When determining a student's estimated Cost of Attendance for financial aid purposes, schools are limited by federal regulations as to what can be included in these estimates. Large schools like UT Austin cannot create individual budgets for each student, and therefore must use averages for groups of students in similar situations - resident undergraduate students have one Cost of Attendance and non-resident undergraduate students have another.

Our office does understand that some students may have necessary unusual educational expenses that are not included in our official estimated Cost of Attendance. In some cases, a student's estimated Cost of Attendance can be increased because of unusual expenses. This may or may not result in an increase in financial aid eligibility. Examples of these expenses may include:

• Required class supplies
• Expenses related to a disability
• Medical or educational debt
• Child care costs

If you think you have unusual educational expenses that are not included in the average Cost of Attendance, but fall into the above category, please complete our Special/Unusual Circumstances Appeal Form and submit it to our office.

Examples of situations in which our office cannot increase a student's estimated Cost of Attendance include:

• Individual housing choices - i.e. not having a roommate, living in an expensive apartment, etc.
• Credit card debt
• Automobile expenses
• Cell phones