What exactly does each stand for? Room and Bord? Books and Supplies? Personal expenses? Transportation? Is that just technically living expenses?
Tuition and fees $9,524
Room and board* $8,520
Total for the academic year $18,044
Estimated General Expenses for an Academic Year
Books and supplies* $824 Transportation* $834 Personal expenses* $2,448
Room and board = rent, utilities, groceries
Books and supplies = textbooks, possibly some optometry equipment (but that's usually in the range of $5k, so maybe that's just for some simple stuff)
Personal expenses = fun stuff and anything else you like to buy (movies, music, tickets, souvenirs, clothes, etc. - probably also includes necessities like toilet paper, soap, whatever)
Transportation = gas, car maintenance, parking, bus or public transit fees, air or other travel
Together they will cover everything you would spend on. But obviously some people spend more than others, so take it as an estimate. If you like lots of amenities where you live, you will spend more on rent. Or if you want to go to the movies and eat out every week, you will spend more in personal expenses. If you drive a gas guzzler and want the very front parking spot, you will spend more in transportation. If you buy all of your books brand new and the most expensive equipment, you will spend more in books/supplies. Likewise, you might have an area where you can budget better than the average person.
