Each year the Haas Financial Aid Office provides an Estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) which is used as the basis for determining financial aid eligibility during the 9-month academic year. As official figures are averaged for all UC Berkeley students, actual housing costs may be higher.
If you find that the estimated COA does not adequately reflect your living expenses for the 9-month academic year, you may submit a COA Adjustment Request (COAAR) Form to increase your budget for additional loan eligibility.
Expenses that may be considered for COA Adjustment include costs of:
- Your rent and utilities
- Purchasing a computer (you can only request this once during the course of your program)
- Uninsured medical, dental, or optical expenses
- Transportation
- Childcare expenses
- Special books and supplies
- Relocating expenses (entering students living off-campus only)
The COAAR Form includes information about which expenses can be claimed and the required documentation. Please note that COAARs are subject to review and correct documentation must be uploaded for compliance to be approved. COAARs that do not have proper documentation will be rejected and will need to be resubmitted with appropriate documentation in order to proceed.
Please Schedule a Consultation with the Haas Financial Aid Office prior to the adjustment request. You may be expected to complete a budget review prior to the approval of requests for additional expenses. The COAAR form will be provided to you during/after the consultation with our office.
Non-Allowable Budget Adjustments: Federal law specifically states that we cannot include consumer debt (ex. credit cards, car loans). We strongly suggest you attempt to repay any existing consumer debt prior to coming to Haas. In addition, expenses for student conferences, study trips, club fees, or other extracurricular activities cannot be added to your budget. These expenses are not considered for financial aid purposes as they are not required to earn your degree.