Costs and Fees
Costs1
Costs of the Principia College program for the year 2024-2025 are as follows:
Fixed Charges (Tuition, Room, Board, and Fees)
Fixed charges include tuition (up to 18 semester hours of credit per term), Traditional Meal Plan2, and cost of residence on campus during each semester (two per year), academic advising and learning specialist services, library services, admission to all on-campus social events, admission to The Principia Concert and Lecture Series, subscriptions to annual and weekly student publications, and other services. They do not include books, personal expenses, course fees, or other miscellaneous fees (see Student Fees), or the cost of residence on campus between semesters.
Resident Students
| Year | Semester | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $33,600 | $16,800 |
| Room | $6,600 | $3,300 |
| Board | $7,310 | $3,655 |
| $47,510 | $23,755 |
Day Students
| Year | Semester | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $33,600 | $16,800 |
This tuition includes academic advising and learning specialist services, library services, admission to all on-campus social events, admission to The Principia Concert and Lecture Series, subscriptions to annual and weekly student publications, and other services. They do not include meals taken on campus, occasional overnight residence on campus, student activity fees, books, personal expenses, course fees, or other miscellaneous fees (see Student Fees).
- 1
Because of the possibility of substantial increases beyond our control in our operation expenses, the financial arrangements published in this catalog are subject to revision at the beginning of any semester. Notification of any necessary change in rates will be sent to you at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the semester.
- 2
The Traditional Meal Plan is a declining balance meal plan that provides sufficient funds each semester to cover twenty-one meals per week, subject to student food choices. Meal plan points can be used in both the Student Dining Room and the Piasa Pub. $100 of the meal plan points are put into a plus account and can also be used in the College Store. Those who choose to eat more meals in the Pub, larger quantities of food, and/or more expensive specialty food items, may enroll in an upgraded meal plan or larger plus account. Meal plan and plus account enrollments occur twice a year, by semester. More information on meal plans and plus accounts may be found at the College Dining Services website.
Fees and Personal Expenses
These charges, with a few exceptions, are due in full when billed each semester and apply to resident and day students.
Student Fees
(billed to all student master accounts on a term basis)
| Athletics fee | $170 ($85 per semester) |
| Communication Fee | $100 ($50 per semester) |
| Health Care Fee | $100 ($50 per semester) |
| Student activity fee | $400 ($200 per semester) |
| Technology fee | $310 ($155 per semester) |
Student Fees (optional)
| Parking fee | $100 ($50 per semester) |
Academic Fees (billed to student accounts as incurred)
| Abroad administrative fee- Interterm (during Winter or Summer break) | $150 per program |
| Abroad administrative fee- Semester (during Fall or Spring semester) | $500 per program |
| Audit a Course | $100 per course |
| Credit by examination | $100 per course |
| Independent study/Internship contract administrative fee | $50 |
| Independent study off campus tuition fee | $1,120 per SH |
| Internship for academic credit tuition fee | $1,120 per SH |
| Overload tuition fee | $1,120 per semester hour (SH) over 18 SH |
| Student software and online testing fee | $185 (first-time students only) |
Course Fees
For course fees, see the course descriptions. Fees cover overhead for courses but not all individual student expenses.
Registrar’s Fees
| Administrative change fee | $50 |
| Late graduation application fee | $150 |
| Late registration fee | $25 |
| Transcript fee | $10 |
Personal Expenses
Expenses for personal items, general school supplies, services, dues, etc., average between $50 and $100 monthly. Students are expected to use cash, check, or credit/ATM card to pay for their school supplies, fees, and other items and services available through the College Store and otherwise. Miscellaneous fees of the kind described above are due at time of purchase. These items may not be charged to the student’s account.
Each semester, all students on a meal plan are given $100 on a Plus Account that can be used in the College Store to make personal purchases. This Plus Account can also be used in the Student Dining Room and Pub. Additional points can be purchased with cash or credit card and added to the student’s Plus Account during the semester for a nominal fee.
Textbooks are the biggest personal expense incurred by students and generally average $500 each semester—depending on the courses being taken. Information on course textbooks is available online in the Syllabus Library at https://principiacollege.simplesyllabus.com/ for each course. Students are responsible for purchasing their own textbooks from any source of their choosing. They should make sure they are ordering the correct title, author, and edition. Books should be in the student’s possession by the first day of classes.
Student Health Insurance Requirement
Principia policy requires that all students attending the College annually provide documentation demonstrating coverage under a health insurance policy that is acceptable to Principia.
Domestic Students
Principia currently requires that College students who are US citizens or permanent residents provide documentation that they are covered by an ACA-compliant health insurance plan valid in Illinois. If unable to demonstrate that they are covered by an ACA-compliant insurance plan approved by Principia, Principia College will automatically enroll the student in mid-August in a health insurance plan that Principia College has identified, and include the cost of the plan on the first bill of the semester.
International Students
If unable to demonstrate that they are covered by an insurance plan approved by Principia, Principia College international students will be enrolled in mid-August in a health insurance plan that is valid in the US and meets a minimum set of coverage requirements established by Principia. If an international student can demonstrate that they carry insurance already that meets minimum criteria set by the College, they can request a waiver of the insurance Principia College has identified.
Insurance Waiver
If a student is already covered by an insurance plan and would like to determine if it meets Principia requirements, please reach out to the Office of Student Life for information on deadlines or a list of waiver criteria. In evaluating requests for waivers, Principia relies upon an outside vendor/professional; individuals seeking a waiver may speak directly with the Principia identified vendor/professional regarding the waiver request. Compliance must be demonstrated every year.
