How Budgets Are Derived and Updated

NCU reviews student budgets each year to determine current and reasonable expenses to attend NCU. NCU has chosen to use CollegeBoard guidelines, based on data from the most recent Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) and the Indexes of Comparative Costs, both produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Because a standardized budget is used, students are not asked to provide receipts to prove expenses. The budget will not be increased unless unusual or exceptional circumstances exist and are approved through a Professional Judgment decision.

A student budget consists of anticipated charges. These charges include average tuition and fees based on degree level, average books and supplies, and an estimated amount for indirect costs. Indirect costs include items such as room and board, transportation, and miscellaneous personal expenses. The institution uses a standardized amount for indirect costs to determine financial aid eligibility.

There are times when students have additional educational expenses based on program requirements. NCU will consider adjustments to cost of attendance in these situations, if requested by a student, on a case-by-case basis.

Costs in the budget include:

Tuition and fees: The average tuition amount for the loan period is based upon degree level, mandatory fees including a one-time learning management fee, and estimated loan fees
Books, supplies, transportation and miscellaneous personal expenses; these expenses are based on estimates from CollegeBoard
Room and board: The standardized amount is based upon the student attending a distance education University; it includes the estimated cost for such things as rent, utilities and food

The budgets for 2016-2017 are:

	Number of Courses in the Loan Period
	1	2	3	4	5	6(+)	7	8(+)
Undergraduate	$3,430	$6,860	$10,289	$13,720	$17,150	$20,580	$24,010	$27,440
Master’s and Post-Bachelors Certificates	$5,033	$10,066	$15,099	$20,132	$25,165	$30,198
Doctoral and Post-Master’s Certificates	$5,852	$11,704	$17,556	$23,408	$29,260	$35,112

The budgets for 2017-2018 are:

	Number of Courses in the Loan Period
	1	2	3	4	5	6(+)	7	8(+)
Undergraduate	$3,481	$6,962	$10,443	$13,924	$17,405	$20,886	$24,367	$27,848
Masters and Post-Bachelors Certificates	$5,270	$10,540	$15,810	$21,080	$26,350	$31,620
Doctoral and Post-Masters Certificates	$5,915	$11,830	$17,745	$23,660	$29,575	$35,490

Budget Restrictions

Certain student categories are restricted with regard to allowable budget components:

Student Category	Restriction(s)
Correspondence students	N/A - NCU is an online education institution and does not offer correspondence courses
Incarcerated students	Are limited in COA determination to tuition and fees, required books, and supplies Are ineligible for Federal Student Aid (FSA) loans If in a federal or state penal institution are ineligible for Pell grants
Less-than-half-time students	N/A - All students at NCU are considered full-time.
Active Military Students and Students Receiving Military Tuition Assistance	Active Military students and students receiving military tuition assistance may have reduced budgets to allow for BAH payments and reduced tuition, when applicable.
Employee Voucher	Employees with approved vouchers are charged for tuition - therefore the student’s budget may be adjusted to ensure the student does not exceed COA.
Students using Title IV funding concurrently at another institution.	NCU will only award direct cost to student using Title IV funding at another institution.

Budget Appeals

A written appeal can be submitted to the Student Financial Services Team if the student believes they have unusual expenses not reflected in the standard budget. The appeal letter must include a description of the unusual circumstances and in some cases, additional documentation may be required. The Student Financial Services Team will notify the student of the decision.