Regardless of a family’s financial situation, attending college is a major investment. The Cost of Attendance represents a combination of direct charges and estimated indirect expenses. It is important to plan for these.

Direct or Billed Costs

Direct or billed costs are charges billed directly to student accounts (bills) each semester such as tuition, mandatory fees, and room and meals. 

Indirect Estimated Costs

Indirect estimated costs do not appear on student accounts (bills) and vary based on the individual student. These costs include books, personal expenses and possibly travel. Students may experience different levels of indirect expenses; however, the values listed represent allowances provided for the academic year.

Books & Materials

Most University Scholarship eligible students will be part of the Book/Course Materials Support (BCMS) Program; all books and required course materials are covered by the University and are obtained at the Brown Bookstore at no cost to the student. Therefore, a books & materials expense is not included as part of the Cost of Attendance (COA) in the financial aid offer. For those students who are not part of the program, the standard allowance of $1,300 is the estimated cost of books & materials and is included in the COA.

Personal

The standard allowance is based on estimated costs incurred for personal expenses during the academic year including clothing, laundry, toiletries, cell phone expenses, entertainment, local transportation, additional educationally-related supplies, and other incidentals. The allowance can serve as a planning tool to help students determine how much money to have available for these expenses.

Travel Allowance

An allowance for travel will be included in the Cost of Attendance based on a student’s home address. Students are responsible for all aspects of booking and paying for travel to and from Brown. To pay for travel up front, students are expected to use a portion of the funds they earn over the summer, as well as funds that are earned throughout the academic year as part of a student’s on or off campus employment.

Student Health Insurance Plan and Individual Expenses

A student’s health and individual expenses are not included in the Cost of Attendance. For example, students are required to have health insurance while attending Brown. If a student does not waive the University's health insurance plan, the Cost of Attendance will include an additional component for this charge, which for the academic year 2023-24 is $4,636.  Additional individual expenses not included may include: clothing for the New England climate, computer expenses, additional trips home during the academic year, etc.