Cost of Attendance

2023-2024

Federal and state aid regulations and laws require institutions to establish a Cost of Attendance (COA) for each student receiving any kind of financial aid or student support. The COA is derived from direct costs such as tuition, fees, housing, and food and indirect costs such as books, supplies, personal miscellaneous expenses, and transportation costs. Institutions use the Expected Family Contribution as calculated by the information submitted on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and a student's COA to determine the student's financial need.

Cost of Attendance (COA) minus (-) Expected Family Contribution (EFC) equals (=) Financial Need

Arkansas Resident

Status Hours Tuition Fees Tuition/Fee Subtotal Books Room Board Personal Transportation Total
Undergraduate Dep. dorm/off 30 $7,666 $2,082 $9,748 $1,154 $8,366 $4,924 $3,176 $2,640 $30,008
Undergraduate Dep. w/parent 30 $7,666 $2,082 $9,748 $1,154 $4,183 $2,462 $3,176 $2,640 $23,363
Undergraduate Independent 30 $7,666 $2,082 $9,748 $1,154 $8,366 $4,924 $3,176 $2,640 $30,008
Graduate 24 $10,500 $1,660 $12,160 $1,154 $8,366 $4,924 $3,176 $2,640 $32,420
Graduate (Business)
24
$14,324 $1,902 $16,226 $1,154 $8,366 $4,924 $3,176 $2,640 $36,486
Law
30 $15,500 $2,398 $17,898 $1,154 $8,366 $4,924 $3,176 $2,640 $38,158

Non-resident of Arkansas

Status Hours Tuition Fees Tuition/Fee Subtotal Books Room Board Personal Transportation Total
Undergraduate Dep. dorm/off 30 $26,690 $2,082 $28,772 $1,154 $8,366 $4,924 $3,176 $2,640 $49,032
Undergraduate Dep. w/parent 30 $26,690 $2,082 $28,772 $1,154 $4,183 $2,462 $3,176 $2,640 $42,387
Undergraduate Independent 30 $26,690 $2,082 $28,772 $1,154 $8,366 $4,924 $3,176 $2,640 $49,032
Graduate 24 $28,560 $1,660 $30,220 $1,154 $8,366 $4,924 $3,176 $2,640 $50,480
Graduate (Business)
24
$40,386 $1,902 $42,288 $1,154 $8,366 $4,924 $3,176 $2,640 $62,548
Law 30 $37,334 $2,398 $39,732 $1,154 $8,366 $4,924 $3,176 $2,640 $59,992

Note: Budget Amounts were adjusted for rounding to accommodate UAConnect budgetary rules.

Tuition and Fees *Undergraduate *Graduate **Grad. Business ***Law
Resident $324.91 per hour $506.71 per hour $676.01 per hour $596.63 per hour
Non-resident $959.08 per hour $1,259.19 per hour $1,761.92 per hour $1,324.42 per hour

*Includes mandatory fees and Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences College Fees

** Includes 24 hours of Graduate Business tuition, mandatory fees, WCOB college fees

*** Includes 30 hours of Law tuition, mandatory fees, and LAW college fees.  The LL.M. program has a higher tuition rate, but the program is only 24 hours. The tuition and fees for 30 hours of Law is about equal to 24 hours of tuition and fees for the LL.M. program

The Treasurer's Office provides further information on tuition and fees with detailed information available at Fayetteville Policy 511.0 and Fayetteville Policy 511.1.

Loan fees are not calculated in the average cost of attendance. For 2023-2024, the undergraduate loan fee is $68.00 and the graduate and law loan fee is $164.00.  These numbers are based upon the average Stafford loan amount for the previous academic year per career.

Individual student budgets may be higher or lower depending on a student's program of study, courses enrolled, hours of enrollment, and/or on-campus room and board.

The University of Arkansas offers an opportunity to students from across the country by making tuition and fees even more affordable through the New Arkansan Non-Resident Tuition Award Scholarship . The New Arkansan NRTA covers the majority of the difference between out-of-state tuition and in-state tuition and is automatically granted to eligible degree-seeking students.

