Cost of attendance

What "cost of attendance" means

Cost of attendance (COA) is the federal estimate of the full cost of a year at UW–Porter Falls — not just the bill. It has two parts: direct costs Porter charges you (tuition, segregated fees, and, if you live on campus, housing and a meal plan), and indirect costs you pay elsewhere (books and course materials, transportation, personal expenses, and federal loan fees if you borrow). Financial aid is awarded against the full COA, so both parts matter.

The figures below are for the 2026–27 academic year (fall + spring), full-time undergraduate. They are estimates for planning; your actual bill depends on your credits, residency, housing choice, and meal plan. For the explainer version see cost of attendance, explained.

Full cost of attendance by residency

Three residency rates apply: Wesconsin resident; the Midwest Student Exchange rate for residents of participating states (Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio); and non-resident. Fully online students pay a separate flat rate — see below.

"Housing & food" on campus is a standard double room plus the standard meal plan; a single room adds $1,620. Off-campus and with-family housing/food are estimates the university publishes for aid purposes, not amounts Porter charges.

Per-credit and part-time rates

Students enrolled in fewer than 12 credits a term are billed per credit. Segregated fees are prorated for part-time students.

Full-time undergraduate tuition is a flat "plateau" rate for 12–18 credits, so a 15- or 16-credit schedule — the pace that finishes a degree in four years — costs the same as 12. Credits above 18 are billed per credit on top of the plateau.

Online programs

Fully online degree programs (see Online @ Porter) are billed at the flat online per-credit rate above with no non-resident surcharge — an online student in any state pays the same. Fully online students are not charged the segregated activity, recreation, or transit fees; a per-term online course fee of about $45 covers the learning platform and library delivery. Books are usually an included digital-courseware fee or an open text.

Program and course fees

Most programs carry no fee beyond tuition. These do:

A one-time new-student fee of $150 covers orientation, the Campus Card, and first-year records setup. Course-material costs are shown with each course in class search.

What you actually pay — net price

Net price is the full cost of attendance minus the grants and scholarships you do not repay (not loans, not work-study). About 72% of Porter undergraduates receive gift aid. The average net price for a first-time, full-time resident receiving aid was $11,340.

Net price varies most with family income. These are averages for first-time, full-time students who received federal aid, by family adjusted gross income:

Your own number can differ a lot from the average for your band — it depends on assets, family size, number in college, and the specific scholarships you qualify for. Run the net price calculator for a personalized estimate, and see net price and return on investment for how to weigh it.

Four-year cost projection

A planning estimate for a resident living on campus, assuming tuition and fees rise about 3% a year and the student takes 30 credits a year:

58% of Porter undergraduates graduate with no student debt. Among those who borrow, median debt at graduation is $17,900, below the Wesconsin and national medians, and below the amount the median Porter graduate earns in their first eight months of work.

Paying the bill

The semester bill is due about a week before classes begin and is posted in MyPorter in the preceding month. Options:

• Pay in full by the due date — check, e-check (no fee), or card (2.85% service fee).
• Payment plan — split a semester into four or five monthly payments for a $35-per-semester enrollment fee and no interest.
• Financial aid — accepted aid is applied to the bill first; you are billed for the remainder, and any aid above the bill is refunded to you within the first two weeks for living costs.
• Employer or third-party billing — student accounts invoices a sponsor directly; deferred-payment terms wait for reimbursement.

An unpaid balance places a hold that blocks registration and transcripts. Talk to the one-stop student-account desk before a due date you cannot meet — a plan is almost always possible.

Refunds if you drop or withdraw

Dropping below full-time or withdrawing changes what you owe on a stepped schedule keyed to the term start. For a standard fall or spring semester:

Compressed courses (Winter Term, summer, seven-week online) compress this schedule with them — the 100% window on a three-week course can be two days. Federal aid has its own "return of Title IV funds" calculation that can require paying some aid back if you withdraw early; the aid office runs it and explains the result. See the academic calendar for the exact dates each term.

Special and reduced rates

Active-duty military and eligible veterans

Charged the Wesconsin resident rate regardless of home state; the Veteran Resource Center certifies GI Bill benefits in house.

Wesconsin residents 60 and older

May audit most undergraduate courses at no tuition charge on a space-available basis (fees still apply).

Porter employees and their dependents

A tuition-remission benefit reduces or waives tuition for employees and, at a partial rate, for a spouse or dependent child.

High school students (dual enrollment)

No tuition charge for approved dual-enrollment courses taken while still in high school; see dual enrollment.

Second-degree and non-degree students

Charged the same per-credit tuition as degree-seeking students at their residency; non-degree students are not eligible for federal aid.

Senior-year "super-senior" overload

Students within 15 credits of graduation may petition for a reduced per-credit rate on credits above the plateau in their final term.

What is not included

The cost of attendance does not include a computer (most programs assume you have a laptop; the library lends loaners and a few programs specify a machine), travel home between terms, greek-life dues, a car and parking permit beyond the transportation estimate, health insurance (recommended; a student plan is available and can be billed to the account), or the one-time costs of moving in. Program kits — tools, a drafting set, scrubs, safety gear — are listed on each program page and range from about $80 to $600.