Cost of Attendance Adjustment

Your financial aid eligibility is based on a standard cost of attendance, or student budget.

We Understand Expenses Change

We may be able to increase your budget—and your financial aid eligibility—if you incur expenses during the academic year that are higher than your standard financial aid budget. This is called a Cost of Attendance (COA) Adjustment.  

​Expenses often considered for COA Adjustment include:

• The cost of your rent and utilities or the cost of your university residence hall.
• The cost of purchasing a computer; you can only request this once every three years.
• The cost of medical, dental, or optical expenses not covered by insurance.
• The cost of transportation.
• The cost of childcare expenses.
• The cost of special books and supplies.
• The cost of relocating expenses (entering students only).

Due to a recent increase in Federal Verification requirements—and to ensure we can prioritize the processing of verification documents and economic hardship appeals already received—we are postponing the launch of the 2025-26 Cost of Attendance Adjustment Request Form until September 1st.

With the start of the semester expected to bring a surge in activity, this delay will help us better serve all students during this busy period.

In the meantime, you can begin preparing your submission by reviewing the type of documentation that is needed for your appeal. See below for details on the types of documentation needed for each item requested:

Off-campus rent:

• Copy of a signed lease or mortgage statement. If rent/mortgage is not shared equally, you must provide documentation of your share (if married or living with a partner, rent will be split equally).

Transportation:

• Commuting expenses: Itemization of per-month amount calculated at standard rates, along with a printout of your route that shows the daily miles. If using private car, you must provide a copy of your unexpired DMV registration. Calculate $.70/mile, cost of tolls and parking.
• Trips home: Copy of actual travel bill or quote/estimate for 21-day advance purchase fare. Two reasonably priced domestic or one international trip allowed per year for yourself and dependent children under the age of 18.

Computer purchase:

• Receipt, order form, or estimate for computer. Must be purchased during the period of enrollment. The date on the receipt, order form, or estimate must fall within July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026.  

Necessary Medical/Dental Expenses: 

• Copy of billing statement or estimate, indicating patient name, cost, date, and type of treatment. The billing statement and/or estimate must indicate the amount paid by insurance. Note: Receipts or estimates that do not include the patient’s name will not be considered. 

Childcare Expenses

• For licensed providers, a copy of the invoice or contract and verification of two months payment. For non-licensed providers, a signed letter from the provider and verification of two months payment. Private school tuition and/or tutoring will not be considered.

The priority submission deadline to request a cost of attendance adjustment for the 2025-26 year is as follows: 

• Friday, April 3, 2026 for students enrolled in the Fall and Spring terms so we can ensure the request is reviewed by the end of the academic year. 
• Friday, November 14, 2025 for Fall only enrolled students

We CANNOT process cost of attendance adjustment requests after the last term of enrollment for a student for the aid year. 

The Process

The Cost of Attendance Adjustment Request Form includes information about which expenses can be claimed and the proper documentation required. Please ensure that you have properly documented your expenses, as any expenses that are not properly documented will not be considered. You can fill out the Cost of Attendance Adjustment Request form in our Berkeley Financial Aid Forms portal. 

• Most cost of attendance adjustment requests are funded with additional loan, work-study, or outside scholarships that you bring with you to Berkeley.