Cost of Attendance

Undergraduate Financial Aid

What is the cost of attendance?

Every student who applies for financial aid is assigned a cost of attendance (COA). Your COA—sometimes referred to as a "student budget"—serves two purposes:

  • to give you an estimate of the cost to attend DU, as a full-time student, for one year, and
  • set a limit on the amount of financial aid you can receive during the academic year (which federal regulations require us to do).

Since the COA is only an estimate, your actual expenses may differ from those on your financial aid offer. Still, your total aid—including scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study—cannot exceed your COA.

Beginning with the 2026–27 academic year, each student's COA will be evaluated after the first week of each quarter and adjusted, if necessary, to ensure that cost amounts and indirect cost allowances reflect student's actual enrollment status. 

The following enrollment statuses and corresponding credit-hour ranges will be used to formulate your 2026–27 COA:

Enrollment StatusCredit Hours
Full Time12 -18
Three Qtr. Time 9 -11
Half Time 6 -9
Less Than Half Time1 -5

Because aid offers for all traditional undergraduate students are calculated based on full-time enrollment, students whose actual enrollment falls below full-time (12 credit hours) may experience a reduction in their aid offer. Affected students will be notified.
 

Direct Costs vs. Indirect Costs

Components that make up the Cost of Attendance are divided into two categories: the direct costs that are billed by the University, and the indirect costs of living in/near Denver. When we calculate eligibility for financial aid, we account for both types of costs.

Direct Costs (Billed by DU):Indirect Costs (Paid by the Student):
  • Off-campus housing and food
  • Books, course materials, supplies, and equipment
  • Transportation
  • Personal expenses
  • Loan fees

 

photo of students studying

Cost of Attendance Examples

2026-2027 Academic Year

For all traditional undergraduate programs, tuition is $1,770 per credit. However, students enrolled full time (12-18 credit hours) in a given quarter are charged a flat rate of $21,240 for tuition.

The examples below represent full- time enrollment during a single quarter and an academic year, consisting of fall winter, and spring quarters, for 2026-2027.

  • Enrolled Full Time and Living On Campus
     
    Estimated Expenses 
     
    Single Qtr. 
     


    Academic Year 
     

    Direct Costs:Tuition$21,240$63,720
     Fees$528$1,584
     Housing$3,761$11,283
     Food$2,511$7,532
     Subtotal$28,040$84,119
    Indirect Costs:Books, Course Materials,  
    Supplies, & Equipment    		$333$1000
     Transportation*$209$627
     Personal Expenses$594$1,782
     Loan Fees**$18$53
     Cost of Attendance$29,194$87,581

    *DU will add an additional transportation allowance of $763 for students who are not Colorado residents.

    **A 1.057% origination fee is taken out at disbursement of Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans. The $53 listed above is the average fee for undergraduate students who borrow these loans. Actual fees will depend on the amount borrowed.

  • Enrolled Full Time and Living Off Campus

     

     

    Estimated Expenses

    Single Qtr.

    Academic Year 

    Direct Costs:Tuition$21,240$63,720
     Fees$528$1,584
     Subtotal$21,768$65,304
    Indirect Costs:Housing$4,269$12,807
     Food$1,545$4,635
     Books, Course Materials,
    Supplies, & Equipment    		$334$1,000
     Transportation*$473$1419
     Personal Expenses$788$2363
     Loan Fees**$18$53
     Cost of Attendance$29,195$87,581

    *DU will add an additional transportation allowance of $763 for students who are not Colorado residents.

    **A 1.057% origination fee is taken out at disbursement of Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans. The $53 listed above is the average fee for undergraduate students who borrow these loans. Actual fees will depend on the amount borrowed.

  • Enrolled Full Time and Living at Home
     

    Estimated Expenses

    Single Qtr. 

    Academic Year 

    Direct Costs:Tuition$21,240$63,720
     Fees$528$1,584
     Subtotal$21,768$65,304
    Indirect Costs:Housing$2,958$8,874
     Food$969$2,907
     Books, Course Materials, 
    Supplies, & Equipment    		$333$1,000
     Transportation$473$1,419
     Personal Expenses$561$1,683
     Loan Fees*$18$53
     Cost of Attendance$27,080$81,240

    *A 1.057% origination fee is taken out at disbursement of Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans. The $53 listed above is the average fee for undergraduate students who borrow these loans. Actual fees will depend on the amount borrowed.

red chairs on campus

Tuition and Fees

2026-27 Tuition Rates:

  • For all traditional undergraduate programs, tuition is $1,770 per credit. However, students enrolled between 12-18 credits in a quarter are charged a flat rate of $21,240.
  • The tuition rate for students enrolled in the College of Professional Studies Bachelor's Completion program is $804.

2025-26 Tuition Rates:

  • For all traditional undergraduate programs, tuition is $1,718 per credit. However, students enrolled between 12-18 credits in a quarter are charged a flat rate of $20,616.
  • The tuition rate for students enrolled in the College of Professional Studies Bachelor's Completion program is $781.

 

Student Fees:

These are the most common fees assessed to undergraduate students. Some courses may have additional fees not listed here, and a late registration fee is assessed to most students who have not registered by the first day of classes. For more information about billing and tuition payments, visit the Office of Student Billing website.

Annual Fees
Fee2025-26 Amount2026-27 AmountWhen Fee is Assessed
Technology Fee$4/credit$8/creditEvery quarter
Health Insurance*$1,990TBDFall and spring quarters only
Health & Counseling Fee**$250$258Every quarter
Activity Fee - 6-11 credit hours$63TBDEvery quarter
Activity Fee - 12+ credit hours (include RTD College Pass$168$174Every quarter
Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs Student Fee$30$30Every quarter
Lamont School of Music Student Fee$95$95Every quarter
Agency Sponsored Student Fee$150$150Every quarter

*Most students are automatically enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Plan. You may waive participation in this program if you are covered under another insurance plan.

**The health and counseling fee is automatically assessed each term to students registered in six or more credits and covers many services provided at the Health & Counseling Center. This fee is mandatory for undergraduate students.

aerial view of campus

79% of financial aid for undergraduate students is in the form of scholarships and grants

Affordability

Additional Cost of Attendance Notes

  • If you apply for aid, your financial aid offer will itemize the costs that make up your individual student budget (which vary annually).
  • Federal regulations require us to set a limit on the amount of aid you can receive. This means your total aid—including scholarships, grants, loans, work-study and other resources (such as AmeriCorps and employer-paid tuition benefits)—cannot exceed your cost of attendance.
  • The budgets above do not include costs for the summer quarter. Eligibility for financial aid for the summer is limited; if you need financial aid for the summer, you must complete a separate application in the spring.
  • To be fair and to stay in compliance with federal regulations, we cannot change student budgets based on discretionary expenses. We may, however, be able to make adjustments to your cost of attendance for reasons outlined on the Budget Adjustment Form. These decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and do not guarantee additional financial aid.
  • Direct costs are determined by the University of Denver. For indirect costs, we use our own research and the recommended guidelines published by the Colorado Department of Higher Education. Most figures change slightly every year.

Contact

 

Financial Aid