American Public University System Catalog
2026 - 2027 Catalog
Financial Aid Cost of Attendance
Your financial aid cost of attendance (COA) is the estimated average and reasonable cost of completing an academic year at Rasmussen University part of American Public University System ("Rasmussen"). An academic year usually consists of nine months (three quarters). Your COA serves as the foundation for determining your financial need as well as the amount of financial aid, including grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study that can be offered to you. The COA can only include costs for the individual student. The Student Financial Aid Office may adjust the COA for students on a case-by-case basis to address individual, unique circumstances.
Your actual charges for tuition and fees, also known as Direct Costs, will be different than what is reflected in your financial aid COA. That is because the COA is based on estimated averages. To view your actual tuition and fee charges, go to the Student Account Center. Indirect Costs are external expenses that you may incur during the academic year as part of your educational experience. These costs are not billed to your student account, but they are part of the Financial Aid COA.
All COA components shown below are for nine months and full-time (12+ credits is full time for undergraduate programs and 8+ credits is full-time for graduate programs). Students attending less than full-time are eligible for financial aid; however, the COA and maximum awards may be adjusted for attending less than full-time and/or less than an Academic Year. All programs have a one-time program administrative fee that may be added to the COA.
EXAMPLES of 2026-2027 Undergraduate Financial Aid Cost of Attendance (COA)
Business, Technology, Design, Early Childhood Education Bachelor's, Human Services, Justice Studies except Law Enforcement, and Health Sciences except residential program
| Cost Items | Living With Parent | Not Living With Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Average Direct Costs | ||
| Tuition | $11,628 | $11,628 |
| Fees | $2,400 | $2,400 |
| Books, course materials, supplies, and equipment | $675 | $675 |
| Administrative Fee ras-one-time-program-administrative-fee | $125 | $125 |
| TOTAL Average Direct Costs ras-actual-tuition | $14,828 | $14,828 |
| Estimated Indirect Costs | ||
| Living Expenses ras-military-basic-allowance | $5,454 | $10,863 |
| Personal Costs | $3,411 | $3,411 |
| Transportation | $4,995 | $4,995 |
| TOTAL Estimated Indirect Costs ras-actual-costs-choice-habits | $13,860 | $19,269 |
| Total Estimated COA | $28,688 | $34,097 |
Residential Medical Assisting, Medical Laboratory Technician, Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiologic Technology, Surgical Technologist and Law Enforcement Programs
| Cost Items | Living With Parent | Not Living With Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Average Direct Costs | ||
| Tuition | $11,628 | $11,628 |
| Fees | $2,400 | $2,400 |
| Books, course materials, supplies, and equipment | $675 | $675 |
| Administrative Fee 1 | $350 | $350 |
| TOTAL Average Direct Costs ras-actual-tuition | $15,053 | $15,053 |
| Estimated Indirect Costs | ||
| Living Expenses ras-military-basic-allowance | $5,454 | $10,863 |
| Personal Costs | $3,411 | $3,411 |
| Transportation | $4,995 | $4,995 |
| TOTAL Estimated Indirect Costs ras-actual-costs-choice-habits | $13,860 | $19,269 |
| Total Estimated COA | $28,913 | $34,322 |
Early Childhood Education (Certificate, Diploma or Associate Program)
Residential Medical Assisting, Medical Laboratory Technician, Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiologic Technology, Surgical Technologist and Law Enforcement Programs
| Cost Items | Living With Parent | Not Living With Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Average Direct Costs | ||
| Tuition | $11,628 | $11,628 |
| Fees | $2,400 | $2,400 |
| Books, course materials, supplies, and equipment | $675 | $675 |
| Administrative Fee ras-one-time-program-administrative-fee | $350 | $350 |
| TOTAL Average Direct Costs ras-actual-tuition | $15,053 | $15,053 |
| Estimated Indirect Costs | ||
| Living Expenses ras-military-basic-allowance | $5,454 | $10,863 |
| Personal Costs | $3,411 | $3,411 |
| Transportation | $4,995 | $4,995 |
| TOTAL Estimated Indirect Costs ras-actual-costs-choice-habits | $13,860 | $19,269 |
| Total Estimated COA | $28,913 | $34,322 |
School of Nursing Diploma and Associate Programs / School of Nursing Bachelor’s Program
| School of Nursing Diploma and Associate Programs | School of Nursing Bachelor’s Program | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost Items | Living With Parent | Not Living With Parent | Living With Parent | Not Living With Parent |
| Average Direct Costs | ||||
| Tuition | $18,180 | $18,180 | $17,118 | $17,118 |
| Fees | $2,400 | $2,400 | $2,400 | $2,400 |
| Books, course materials, supplies, and equipment | $675 | $675 | $675 | $675 |
| Administrative Fee $495 | $495 | $495 | $495 | $495 |
| TOTAL Average Direct Costs ras-actual-tuition | $21,750 | $21,750 | $20,688 | $20,688 |
| Estimated Indirect Costs | ||||
| Living Expenses ras-military-basic-allowance | $5,454 | $10,863 | $5,454 | $10,863 |
| Personal Costs | $3,411 | $3,411 | $3,411 | $3,411 |
| Transportation | $4,995 | $4,995 | $4,995 | $4,995 |
| TOTAL Estimated Indirect Costsras-actual-costs-choice-habits | $13,860 | $19,269 | $13,860 | $19,269 |
| Total Estimated COA | $35,610 | $41,019 | $34,548 | $39,957 |
EXAMPLES of 2026-2027 Graduate Financial Aid Cost of Attendance (COA)
| All Schools except Nursing | School of Nursing - Master of Science in Nursing and Nursing Post Graduate Certificate | School of Nursing – Master of Science in Nursing-NP, Nursing Post-Graduate Certificate-NP, Doctor of Nursing Practice | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost Items | Living With Parent | Not Living With Parent | Living With Parent | Not Living With Parent | Living With Parent | Not Living With Parent |
| Average Direct Costs | ||||||
| Tuition | $6,183 | $6,183 | $7,830 | $7,830 | $15,930 | $15,930 |
| Fees | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 |
| Books, course materials, supplies, and equipment | $450 | $450 | $450 | $450 | $450 | $450 |
| Administrative Fee ras-one-time-program-administrative-fee | $125 | $125 | $125 | $125 | $495 | $495 |
| TOTAL Average Direct Costs ras-actual-tuition | $7,958 | $7,958 | $9,605 | $9,605 | $18,075 | $18,075 |
| Estimated Indirect Costs | ||||||
| Living Expenses ras-military-basic-allowance | $5,454 | $10,863 | $5,454 | $10,863 | $5,454 | $10,863 |
| Personal Costs | $3,411 | $3,411 | $3,411 | $3,411 | $3,411 | $3,411 |
| Transportation | $4,995 | $4,995 | $4,995 | $4,995 | $4,995 | $4,995 |
| TOTAL Estimated Indirect Costs ras-actual-costs-choice-habits | $13,860 | $19,269 | $13,860 | $19,269 | $13,860 | $19,269 |
| Total Estimated COA | $21,818 | $27,227 | $23,465 | $28,874 | $31,935 | $37,344 |