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Financial need is a student's calculated eligibility for financial assistance.

Eligibility is determined by subtracting the SAI (Student Aid Index) from the COA (Cost of Attendance).

Cost of Attendance – Student Aid Index = Financial Need

Many types of financial aid are offered based on financial need and are provided to help meet that need.  Some grant and scholarship programs may require information from the FAFSA to determine financial need.  So, it’s in your best interest to complete the FAFSA every year to increase opportunities for financial assistance. 

Most federal student aid programs require a student to have financial need, except for Direct Unsubsidized and Direct PLUS (Parent) Loans.

Back to Financial Aid page

Here are some commonly used terms and definitions related to financial aid and college-related costs.  

Your SAI is a number used to determine your federal financial aid eligibility. It measures the strength of you and your family's resources and ability to contribute toward your cost of attendance. Your SAI figure is determined by an objective, congressionally approved need analysis formula. It is not the amount of money that your family must provide.

All data used to calculate your SAI comes from the information you provide on the FAFSA. Your family's income (taxable and untaxed) and assets are considered in determining your SAI.

See more on How Financial Aid Is Calculated.

When you apply for federal student aid, the Financial Aid Office uses your COA in determining how much aid you can receive. The COA is the total estimated cost for a student to attend a particular school – expressed as a yearly figure. It is determined using rules established by law.

Although tuition represents a large portion of your college budget, there are other costs to keep in mind as you estimate your expenses. These costs include:

  • Books & supplies: textbooks, course materials, school supplies/equipment
  • Computer: Includes computing devices, hardware, and software related items
  • Housing & food: rent, utilities, groceries, other food expenses
  • Licenses, certifications or professional credentials
  • Loan fees
  • Miscellaneous: essentials, entertainment and other expenses
  • Special program cost (first year only)
  • Transportation: vehicle maintenance, auto insurance, fuel
  • Tuition & fees: based on your residency and program of study

Keep in mind, these costs can be direct or indirect. Direct costs are those that may be billed by the college such as tuition & fees.  Those you would pay directly to the college. Indirect are estimated costs for those attending college. These costs can vary but should be included when considering how much you should budget.

Students can also use the Net Price Calculator. This calculator provides an estimated net cost of attendance. It includes tuition and required fees, books and supplies, housing and food, and other related expenses — minus estimated grant and scholarship aid for current and prospective students and their families based on what similar students paid in a previous year.

JCCC Financial Aid students that have been packaged can view their personalized cost of attendance through their MyJCCC account. Navigate to “My Financial Aid” on the Financial Aid & Scholarships card and view the College Financing Plan.

Adjusted Annually – Budgets will be adjusted on August 1 to reflect each student’s actual enrollment. 

Tuition Prorated for Enrollment – The tuition, fees, books and supplies of the budgets will be prorated based on actual enrollment. 

Limitations for Less than Half-Time Enrollment – If you are enrolled less than half-time, budgets are not allowed to have miscellaneous and personal expenses included. 

Changes to Financial Aid Package – Changes to your financial aid offer may be required after the budget adjustments are complete.  If so, you will be notified.

Budgets are Based on Fall Enrollment – The budget will be set for the fall and spring semester based on enrollment for the fall semester. If a student is enrolled in less than full-time hours for the fall semester but increases their hours in the spring, they will need to contact the Financial Aid Office for an increase in their budget.

The following factors are taken into consideration when determining cost of attendance budgets:

Book Costs are based on estimated amounts determined by the JCCC Bookstore for either purchase or rental. The amount currently averages around $65 per credit hour.

Childcare (if added) is based on comparing the Kansas childcare subsidy rate with the rates at the Hiersteiner Child Development Center on campus.

Computer calculation is determined based on JCCC Bookstore's average pricing for an economical computer.”

Loan Fees are based on an average of loan fees. All students have it in their budget whether they accept loans or not.

Miscellaneous/Housing and Food/Transportation Expenses are costs based off College Board’s Living Expense Budgets. They state that 36% of the budget is Miscellaneous, 53% is Housing (with 30% of that as food) and 11% is Transportation.

Special Program Fees, if required for specific selective admission programs, may be added automatically to accommodate higher program supply/kit costs.

Tuition is established annually by the JCCC Board of Trustees on a per-credit hour basis. Depending on your verification of residency, your rate is calculated for each of the four residential categories: Johnson County Resident, Non-Johnson County Resident, Metro Rate and Non-Resident. Refer to the current tuition rates by semester and the extended table for each category by the number of credit hours. Budgets may be set up using an estimated cost for tuition rather than actual tuition costs.

Cost of Attendance Estimated Budgets

For an estimate of your cost of attendance at JCCC, select your residency and dependency status.

Are you dependent or independent? 
Check out the Federal Student Aid’s dependency status page to determine your status to use when checking the estimates below.

