Understanding Capella University Tuition and Costs

Planning for college expenses is a crucial part of the application process. Understanding the costs associated with Capella University, along with available financial aid options, is the first step in managing your investment in education. This article provides a comprehensive overview of Capella University's tuition, fees, financial aid, and other related expenses to help prospective students make informed decisions.

Cost of Attendance: The Sticker Price

The "Cost of Attendance" (COA) represents the total amount of money the average student pays to attend Capella University without any financial aid. It's essentially the school's sticker price. Capella University is required to establish a Cost of Attendance (COA) for students receiving federal financial aid in the form of grants or loans. COA is used to establish a student’s maximum financial aid amounts. The COA estimate may not be fully reflective of a student’s actual costs to attend Capella University. To calculate COA, the University utilizes the tuition and fees directly from the University Catalog. Other costs are estimated using data from the College Board and Institutional Data. Understanding the components of the COA is essential for budgeting and financial planning.

Components of the Cost of Attendance

The Cost of Attendance encompasses several direct and indirect costs. Direct costs include expenses paid directly to the university, such as tuition and fees. Indirect costs are other estimated expenses, such as books and supplies, personal expenses, and transportation but the COA estimate may not be fully reflective of a student’s actual costs to attend Capella University.

Tuition: Tuition costs vary depending upon the program. For more information, visit the Tuition and Fees page.
Fees: Weighted average for upper- and lower-division courses. For more information, visit the Tuition and Fees page.
Resource Kit Costs: Resource kit costs vary depending upon program. For more information, visit the Tuition and Fees page.
Books and Supplies: \$429 per year
Personal Expenses: Not available
Transportation: Not available

Some programs may have residency components. The indirect costs for those residencies are applied in the term in which the residency is attended. Learners are responsible for the cost of their travel, accommodations, food, and other expenses associated with residencies. See university policy 3.04.05 Attendance at Residencies and the Residencies page on Campus. Some programs may have costs associated with licensure/credentials. The indirect costs related to licensure are applied in the final payment period of the program. Eligible learners may have a COA adjustment for the documented expense of a computer. The amount allotted for this is $441.

Net Price: What You Actually Pay

The Net Price is the actual amount you pay to the school out of pocket after deducting grants and scholarships from the total Cost of Attendance. Average Net Price is $16,975 per year. Your net price is a college’s cost of attendance minus the grants and scholarships you receive. The net price you pay for a particular college is specific to you because it’s based on your personal circumstances and the college’s financial aid policies. Use the college’s Net Price calculator for the most accurate estimate of your net price.

Read also: Financial Aid at Capella

Understanding Financial Aid Options

Financial aid can significantly reduce the net price of attending Capella University. Financial aid packages vary depending on your financial need. Most colleges determine financial need based on your FAFSA. Financial aid includes grants, loans, scholarships, and work-study jobs.

Grants and Scholarships

Scholarships and grants don’t need to be paid back. These are forms of “gift aid” that can substantially lower your out-of-pocket expenses.

Loans

Loans must be paid back, typically after graduation. Federal loans tend to have low interest rates, which means they cost less in the long run. The more student loan money you borrow, the more debt you’ll end up with after graduation. Ideally, you want to minimize your student debt as much as possible. It’s generally a bad sign if a school has many students taking out a lot of loans. We’ll start with federal loans because, in general, federal loans are preferable to private loans.

Military Benefits

Military benefits may be available in select programs and learning formats for service members, veterans, their spouses and dependents.

Using the Net Price Calculator

Capella University provides a Net Price Calculator to help prospective students estimate their individual net price. This tool takes into account your financial situation and provides an estimate of costs and financial assistance for which you may be eligible. This is not a guarantee of an exact figure you may be awarded. To determine actual eligibility, you must complete the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA). By clicking the button below, you certify that you understand that the Net Price Calculator is used to provide an estimate of what your potential tuition costs may be for the program and degree you select. The Net Price Calculator estimates your eligibility for different types of funding and the cost of attendance for the degree and program you want to pursue. To plan and budget for your education, start here. Financing your education takes both planning and budgeting.

Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and Student Aid Index (SAI)

The US government has come up with a standardized way to calculate how much a typical family can afford to pay without help. Colleges use this number as a guideline to decide how much aid to give you, but it's just a guideline. The tool will calculate your Expected Family Contribution, or EFC. In order to calculate this amount, we need just 4 pieces of information from you. According to the information you’ve entered above, your Expected Family Contribution should be about $. This is the amount that the federal government thinks you can afford to pay for school. Please note this tool is only an approximation, and your personal situation may cause your EFC to vary.

Income tax information is needed to calculate your Student Aid Index, which is used to determine your award eligibility. If you’ve already submitted your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and received your Student Aid Report (SAR), your Student Aid Index (SAI) is in the SAR.

Transferring Credits

You may be able to transfer your credits from another accredited university to your Capella degree program. Capella University helps make credit transfer a straightforward process. *All transfer and credit for prior learning must be completed prior to starting any program in the FlexPath format. Any professional certification or external courses taken concurrently with FlexPath enrollment cannot be recognized in the Capella degree program. Number of credits you plan to transfer in to Capella, if any.

Program Tuition Cap

Learners may be eligible for the Program Tuition Cap if they are a new learner starting their program in an eligible start month. Some exclusions may apply in accordance with other scholarship or tuition payment arrangements. Eligibility requirements apply. Call an enrollment counselor at 1.866.679.9682 for more details.

Additional Financial Planning Resources

Employer Information: Connect with your employer to determine if you’re eligible for tuition reimbursement or tuition assistance. Capella also has relationships with certain employers that may qualify you for a discount.

Next Steps: Evaluating Value and Affordability

Once you have a Net Price estimate, you’ll want to figure out whether your family can afford to pay Capella University tuition and costs. As an example, a family that brings home $80,000 in income before taxes, with no assets and no other children in college, has an EFC of around $7,000.

Read also: Capella Login Assistance

If the Net Price is higher than the EFC, the school will cost more than you can typically afford.

Chances are, college won't be cheap. Have you considered a range of private and public schools? What if you didn't attend college at all? Here's our take: college will be a really important stage in your development. Going to a better, more reputable college will usually pay off in the long run.

As a regional school, Capella University may not be a household name nationwide, but it's known to people in the local area as a solid school. Compared to some other regional schools, Capella University didn't appear on our best value lists. This might be because the net price is higher than for other schools of similar reputation. This isn't the end of the world - you can likely still afford Capella University by taking out loans, earning scholarships, or working part-time. Overall, Capella University is a decent value, and going to college here will likely pay off over time.

Your next step should be to get a better idea of costs and aid availability at similar schools. If you’re interested in Capella University, you should check out some other high-value schools that could give you more bang for your buck. Get started here to check both in-state and out-of-state schools that might provide a better value. Finally, we're going to look at schools that might offer a better value than Capella University. To compile this list, we first find schools at similar academic levels, so you have a similar chance at getting in. It’s hard to know exactly what schools will be a great value for you without information on your family income. There are a lot of potential financial benefits that come with attending a school close to home. For example, in-state public schools tend to have subsidized tuitions for state residents.

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