Financial Aid
Full-Time Cost of Attendance for 2013-2014
Below is a chart of the costs of attendance for a full-time student (12-19 credit hours per semester) at Southwestern.
| Living On Campus | Living Off Campus | Living at home with parents | |
| Tuition and Fees | $35,240 | $35,240 | $35,240 |
| Room (average) | $5,650 | $2,500 | $0 |
| Board (average) | $5,360 | $3,300 | $2,610 |
| Books and Supplies | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 |
| Transportation, Personal and Misc. | $1,220 | $1,400 | $1,480 |
| Total | $48,670 | $43,640 | $40,530 |
Note: All new students who have fewer than four full semesters in college are required to live on-campus.
Detailed cost information on Residence Halls, Board Plans and other fees is available.
Southwestern & Financial Aid
Southwestern awards over $18 million in institutional funds each year, in addition to over $2 million in federal and state grants annually.
To apply for need-based financial aid, students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is available at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Each year, tuition covers about half of the cost of a Southwestern education. The remainder is covered via a “hidden scholarship,” made up of earnings from the University’s permanent endowment of more than $280 million and gifts from alumni and friends. Conversely, similar top national liberal arts colleges charge up to $45,000 to cover annual tuition, fees, room and board for the same type of educational experience.
Southwestern consistently has maintained its reputation as one of the nation’s best liberal arts colleges at a cost notably less than most other highly selective national institutions. Because of this, The Princeton Review identifies Southwestern University as one of the nation’s ‘best value’ undergraduate institutions in its book America’s Best Value Colleges. They note that the cost of attending Southwestern is “$10,000 to $15,000 lower than what you would expect for a liberal arts college of its academic caliber.”
Southwestern has many types of financial aid available.
