We may be able to increase your budget—and your financial aid eligibility—if you incur expenses during the academic year that are higher than your standard financial aid budget.
What costs are allowable?
Expenses often considered for COA Adjustment include:
- The cost of your rent and utilities or the cost of your university residence hall.
- The cost of purchasing a computer; you can only request this once every three years.
- The cost of uninsured medical, dental, or optical expenses.
- The cost of transportation.
- The cost of childcare expenses.
- The cost of books and supplies.
- The cost of relocating expenses (for entering students living off-campus only).
What costs are not allowable?
Federal regulations prohibit the Financial Aid Office from providing Title IV funds to students for covering the following expenses; therefore, these expenses cannot be included in the COA.
- Automobile payments, repairs, and insurance
- Bar review courses/Bar prep costs
- Consumer debt (e.g., credit card payments, etc.)
- Interview costs
- Chromebook Laptops / Ipads purchases as they do not meet tech requirements
Please note that there is no COA Adjustment process for the summer term for JD students.
The Adjustment Request Process
The Cost of Attendance Adjustment Request Form includes information about which expenses can be claimed and the proper documentation required. Please ensure that you have properly documented your expenses, as any expenses that are not properly documented will not be considered. Please follow the steps below to submit your request:
- It is required for you to speak with a financial aid advisor prior to completing the adjustment request form. Please schedule an appointment or stop by our office to speak with a financial aid advisor. We will go over what type of supporting documentation you need to submit for the COAAR.
- After you speak with a financial aid advisor, you can fill out the COAAR form in our Berkeley Financial Aid Forms portal.
- To ensure the fastest processing of your request, please email financial-aid-law@berkeley.edu once you have submitted your request. Typically, you will hear from us within 5-7 business days whether your request has been approved or not. If there is conflicting information or unclear information that must be addressed, the review may take longer.
Please note: Most cost of attendance adjustment requests are funded with additional loan, work-study, or outside scholarships that you bring with you to Berkeley.
Deadlines
Please visit the Forms page to learn the application deadline for the COAAR and to determine when the COAAR form will be made available for the new academic year.