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Tuition and Financial Assistance

new Check out the new website for information about Financing Your Education.

Tuition and Fees

We do not want costs to get in the way of your education.  We have streamlined our tuition and fees to make it easy for you to estimate and cover any expenses. For our many military students who use tuition assistance benefits, this often means no or minimal out-of-pocket costs. 

American Public University (APU) provides high-quality, affordable distance education to students around the globe. We do not have resident or non-resident students, so tuition is not based on a student’s geographical location or home of record.

Our tuition rate is $250 per credit hour for undergraduate-level courses and $275 for graduate-level courses. Audited courses cost $100 per credit hour.

All undergraduate students seeking academic credit are eligible for APU’s Book Grant. This grant provides textbooks, at no cost to the student, for all credit-bearing courses successfully completed. Graduate students and any student in an audit course must purchase their textbooks. For complete details about this unique program, click here.

Graduate students can expect to pay an average of $75-150 per course for books and materials purchased through our textbook provider, MBS.

Fee Schedule

Students at APU do not pay application, registration, technology, or extension fees.  Our fee schedule is as follows:

Undergraduate Tuition

$250/semester hour  = $750 per 3 credit course

Graduate Tuition

$275/semester hour  = $825 per 3 credit course

Services/Fees That May Apply:

      Transfer Student Fee

$100 (non-refundable)

      Graduation Completion Fee: Degree
      (Associate, Bachelor's, Master's)

$75

      Completion Fee: Certificate$25

      Graduate Comprehension Exams

$250

      Withdrawal Fee (in or after Week 2)   

$100

      Late Registration*$50

      AMU or APU Transcript

$5


Application Fee

$0                             

Registration Fee

$0

Technology Fee

$0

Drop Fee before week 2

$0


*Late registration will be reviewed and granted on a case-by-case basis. For additional information, refer to the Registration section of the student handbook.


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Payment Options

APU students have several payment options from which to choose.  Click on a selection below to learn more about ways to finance your APU education:

Credit Card or Check
Automatic Debit Payment (ADP)
Employer Voucher or DoD Training Funds
Education Loan Programs
Federal Student Aid - How to Apply
Federal Student Aid - Fact Sheet
Military Tuition Assistance
APUS Scholarships
VA Benefits, GI Bill, and/or Top-Up
Air Force Reserve Payment Process

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Financial Assistance

Federal Student Aid:  How to Apply

AMU and APU students are now able to register for courses and choose Federal Student Aid as their payment option or to apply for deferment of current Federal Student loans. 

What is Federal Student Aid (FSA)?
Federal Student Aid is a term that describes grant and loan programs that are administered by the United States Department of Education, such as Pell Grants and Stafford Loans.  Military tuition assistance, veteran’s benefits, and GI Bill programs are not FSA programs.

Is there a way to find out how much financial aid I might receive?

Yes, there is.  The FAFSA4caster can give you an estimate of your eligibility for Federal Student Aid (FSA).  You'll need tax information (your tax return and/or w2's) on hand; click here to get started: www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov/

How do I use FSA at AMU or APU?
New students who wish to use FSA to fund their program must complete the following steps at least six weeks prior to their course start date:

  1. Apply for admission at AMU or APU and choose an eligible program of study.  Most certificate programs will not be FSA eligible.  If you have questions about program eligibilty, please call us at 877-777-9081.
  2. Complete the online Orientation.

  3. If you are a transfer student, submit the Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) application, one-time Transfer Student Fee, Transcript Release Authorization (TRA), and supporting documentation. 

  4. If you have no credit to evaluate for transfer, submit either the high school transcript, Bachelor degree transcript, or appropriate graduate-level transcript.

  5. Fill out the FSA Intent Form.  This form is located under OTHER FORMS inside the e-campus.  Students using military tuition assistance, veteran’s benefits or employer payment plans do not have to submit this form unless they intend to combine funding sources.  Students who want a deferment of previously received Federal Stafford Loans or Grad PLUS loans must complete an Intent Form so that we can process the deferment on your behalf.

  6. Fill out and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  If you have already completed a FAFSA, retrieve it and add the AMU/APU school code:  038193.

  7. Watch your email for your log-in information and other important notifications as your FAFSA is being processed.

Returning students who wish to use FSA to fund their program must complete the following steps at least 5 to 6 weeks prior to their course start date:

  1. Fill out the FSA Intent Form and choose a semester start date.  You may not choose a start date that overlaps with courses that have not yet been completed.   Example:  If you are in a course that began in September and ends in January, your start date must be February or later.   Students using military tuition assistance, veteran’s benefits or employer payment plans do not have to submit this form unless they intend to combine funding sources.

  2. Fill out and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  Someone from our Financial Aid office will be contacting you to assist you with this step.  If you have already completed a FAFSA, retrieve it and add the AMU/APU school code:  038193.

Your FSA Intent Form may be cancelled if:       

  •   The start month you selected on your form does not match the start month of classes for which you have registered 
  •   You are not maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress

If your FSA Intent Form has been cancelled, you will be notified by email.  In order to submit a new form, you will be required to:

  •   Drop all pending registrations 
  •   Create a new FSA Intent Form 
  •   Re-register for classes prior to the start of the selected semester

Should you have questions regarding the completion of the FSA Intent Form, please contact Financial Services at finaid@apus.edu or call 1-877-468-6268 ext. 3660.

Members of our Admissions and Financial Aid teams will be contacting you via phone and email to provide assistance, but should you have questions or need assistance at any time, please feel free to call us at 1-877-777-9081 or you can email us at info@apus.edu.

To directly contact our AMU/APU Financial Aid Office Help Desk please call (877) 372-3535.



Check out our Fact Sheet for more information on Federal Student Aid

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ATTENTION ACTIVE DUTY ARMY SOLDIERS USING MILITARY TUITION ASSISTANCE!

The Army TA approval process has changed. Tuition assistance forms for classes will no longer get approved by local Education Service Officers (ESOs).  Instead, Army students will use the new online TA approval process at the Army's new portal.

Army students wishing to begin a degree program at APU should follow these simple steps to get started:

  1. Log onto www.apu.apus.edu, click on the red Apply Now button and complete the online application and orientation.
  2. Register for your first course(s) and submit your Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) form. (If applicable)
  3. Log onto the GoArmyEd portal to get TA approved.

The Army will provide additional information and instructions to all soldiers about using the new Army portal.

APU supports the Army’s initiative to centralize tuition assistance management.  We are proud to be a partner with the Army Continuing Education System (ACES) in supporting your educational goals.

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ATTENTION ACTIVE DUTY AIR FORCE PERSONNEL USING MILITARY TUITION ASSISTANCE!

Active Duty Air Force students no longer need to submit a paper copy TA to APUS.  APUS receives TA approvals automatically from the Air Force portal.  This approval is all the documentation we require.


APU is a member institution of the American Public University System (APUS), which is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association and nationally accredited by the Accrediting Commission, Distance Education and Training Council. 
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