The key to college success is good planning. You need to plan your studies, extracurricular activities and, most importantly, your finances.

Whether you're planning on attending a nearby college or one located at a distance from home, you will be incurring many expenses. Many students forget to budget for all of the costs involved. We hope this section will assist you in properly budgeting for your college expenses.

Direct college expenses include: tuition, incidental fees, books and supplies, and other program-specific costs. If you choose to attend college away from home you can also expect many living expenses, including accommodation, food, transportation and other costs. Many of these expenses will depend on your lifestyle and whether you choose to live in residence or to rent an apartment alone or with a fellow student.

Since some costs, such as accommodation, may vary from one community to the next, we encourage you to contact the housing office at the colleges you are considering attending. Housing office staff can help you determine local living expenses to allow for proper budgeting.

Please note that this budgeting summary represents costs of attending one academic year of college or the equivalent of approximately eight months living away from home. If you plan to live at home, you can expect to save much of the living expenses, excluding spending money and costs for commuting.

Notes: Additional expenses may include co-op fees (approximately $300) and medical/dental expenses (estimated at $150).

Although the above costs vary depending on many factors such as college location, program of study, lifestyle, as well as type of accommodation chosen, we believe that typical expenses for students living away from home range from $8,000 to $10,000 for most individuals in most programs.

* Tuition fees listed above represent those programs which are funded through the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. These may vary slightly from college to college.