Cost Of Attendance

The Cost of Attendance (COA) is an estimate of a student's educational expenses for an academic year.

Note: This cost of attendance is provided as information only for US Financial Aid recipients, and not for all international students.

The basic components which establish the COA are the same for US Federal Student Aid programs, and are specified under US law.

Your allowable segments included in your annual COA from Avondale College are defined as follows:

Tuition and Fees: Varies depending on units enrolled
Living Expenses: $18,000*
Return home: one time only allowance award on first application$2000 AUD
Laptop Computer: one time only allowance award on first application for aid at Avondale College $1500 AUD
Compulsory Health Care: visa length cover is required $480 AUD minimum
Books and Supplies: $1,200 AUD

* The Australian Government requires students to have at least $18,000 AUD per year available for living expenses.

Note: The above figures are for 2012 and are in Australian Dollars and will be converted to US Dollars on the day the COA is prepared. These figures are reviewed annually and updated where necessary.

If you believe you are eligible to receive additional amounts (dependent care, disability related expenses, study abroad costs, etc), please complete the COA Adjustment and Appeal form (Click here) and submit the form with supporting documentation to the Financial Aid Officer who will assess your case.

For students that hold dual US and Australian/New Zealand citizenship or Permanent Residency, your COA will be adjusted to reflect your student status.


Exchange Rates



Rates are constantly changing. Sample conversions can be done at http://www.xe.com/ucc

Studying at a foreign institution means that there will always be some difference in exchange rates between the date of calculation and issue of your COA and actual receipt of your loans funding at Avondale College. Avondale Financial Aid will not adjust Cost of Attendance documents due to the minor day-to-day fluctuation in exchange rates.

We generally advise that students apply for their COA to be assessed and issued from Avondale close to, but a reasonable amount of time before, the commencement of their session of study. Should there be a major** readjustment of in exchange rates between the Australian and US dollars that disadvantage a student, you are invited to appeal to Avondale's Financial Aid Officer to have your COA updated.

*Avondale College will assess each application for a loan individually and therefore each COA will be slightly different, based on the program and details of the student. The living and related expense amounts noted above however will not generally be changed for individual circumstances. If, after you receive your COA calculation from Avondale, you can demonstrate that your education related expenses will be more than the amount you were advised, you may appeal formally to the Avondale College Financial Aid Contact. This can be done by downloading and completing a COA Adjustment and Appeal Form Click here and attaching written proven details of any additional direct study related expenses. This should then be sent to the Avondale College Financial Aid Officer. For further advice or queries please contact the Financial Aid Officer.

**Major readjustment is generally defined as over 25% change in exchange rates. Each appeal will be considered on its merits on a case-by-case basis using the above processes.