2026-2027 Aid Year

Dependent, Living at Home

Dependent, Living at Home


Program(s)
Standard Programs Neurodiagnostic Technology Practical Nursing Registered Nursing Respiratory Care Dental Hygiene Railroad Conductor Panasonic
Books & Supplies ($65/hr) 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560
Computer 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500
Housing & Food 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648
License, Certification, or Professional Credential 0 130 0 0 520 1,714 0 0
Loan Fees 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40
Misc 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724
Special Program Cost (1st year only) 0 0 0 1,573 0 6,982 4,200 0
Transportation 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156
Tuition & Fees ($106/hr) 2,544 2,544 2,544 2,544 2,544 2,544 2,544 2,544
Total Cost of Attendance: 15,172 15,302 15,172 16,745 15,692 23,868 19,372 15,172

Dependent, Living off Campus / Independent

Program(s) Standard Programs Neurodiagnostic Technology Practical Nursing Registered Nursing Respiratory Care Dental Hygiene Railroad Conductor Panasonic
Books & Supplies ($65/hr) 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560
Computer 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500
Housing & Food 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196
License, Certification, Or Professional Credential 0 130 0 0 520 1,714 0 0
Loan Fees 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40
Misc 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724
Special Program Cost (1st year only) 0 0 0 1,573 0 6,982 4,200 0
Transportation 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156
Tuition & Fees ($106/hr) 2,544 2,544 2,544 2,544 2,544 2,544 2,544 2,544
Total Cost of Attendance: Independent 20,720 20,850 20,720 22,293 21,240 29,416 24,920 20,720

Dependent, Living at Home

Program(s) Standard Programs Neurodiagnostic Technology Practical Nursing Registered Nursing Respiratory Care Dental Hygiene Railroad Conductor Panasonic
Books & supplies ($65/hr) 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560
Computer 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500
Housing & Food 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648
License, Certification, Or Professional Credential 0 130 0 0 520 1,714 0 0
Loan Fees 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40
Misc 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724
Special Program Cost (1st year only) 0 0 0 1,573 0 6,982 4,200 0
Transportation 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156
Tuition & Fees ($128/hr) 3,072 3,072 3,072 3,072 3,072 3,072 3,072 3,072
Total Cost of Attendance: 15,700 15,830 15,700 17,273 16,220 24,396 19,900 15,700

Dependent, Living off Campus / Independent

Program(s) Standard Programs Neurodiagnostic Technology Practical Nursing Registered Nursing Respiratory Care Dental Hygiene Railroad Conductor Panasonic
Books & supplies ($65/hr) 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560
Computer 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500
Housing & Food 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196
License, Certification, Or Professional Credential 0 130 0 0 520 1,714 0 0
Loan Fees 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40
Misc 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724
Special Program Cost (1st year only) 0 0 0 1,573 0 6,982 4,200 0
Transportation 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156
Tuition & Fees ($128/hr) 3,072 3,072 3,072 3,072 3,072 3,072 3,072 3,072
Total Cost of Attendance: 21,248 21,378 21,248 22,821 21,768 29,944 25,448 21,248

Dependent, Living at Home

Dependent, Living at Home


Program(s)
Standard Programs Neurodiagnostic Technology Practical Nursing Registered Nursing Respiratory Care Dental Hygiene Railroad Conductor Panasonic
Books & supplies ($65/hr) 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560
Computer 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500
Housing & Food 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648
License, Certification, Or Professional Credential 0 130 0 0 520 1,714 0 0
Loan Fees 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40
Misc 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724
Special Program Cost (1st year only) 0 0 0 1,573 0 6,982 4,200 0
Transportation 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156
Tuition & Fees ($250/hr) 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000
Total Cost of Attendance: 18,628 18,758 18,628 20,201 19,148 27,324 22,828 18,628

Dependent, Living off Campus / Independent

Dependent, Living off Campus / Independent


Program(s)
Standard Programs Neurodiagnostic Technology Practical Nursing Registered Nursing Respiratory Care Dental Hygiene Railroad Conductor Panasonic
Books & supplies ($65/hr) 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560
Computer 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500
Housing & Food 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196
License, Certification, Or Professional Credential 0 130 0 0 520 1,714 0 0
Loan Fees 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40
Misc 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724
Special Program Cost (1st year only) 0 0 0 1,573 0 6,982 4,200 0
Transportation 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156
Tuition & Fees ($250/hr) 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000
Total Cost of Attendance: 24,176 24,306 24,176 25,749 24,696 32,872 28,376 24,176

Dependent, Living at Home

Dependent, Living at Home


Program(s)
Standard Programs Neurodiagnostic Technology Practical Nursing Registered Nursing Respiratory Care Dental Hygiene Railroad Conductor Panasonic
Books & supplies ($65/hr) 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560
Computer 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500
Housing & Food 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648 4,648
License, Certification, Or Professional Credential 0 130 0 0 520 1,714 0 0
Loan Fees 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40
Misc 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724
Special Program Cost (1st year only) 0 0 0 1,573 0 6,982 4,200 0
Transportation 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156
Tuition & Fees ($158/hr) 3,792 3,792 3,792 3,792 3,792 3,792 3,792 3,792
Total Cost of Attendance: 16,420 16,550 16,420 17,993 16,940 25,116 20,620 16,420

Dependent, Living off Campus / Independent

Dependent, Living off Campus / Independent


Program(s)
Standard Programs Neurodiagnostic Technology Practical Nursing Registered Nursing Respiratory Care Dental Hygiene Railroad Conductor Panasonic
Books & supplies ($65/hr) 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560 1,560
Computer 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500
Housing & Food 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196 10,196
License, Certification, Or Professional Credential 0 130 0 0 520 1,714 0 0
Loan Fees 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40
Misc 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724 3,724
Special Program Cost (1st year only) 0 0 0 1,573 0 6,982 4,200 0
Transportation 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156 2,156
Tuition & Fees ($158/hr) 3,792 3,792 3,792 3,792 3,792 3,792 3,792 3,792
Total Cost of Attendance: 21,968 22,098 21,968 23,541 22,488 30,664 26,168 21,968

Do You Have Childcare Costs?

Students who have childcare costs are encouraged to contact our office. The cost of attendance can be increased to include those costs, which can impact financial aid eligibility.

2026-2027 Childcare cost estimates are $11,178.