Paying for College

Let’s face it. College can be expensive when you add up the costs for tuition, various fees, textbooks, and the general cost of being in college. EC3 is committed to doing its part to help make college affordable through a competitive tuition and fee structure and by working with students to identify ways to pay for college.

Pioneer Scholarship (Spring 2026 Only)

In spring 2026, EC3 will begin to assess student tuition and fees for enrolled students. To assist students with the transition away from free tuition, EC3 has established the Pioneer Scholarship for all enrolled students.

Scholarship Requirements

Students interested in receiving the Pioneer Scholarship must commit to the following:

• Enroll in a minimum of six (6) credits for the Spring 2026 semester.
• Complete the 25-26 FAFSA and upload a copy of the Submission Summary, making sure that all estimated aid and SAI are clearly visible.

For more information, please visit the Pioneer Scholarship page. 

Tuition Refunds

EC3 utilizes a pro-rated refund system that considers the length of the class and when the withdrawal occurs to determine the refund amount owed back to the student. Note that some course fees are non-refundable and will be deducted from any refund owed to the student.

The chart below describes the pro-rated system:

Cost of Attendance

The Cost of Attendance (COA) is the total estimated expenses for one academic year at a college.  As an estimate, the COA assists students in developing a budget necessary to cover the expenses for attending college and is used during the financial aid process to determine eligibility to receive student aid. When calculating the COA, EC3 considers the current rate of tuition, an estimate of applicable fees, and estimates of other costs of attending college.

Although this calculation can be used for any student interested in attending EC3, some programs or category of students may have an adjusted COA based on other factors such as residency status or higher course fees.