The information on this page is intended to help students determine their total direct costs (costs paid directly to DigiPen) and indirect costs (costs associated with a student going to school but not paid directly to DigiPen) for a year at DigiPen Institute of Technology.
Students are encouraged to review the costs below and use them to calculate a budget for the year.
Except for tuition and fees, the budgeted costs shown below are based on students’ average expenses and include a living allowance to provide for reasonable expenditures.
Cost of Attendance
The Cost of Attendance (COA) is a standardized set of budgets used as a basis for determining maximum financial aid eligibility. Standard COA includes tuition, fees, room, board, books, transportation, and personal expenses. Cost of Attendance can vary depending on program of study, living arrangements while in school, and a variety of other factors. Cost of Attendance can also be increased by exception to include expenses such as health insurance, computer purchase, child care, and additional fees.
The following budgets provide cost estimates for one year of attendance at DigiPen as a full-time undergraduate or graduate student living near campus or living with parents.
It is important for students and parents to discuss how the family will pay for college. See How to Apply for Financial Aid for more on acquiring need- and merit-based funding to help pay for your college education. Please see the current Budget Sheet for help creating your own personalized budget.
Undergraduate (Full-Time)
“Full-Time” is determined as “12 credits or more per semester.” Students who are planning to attend less than full-time need to contact the Office of Financial Aid to have their budget re-determined. Indirect costs are calculated averages and not billed to the school, but are associated with the cost of attending college.
| Costs | Off-Campus Per Semester | Off-Campus Per Year | With Parents Per Semester | With Parents Per Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Costs to DigiPen | ||||
| Tuition and Fees* | $18,700 | $37,400 | $18,700 | $37,400 |
| Indirect Costs | ||||
| Housing and Food | $8,120 | $16,240 | $3,848 | $7,696 |
| Books and Supplies | $355 | $710 | $355 | $710 |
| Laptop Computer** | $1,430 | $1,430 | $1,430 | $1,430 |
| Software Costs*** | $179 | $358 | $179 | $358 |
| Loan Fees | $61 | $122 | $61 | $122 |
| Transportation | $884 | $1,768 | $884 | $1,768 |
| Personal Expenses | $872 | $1,744 | $872 | $1,744 |
| Cost of Attendance | ||||
| Total | $30,601 | $59,772 | $26,329 | $51,228 |
*Assumes 16-22 credits per semester at $18,600 flat rate, and $100 in administrative fees per semester. Students enrolled for less than 16 credits a semester are charged at the per credit rate of $1,200/credit.
**Laptop is budgeted as a one-time expense during the first semester only.
***Software Costs are only for the BFA and BAGD programs and are based on average cost of required software.
Graduate (Full-Time)
“Full-Time” is determined as “9 credits or more per semester” and students are billed per credit hour. Students who are planning to attend less than full-time need to contact the Office of Financial Aid to have their budget re-determined. Indirect costs are calculated averages and not billed to the school, but are associated with the cost of attending college.
| Costs | Off-Campus Per Semester | Off-Campus Per Year | With Parents Per Semester | With Parents Per Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Costs to DigiPen | ||||
| Tuition and Fees* | $11,710 | $23,420 | $11,710 | $23,420 |
| Indirect Costs | ||||
| Housing and Food | $8,120 | $16,240 | $3,848 | $7,696 |
| Books and Supplies | $355 | $710 | $335 | $710 |
| Laptop Computer** | $1,430 | $1,430 | $1,430 | $1,430 |
| Software Costs*** | $243 | $486 | $243 | $486 |
| Loan Fees | $82 | $164 | $82 | $164 |
| Transportation | $884 | $1,768 | $884 | $1,768 |
| Personal Expenses | $872 | $1,744 | $872 | $1,744 |
| Cost of Attendance | ||||
| Total | $23,696 | $45,962 | $19,424 | $37,418 |
*Assumes 9 credits per semester at $1,290 per credit, and $100 in administrative fees per semester.
**Laptop is budgeted as a one-time expense during the first semester only.
***Software Costs are only for the MFA program and are based on average cost of required software.
Graduate (Flat Rate)
“Flat-rate” is determined as “12-18 credits per semester” and students are billed at a flat rate.
| Costs | Off-Campus Per Semester | Off-Campus Per Year | With Parents Per Semester | With Parents Per Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Costs to DigiPen | ||||
| Tuition and Fees* | $15,600 | $31,200 | $15,600 | $31,200 |
| Indirect Costs | ||||
| Housing and Food | $8,120 | $16,240 | $3,848 | $7,696 |
| Books and Supplies | $355 | $710 | $335 | $710 |
| Laptop Computer** | $1,430 | $1,430 | $1,430 | $1,430 |
| Software Costs*** | $243 | $486 | $243 | $486 |
| Loan Fees | $82 | $164 | $82 | $164 |
| Transportation | $884 | $1,768 | $884 | $1,768 |
| Personal Expenses | $872 | $1,744 | $872 | $1,744 |
| Cost of Attendance | ||||
| Total | $27,586 | $53,742 | $23,314 | $45,198 |
*Assumes 12-18 credits per semester at a $15,500 flat rate, and $100 in administrative fees per semester.
