Student Budget

The standard student budget represents average costs for most students, and establishes an annual limit on financial aid (grants and loans from all sources) available to each student. Each year, the Financial Aid Committee reviews Bureau of Labor Statistics data in conjunction with local area rental rates and student-reported expenses to arrive at a reasonable budget that allows for a moderate standard of living.

Please note that the 2012-13 Student Budget has not yet been set by the HLS Financial Aid Committee.

2011-2012 Standard Student Budget (9-mo. academic year)

* The Financial Aid Committee anticipates that some first-year students will spend more than this allowance for books and supplies, since book costs for first year students are typically higher than those for second and third year students. Moreover, book costs for the first semester of the first year are typically higher than those for the second semester. The Committee believes that the Books and Supplies Allowance is sufficient to cover these costs for most first year students, but some students may find that they need to allocate some funds from their room/board/personal allocation to meet their book and supply costs.

Please note that the standard budget includes a nine-month Room/Board/Personal expense living allowance of $19,050, which works out to a monthly allowance of $2,116. We intentionally do not provide our interpretation of how this amount of money should be broken down across various expense categories. This is a highly personal decision; therefore, we leave it to you to allocate this allowance among your living and other expenses based on your particular needs and priorities. As indicated above, some first year students may need to allocate a small portion of the Room/Board/Personal Allowance toward book and supplies expenses, and therefore may have a lower remaining monthly allowance for living expenses.

International students do not pay Stafford Loan Fees. The travel allowance for international students is increased by $102 to produce the same total budget.

Please review the policy section of our website for more detailed information regarding student budget policies.