Paying for College

Your cost of attending is made up of two different types of costs: direct and indirect.

Direct expenses are items that will appear on your Hawkeye bill such as tuition and fees and possibly books purchased or rented through the Hawkeye Bookstore.

Indirect expenses are expenses that are incurred as a result of attending school, are not billable through Hawkeye, and are often paid to a third party outside the College. For Hawkeye, this would include transportation, books, other supplies, food, and housing.

In general, when a student is receiving financial aid, this aid is applied to the direct costs first for the semester. Once the student's direct costs are paid in full, any remaining financial aid they were offered would be sent to the student (or parent in the case of a parent PLUS loan) to pay for indirect costs.

Hawkeye is required to use the Estimated Cost of Attendance when determining a student’s financial need. The Estimated Cost of Attendance also sets the limit on the total financial aid a student may receive. The cost components that can be included are prescribed by law.

Cost Components Included in the Estimated Cost of Attendance

• Tuition and fees:

  • Based on 29 credit hours for fall and spring at the resident tuition and fees per credit hour cost. Initial estimates for summer are based on 7 credit hours at the resident tuition and fees per credit hour cost.
  • The prior year average credit hours enrolled is used to determine these estimates.
  • This estimate would be adjusted based on the student’s enrollment level if below 12 credits.
  • Visit your program's courses page for more information on your program's cost including course fees.

• Books, course materials, supplies, and equipment:

  • Estimates are based on state averages.
  • This estimate would be adjusted based on the student’s enrollment level if below 12 credits.
  • Visit the Hawkeye Bookstore for more information.

• Transportation:

  • Estimates are based on state averages and economic factors.
  • Initial estimates are calculated with 16 weeks of enrollment each fall and spring semester and 8 weeks in the summer.
  • This component is adjusted to the actual number of weeks a student is enrolled for the semester on the Financial Aid Lock Date.

• Personal expenses:

  • Estimates are based on state averages.
  • Initial estimates are calculated with 16 weeks of enrollment each fall and spring semester and 8 weeks in the summer.
  • This component is adjusted based on the actual number of weeks a student is enrolled for the semester on the Financial Aid Lock Date.
  • Personal expenses cannot be included in the cost of attending if the student is enrolled in five or fewer credits.

• Housing and food (formerly Room and Board) — Living Expenses:

  • Estimates are based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
  • Initial estimates are calculated with 16 weeks of enrollment each fall and spring semester and 8 weeks in the summer.
  • Students would have greater living expenses if they were living off-campus vs. with parent. The student indicates living arrangements on the FAFSA.
  • Hawkeye does not have college owned housing.
  • This component is adjusted based on the actual number of weeks a student is enrolled for the semester on the Financial Aid Lock Date.
  • Housing and food expenses cannot be included in the cost of attending if the student is enrolled in five or fewer credits.

• Loan fees:

  • Based on the average cost of borrowing student loans or parent PLUS loans. The average is calculated using Hawkeye student borrowing data from two years prior.

Some programs, especially career and technical programs, may have additional costs such as course fees, uniforms, tools, supplies, or equipment expenses. Contact your faculty advisor for estimated additional program costs.

If you have costs that exceed what is already included in the average cost of attending and feel that your cost of attending (student budget) should be adjusted for financial aid purposes because you are enrolled in a program that requires tools or equipment, please see Special and Unusual Circumstance Appeals > Cost of Attendance Appeal.

The purchase or rental of a personal computer can be included in a student's budget when documentation is provided to the Financial Aid Office. However, it does not guarantee additional financial assistance.

Dental Hygiene students have higher than the average costs for course fees. These costs will automatically be added to their student budget to more accurately estimate the program costs.