receive Pell Grant funds, including Pell Grant funds received at other colleges.
Once your lifetime eligibility reaches 600%, you are no longer eligible to receive additional Federal Pell Grant funds.
Direct Loan Limits
Federal Direct Loans have annual and lifetime borrowing limits. The amount you may borrow depends on factors such as your student classification, dependency status, academic program, previous federal borrowing, and remaining loan eligibility.
Federal law also establishes limits on the total amount of federal student loans you may receive over your lifetime. Beginning with the 2026–27 award year, a new $257,500 lifetime maximum aggregate loan limit (EXCLUDING Parent Plus Loans) applies to student borrowers, subject to limited exceptions for certain borrowers who qualify under the federal transition provisions.
Recent federal rules also change loan limits for graduate and professional students (DBU grad aggregate limit of $100,000, with the exception of legacy qualified students) and eliminate new borrowing under the Graduate PLUS Loan program, subject to federal transition provisions for eligible borrowers. Parent PLUS Loans are also subject to a new $65,000 aggregate limit per dependent student beginning with the 2026–27 award year.
Your actual loan eligibility may be less than the maximum limit based on your financial aid eligibility, cost of attendance, other financial aid received, enrollment, and other federal requirements.
If you have borrowed federal student loans previously, DBU will review your federal loan history through the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) to determine how much remaining loan eligibility you have.
Default of a Federal Student Loan
Students who are in default on a federal student loan generally are not eligible to receive additional federal student aid until the default status is resolved.
Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to regain eligibility by repaying the defaulted loan, consolidating the loan, or meeting other federal requirements for resolving the default.
If you are unsure whether a previous federal student loan is in default or how to resolve your status, contact your loan servicer or the DBU Financial Aid Office before applying for additional federal student aid.
Overpayment of Federal Funds
If a student has an overpayment of federal funds, it means they received more financial aid than they were eligible for. This could happen due to changes in enrollment, incorrect information on financial aid forms, or adjustments in the student's financial need. When an overpayment occurs, the student is required to repay the excess funds. The school will typically notify the student about the overpayment and either make appropriate adjustments or provide instructions on how to repay it. Failure to correct the overpayment could result in the loss of future financial aid eligibility, registration holds, or other consequences. It’s important for students to address any overpayment issues promptly to avoid further complications.
Many additional factors can affect financial aid, so please contact the Financial Aid Office before making any changes.