**Laptop is budgeted as a one-time expense during the first semester only.
***Software Costs are only for the MFA program and are based on average cost of required software.
Tuition
At DigiPen, tuition is calculated based on the number of credits taken per semester. If you take fewer than 16 credits (for undergraduates) or 12 credits (for graduates) during a given semester, the cost is determined per credit. If you take 16-22 credits (for undergraduates) or 12-18 credits (for graduates) during a given semester, the cost is a flat rate instead.
Undergraduate Tuition Cost for the 2023-24 Academic Year
$37,200
U.S. Citizens and Residents
$41,380
Non-U.S. Residents
The average full-time DigiPen undergraduate student takes 17-20 credits per semester. Undergraduate students typically carry a heavier course load during their first two years.
2023-24 Academic Year
The following tuition rates are for all students enrolling for the 2023-24 academic year.
| Tuition Cost Breakdown | U.S. Citizens and Residents | Non-U.S. Residents |
|---|---|---|
Cost per Credit Fewer than 16 credits | $1,200/credit | $1,350/credit |
Cost per Semester 16-22 Credit Flat Rate | $18,600 | $20,690 |
Cost per Year 16-22 Credit Flat Rate | $37,200 | $41,380 |
| Tuition Cost Breakdown | U.S. Citizens and Residents | Non-U.S. Residents |
|---|---|---|
Cost per Credit Fewer than 12 credits | $1,290/credit | $1,425/credit |
Cost per Semester 12-18 Credit Flat Rate | $15,500 | $16,990 |
Cost per Year 12-18 Credit Flat Rate | $31,000 | $33,980 |
* Full-time students in the MS in Computer Science program take 9 credits per semester and should estimate tuition costs on a per credit basis. Full-time students in the MFA in Digital Arts program should estimate tuition costs at the 12-18 credit flat rate.em>
Fees
In addition to tuition, students must pay certain fees while attending DigiPen. The following fee amounts were last updated upon publication of the 2023-24 Course Catalog.
| Type of Fee | Cost |
|---|---|
| Application Fee This fee must accompany your application form. The application fee is refundable if you cancel your application and request a refund within three days of submitting the application fee. This fee can be waived for students who demonstrate financial need through an SAT fee-waiver program or who participate in a similar need-based program. DigiPen also provides fee waivers to applicants who visit the campus for an admissions meeting or on-site information session or who attend an online outreach event. | $60 |
| Enrollment Fee Upon acceptance into a degree program, an enrollment fee must be paid to confirm enrollment. If you cancel enrollment, you may request a refund of the enrollment fee within three days of signing the enrollment agreement and making an initial payment. | $150 |
| Administrative Fee This fee covers administrative support for students, such as a limited number of transcript requests, add/drop requests, and enrollment verification. | $50/semester |
| Technology Fee This fee covers the technology available in workspaces and classrooms and the maintenance costs associated with the upkeep of the equipment. | $50/semester |
Readmission Fee A $25 application fee must accompany the readmission application form. The application fee is refundable if the applicant requests a refund within three days after submitting the application fee and cancels their application. | $25 |
| Transcript Fee This fee covers requests for official and unofficial copies of your transcripts. | $5/official transcript $3/unofficial transcript |
| Course Fees Some courses may require lab or material fees. | Please refer to course descriptions on Colleague CSS |
| Type of Fee | Cost |
|---|---|
| Alumni Audit Fees DigiPen alumni may audit courses at a significantly reduced cost. Tuition, application, and enrollment fees are waived, but alumni must pay any course, administrative, and technology fees. Fees are non-refundable for alumni audits. | See individual course descriptions |
| Late Registration Fee Students are responsible for registering for courses and re-registering for courses they need to retake each semester by the posted date. If you register for courses after the deadline, you must pay a $100 fee to cover administrative costs. Please refer to the Academic Calendar for academic deadlines. | $100 |
| Delinquent Account Fee A monthly service fee is applied to delinquent accounts. A student’s account is considered delinquent if the student has a balance due on the first day of the month following the start of the semester. | $50/month |
| Transfer and Waiver Fees The fee for course transfers and waivers is $25 per credit of the course being transferred or waived. | $25/credit |
| Replacement Diploma Fee This fee covers the cost to replace a missing or lost diploma. | $20/replacement diploma |
Course Fees for Re-Registering
Students re-registering for a course must pay the regular course fees, if applicable. Any previously paid course fees will not count toward the current amount owed.
Net Price Calculator
The Net Price Calculator is designed to help you estimate your potential financial aid options and calculate the remaining costs of attending DigiPen. The final “net price” is the remaining estimated cost of attending DigiPen after subtracting anticipated merit- and need-based financial aid. To use this calculator, you will need tax information (or estimates, if tax info is unavailable) for you and your parents. The results of this calculator are based on the costs of attendance for students from previous years and are for estimation purposes only.