What's the total cost, not just tuition?
Tuition alone is only part of the picture, and the sticker shock isn't really about the number so much as not knowing what else is hiding underneath it — so here's the fuller add-up, broken out program by program.
Tuition alone is only part of the picture, and the sticker shock isn't really about the number so much as not knowing what else is hiding underneath it — so here's the fuller add-up, broken out program by program.
| Program | Total Tuition | Length | Source (as last checked) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAcHM/MAcHM Dual-Degree | $72,822 ($318/academic unit, $636/clinical unit) | 3,435 hours | school's Tuition & Fees catalog, p.91 — checked 07/2026 |
| DAc/MAc Dual-Degree (acupuncture-only) | $56,127 | 2,647.5 hours | same catalog, p.91 — checked 07/2026 |
| Postgraduate DAOM | $25,000 over 2 years (Five Branches alumni get a 20% discount) | 1,280 hours | school's DAOM Financial Aid page, currently published |
| DAcHM/DAc Bridge (Completion) | $8,505 ($6,804 for FBU master's grads) | 315 hours / 16.5 units | Bridge Tuition & Fees page — checked 08/2026 |
On top of tuition, the school's own catalog estimates these for the standard graduate programs:
| Item | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Required books | ~$1,000 total program |
| Room, board & misc. living | ~$2,000/month |
| Application fee | $100 |
| Malpractice insurance | $60/trimester |
| Student activities fee | $50/trimester |
(All from the catalog, checked 07/2026 — worth a glance at the live Tuition & Fees page for anything that's shifted since.)
The living-cost line is genuinely the biggest variable, and it depends heavily on which campus: MIT's Living Wage Calculator, last updated 02/2026, puts a single adult's required income before taxes at about $79,000/year in Santa Clara County (San Jose) versus about $89,400/year in Santa Cruz County — mainly a housing-cost gap, not a tuition one.
Because tuition is billed per term rather than as one lump sum, your actual total also depends on your own pace — full-time finishes (and pays) faster, part-time spreads the same total further out.
Are you weighing this against the San Jose or Santa Cruz campus, or still deciding between the programs themselves?
Sources
- Five Branches University — Financial Aid checked 2026-08
- The school's own published catalog and website checked 2026-07
- Five Branches University — Transfer Students checked 2026-08
- Five Branches University — Tuition Fee checked 2026-08
- Five Branches University — Tuitions And Fees Bridge checked 2026-08
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