According to the FAFSA Simplification Act, the COA component for food for students living on-campus must be based on how many meals?

According to the FAFSA Simplification Act, the COA component for food for students living on-campus must be based on how many meals?

• A. Twenty meals per week
• B. Two meals per day
• C. Three meals per day
• D. Five meals per day

Answer: (C)

The concept being tested is how the FAFSA Simplification Act sets the on-campus food cost in the cost of attendance. The act uses a standard daily meal pattern to determine this component, reflecting the typical meals a student living on campus would rely on—breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This standard keeps the calculation realistic and consistent across students and campuses, preventing under- or over-estimation of living costs. If you imagine fewer meals, you’d be underestimating daily needs; with more meals, you’d overestimate. So, the COA for on-campus food is based on that regular daily breakfast-lunch-dinner pattern.

The concept being tested is how the FAFSA Simplification Act sets the on-campus food cost in the cost of attendance. The act uses a standard daily meal pattern to determine this component, reflecting the typical meals a student living on campus would rely on—breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This standard keeps the calculation realistic and consistent across students and campuses, preventing under- or over-estimation of living costs. If you imagine fewer meals, you’d be underestimating daily needs; with more meals, you’d overestimate. So, the COA for on-campus food is based on that regular daily breakfast-lunch-dinner pattern.