Cost of Attendance

The total cost of attendance at a U.S. residential college includes tuition, room (housing), board (meals) and student activity fees. The tuition, fees, room and board charges are directly billed to the student.

However, the total cost of attendance also factors in the indirect costs of attending the college for a year which are additional costs the family and student must be prepared to cover outside of their directly billed costs. These include books, travel and the student’s personal expenses during their academic year.

There are two additional costs for international and U.S. abroad students not factored into the total cost of attendance. These include the directly billed cost of U.S. health insurance if the student is not already covered by a U.S. health insurance policy and the indirect, non-billed cost of the international flights.

The direct costs of tuition, fees, room and board charges cover only about 79% of the total cost of educating a student at Dickinson. Funding from Dickinson’s endowment and from alumni and foundation support makes up the difference. Students who receive need-based or merit-based aid are supported to an even greater degree.

See below for the breakdown of the direct and indirect costs of attending Dickinson College. These figures reflect the costs for the 2010-11 academic year.

Direct Cost of Attendance (standard fees for which the student is billed)

Tuition and Student Activity Fees: $41,520 

Room and Board (meal plan): $10,430

Possible Additional Direct Cost: Health insurance if the student is not covered by a U.S. insurance policy. In this case, an annual health-insurance fee (approximately $1,000 for 2010-11) will be charged to the student’s bill at the start of each academic year. Please note that health insurance does not cover all medical expenses, and the health-insurance fee may increase each year depending on the amount charged by the insurance provider.

Indirect Costs of Attendance (estimated additional expenses that vary for each student)  

Books:  $1,000

Personal Expenses: $1,000

Total Estimated Cost of Attendance:  $54,450 (plus health insurance if applicable)

In addition to the family’s contribution to the above educational costs, candidates are required to fund both their airfare to and from Dickinson College (one or two round-trip tickets per year depending on the students frequency of returning home over their Dickinson Career), any housing and food costs when classes are not in session.

Students are expected to contribute to the above cost of attendance to be considered for admission. The more the student can contribute the better the chance that Dickinson will be able to meet the family’s financial need (eligibility) with financial aid. A student’s financial-aid eligibility is the difference between the family’s contribution and the total cost of attendance.

For international students the financial eligibility is calculated from the Certification of Finances (COF) and , if applying for financial aid , the International Student Financial Aid Application (ISFAA) or the CSS Profile. Financial eligibility for U.S. citizens is calculated from the CSS Profile and FAFSA. The COF, ISFAA and CSS  Profile must be submitted with the student’s application by their chosen admission application plan deadline, and is a considered part of the overall review process. The FAFSA is available after January 1.

The typical Dickinson international financial-aid package includes a Dickinson Merit Scholarship or Dickinson Grant, a campus job for work assistance and a Dickinson loan which together provides financial aid up to the student’s financial-aid eligibility. U.S. citizen packages also could include a Merit Scholarship, Dickinson Grant, a campus job and a Federal Loan. See examples of Financial Aid packages for International and U.S. citizens on our Financial Aid Package page.