Childcare, cooperative education program expenses, costs of a professional credential, study abroad, additional disability expenses, and computer expenses must be documented before being added to the student's budget.

University of Arkansas Overaward Policy

Federal and state need-based aid laws and regulations stipulate that students receiving federal or state-funded aid cannot receive assistance (from any source) more than calculated financial need. This is considered a need-based aid overaward.

Federal and state need-based awards include programs such as:

  • Federal Pell Grant
  • Federal Supplement Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
  • State-Funded Scholarship/Grant Programs
  • Federal Perkins Loan
  • Federal Work-Study
  • Federal Direct Subsidized Loan

Adjustment of the awards in the student’s financial aid package to eliminate a need-based overaward is required by federal/state law if any of the above federal/state need-based awards are included in the student's financial aid package.

In addition to the above federal/state need-based overaward requirements, the University of Arkansas applies a Cost of Attendance Overaward Policy for all students who receive assistance from any source. Awards in the package will be adjusted (cancelled or reduced) until the cost of attendance overaward has been eliminated.

The University of Arkansas uses all scholarship and grant awards in the student's financial aid package from any source (federal, state, institutional, and outside funding) in the calculation to determine if the student's total awards exceed the cost of attendance. The Office of Financial Aid and Academic Scholarships will attempt to eliminate an overaward by considering a student’s request for a COA/budget increase. A student’s budget may be adjusted for additional costs such as dependent care, study abroad, disability expenses, required research expenses, and/or employment expenses for a co-op study. Also, a student's budget maybe be adjusted for expenses associated with the purchase of a computer, usually, once during your undergraduate degree and once as a graduate student.

Personal expenses can only be adjusted if there is an extraordinary circumstance. Appropriate documentation is always required. Adjustments for discretionary consumer expenses are not allowed. A budget increase request should be made to the student's financial aid counselor.

Any required adjustments will be made from the awards listed below in the order indicated. In most circumstances, aid from outside/private organizations and the federal Pell Grant will not be reduced or cancelled. Students may choose to decline an award listed lower in the priority in favor of one listed higher.

  • Alternative (Private) Loan
  • Federal PLUS Loan
  • Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan
  • Subsidized Federal Direct Loan
  • Health Professions Loan
  • Federal Work Study*
  • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
  • Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship
  • University of Arkansas' funded/controlled Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships
  • Aid from outside/private organizations
  • Federal Pell Grant

If an overaward occurs after aid has been disbursed, the student may be required to repay all or a portion of their financial aid to the University.

The COA overaward policy applies to all University of Arkansas students. However, in most circumstances, aid adjustments will not be made for graduate students who have only been awarded aid from outside/private organizations and University of Arkansas Foundation funded fellowships. Nevertheless, these overawards will be included in any required Arkansas Department of Higher Education overaward reports.

*There may be situations where Work Study will only need to be reduced to an amount of earned funds that allows for up to a $300 need overaward per 34 CFR 673.5(d).

Special Projects Policy

In keeping with federal regulations, all University of Arkansas students that utilize federal financial aid, state aid, and/or institutional aid may receive a budget/cost of attendance increase up to the actual cost of a special project. Students must submit an itemized budget, signed by a professor or a program advisor on department letterhead that provides individual expenses and verifies that the expenditures are reasonable, necessary, and not covered directly by the department. Expenses incurred for special projects must be required for the student’s program of study. The financial aid office will ensure that no duplication of standard budget/cost of attendance components exists at the time of review and may, in some circumstances, require receipts to verify incurred expenses prior to awarding additional aid eligibility.

Students who have been awarded an Arkansas Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Honors College Research Grant, Honors College Travel Grant, or such similar research award with a professor/research mentor approved budget component as part of the application package, may submit that budget in lieu of the departmental letterhead budget.

This policy is not applicable to students who have been awarded aid from outside organizations and agencies only, and who will not be utilizing federal, state, or institutional aid.