Affordability

Cost of Attendance

The cost of attendance (COA) is one factor that will determine the final price of your degree at UMKC. It includes an estimate of direct costs — items paid directly to the university — and indirect costs — items related to your education but not billed by the university.

Direct costs

Indirect costs

Off-campus housing

Groceries

Personal expenses

Transportation

Travel

Books, technology and supplies (not from the UMKC bookstore)

Residency discounts

All Missouri residents, including lawful permanent residents, pay a lower tuition rate than out-of-state students in the same program. View residency policy.

Residents of some states and the military may qualify for tuition discounts. Plus, we provide scholarships for nonresidents that make up the difference between the in-state rate and the nonresident tuition rate.

Special circumstances

The cost of attendance can also include unexpected expenses, such as medical or dental bills and car repairs. However, you must complete a special circumstances appeal to have these expenses included in your cost of attendance.

Estimated Cost of Attendance

Student Aid Index

Starting with the 2024-25 FAFSA, the Student Aid Index (SAI), which is is a calculation of the amount of need-based financial aid a student is eligible to receive, will replace the Expected Family Contribution (EFC).

Your SAI is the amount the federal government calculates that you or your family can contribute toward your COA. It comes from the information that your provide when you submit your FAFSA. SAI is not the amount you or your family will be billed; it is used only to calculate how much financial aid you are eligible to receive.

COA - SAI = financial need

Students can receive an SAI as low as -$1,500, which more accurately determines an applicant’s financial need by accounting for expenses not included in the COA. The lowest EFC an applicant could receive was $0.

SAI comes from two sources:

Student and spouse contributor– Based on your income and a percentage of your savings and other assets, this is the estimated amount you and your spouse, if you're married, can contribute toward your college costs for the year.
Parent contributor – Based on your parents' assets, such as cash, bank accounts, investments and real estate holdings, as well as business equity, this is the estimated amount your parents can contribute toward your college costs for the year. Allowances for living expenses, based on family size, taxes paid and asset protection for retirement, are built into the formula.

Parents of independent students do not have to contribute their information on the FAFSA. However, independent students enrolled in a health professional program are required to provide parental contributor information if they want to be considered for certain types of aid from the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Federal Pell Grant eligibility

You qualify for a Federal Pell Grant if your adjusted gross income (AGI) is less than a certain threshold determined by the federal government. However, if you don't qualify on AGI alone, you may qualify using your SAI.