Cost (CST)

Survey Component Overview – New

The Cost Survey (CST) component is designed to collect information on student charges for estimating the Cost of Attendance (COA) and calculating Average Net Price (ANP) for first-time, full-time undergraduate students, as mandated by the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended. This component also collects information on tuition and fees for other groups of students.

The CST component consists of screening questions and three sections. During the Fall data collection period, institutions complete Cost I, which consists of screening questions and Section 1, including cost of attendance for the current academic year. In the Winter data collection period, institutions complete Cost II, which includes cost of attendance revisions, if any for Section 1, Section 2 that focuses on selected financial aid data for ANP calculation, and Section 3 that involves ANP calculations based on data from Sections 1 and 2.

Although introduced in the 2024-25 data collection, much of the CST component data elements are moved from Institutional Characteristics (IC) and Student Financial Aid (SFA) survey components, maintaining continuity in data collection while streamlining reporting requirements.