The discourse on cost of attendance (COA) at American colleges and universities is ambiguous and complex. The literature around COA labels it as the 'sticker price' to attend college but categorization in this manner often negates the true application and meaning of this term. COA also accounts for living allowances (or indirect costs) to help students account for living costs (e.g., rent, books and supplies, transportation). Literature has found these costs can account for more than half of the total COA. However, a review of the literature also exposed a significant gap in the knowledge of how institutions of higher education develop and determine COA. This study examined how institutions of higher education developed COA (both direct and indirect costs) and their decision-making processes involved in setting COA. Particular attention was sought to explore the methodology and resources institutions used in the development process and the role with of senior executive officers and administrators in the decision-making process. A qualitative, multi-case study methodology was employed to gain insight into the processes at eight institutions from twelve participants. Through semi-structured interviews, and primary documents, the resulted were analyzed using inductive reasoning to identify themes. The findings illustrated: (1) two narratives in the development of COA (i.e., while institutions use disparate methodologies and resources in the development indirect costs, there is consistency and similarities in the development of direct costs; (2) stakeholders in the decision-making process include those internal to the institution; (3) institutional competition, market allowances and revenue, and the unreliability of student expense surveys are among the most influential factors in the development and decision-making processes. The findings identified a spectrum of resources used to arrive at indirect allowances across multiple institutions. The results add a foundational perspective of COA development and decision-making from a sample of institutions to the body of literature. Financial aid administrators, senior institutional leaders, and policymakers alike will benefit from this study given its insight into a relatively unknown reality of discourse on college costs and may utilize the findings of this study to construct and improve upon the COA development process. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]