Miscellaneous	Personal	Expenses	(Only	for	Students	Enrolled	at	Least	Half	Time)
This	allowance	may	be	included	in	the	COA	only	for	students	who	are	enrolled	on	at	least	a	half-time	basis.
Miscellaneous	personal	expenses	may	include	costs	incurred	by	a	student	for	a	prior	learning	assessment	(for	example,	an
exam	or	a	portfolio	evaluation).
Living	Expenses	(Food	and	Housing)
Food	and	Housing	Allowance	for	Students	Who	Are	Enrolled	at	Least	Half	Time
For	all	students	who	are	enrolled	on	at	least	a	half-time	basis,	schools	must	include	in	their	COA	an	allowance	for	living
expenses,	including	food	and	housing	(formerly	known	as	<room	and	board=).	The	food	and	housing	allowance	is	based	on
the	student9s	situation,	as	described	below.
For	students	who	choose	institutionally	owned	or	operated	food	services	(e.g.,	board	or	meal	plans),	a
standard	allowance	that	provides	the	equivalent	of	three	meals	per	day.
For	students	who	do	not	choose	institutionally	owned	or	operated	food	services,	a	standard	allowance	for
purchasing	food	off	campus	that	provides	the	equivalent	of	three	meals	per	day.
For	students	who	reside	in	institutionally	owned	or	operated	housing,	standard	allowances	(one	for	students
with	dependents,	and	one	for	students	without	dependents)	based	on	the	greater	of	the	average	amount	or	the
median	amount	assessed	to	such	students	for	housing	charges.
Although	schools	must	use	a	standard	living	expenses	allowance	based	on	the	greater	of	the	average	amount	or	the
median	amount	assessed	for	housing	charges,	this	does	not	mean	that	schools	must	develop	the	allowance	based	on
a	comparison	of	the	average	and	median	cost	of	all	types	of	institutional	housing	across	the	school.	Since	costs	for
different	types	of	institutional	housing	may	vary	widely	(for	example,	double	occupancy	freshmen	dormitories	vs.
single	occupancy	graduate	student	housing),	a	school	can	have	different	allowances	based	a	comparison	of	the
average	and	median	costs	charged	for	a	specific	housing	type.	For	instance,	if	the	greater	of	the	average	and	median
amounts	charged	to	students	living	in	freshmen	dormitories	is	$15,000	per	year,	and	the	greater	of	the	average	and
median	amounts	charged	to	students	living	in	graduate	housing	is	$20,000	per	year,	those	amounts	could	be	used	as
the	housing	allowances	for	all	students	living	in	each	type	of	institutional	housing.
Because	schools	are	free	to	create	as	many	different	types	of	this	allowance	as	they	choose,	if	the	amounts	charged
to	students	for	all	institutional	housing	of	a	specific	type	are	the	same	or	do	not	differ	significantly,	such	an	approach
would	likely	result	in	allowances	for	each	housing	type	that	are	equal	or	close	to	the	actual	costs	charged.	Of	course,
this	does	not	preclude	a	school	from	using	professional	judgment	on	a	case-by-case	basis	to	include	actual	costs	in
the	budget	for	individual	students	whose	costs	for	a	particular	type	of	institutional	housing	differ	significantly	from
the	average	or	median	amount	that	would	otherwise	be	used.
For	students	living	off	campus	(not	in	institutionally	owned	or	operated	housing),	a	standard	allowance	for
rent	or	other	housing	costs.
For	dependent	students	residing	at	home	with	their	parents,	a	standard	allowance	for	living	expenses
determined	by	the	school.	The	living	expenses	allowance	for	these	students	cannot	be	zero.
For	students	living	in	housing	located	on	a	military	base	or	housing	for	which	they	receive	a	military
housing	allowance	(Basic	Allowance	for	Housing,	or	<BAH=),	a	standard	allowance	for	food	based	on	whether	the
student	chooses	to	purchase	food	on-campus	or	off-campus	(as	described	above),	but	not	for	housing	costs.	This
applies	to:
independent	students	who	receive,	or	whose	spouses	receive,	a	BAH	or	who	live	on	a	military	base;	and
dependent	students	who	are	living	with	parents	who	are	receiving	a	BAH	or	who	live	on	a	military	base.
For	all	other	students,	an	allowance	based	on	expenses	reasonably	incurred	for	housing	and	food.
Food	and	Housing	Allowance	for	Less-Than-Half-Time	Students
For	less-than-half-time	students,	schools	may	include	an	allowance	for	food	and	housing	in	the	COA	for	a	limited	period.
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