Procedure 5.12.0 - Tuition and Fee Due Date, Refunds, Withdrawals and Waivers

Part 1: Authority

Minnesota State Board Policy 5.12 and Lake Superior College (LSC) Policy 5.12 authorize the establishment of due dates for final payment of tuition and fees, and other procedures that ensure accountability and accurate reporting.

Part 2: Policy Statement

General provisions for refunds and canceling the registration for students are authorized by Board Policy 5.12. Board Policy 5.12, Part 3 requires accountability and reporting for refund, drop, withdrawal, nonattendance, and waiver activity. This accountability requirement extends to financial and statistical reporting as well as the obligation to implement and follow sound business practices to conserve financial resources and protect financial assets.

Subpart A: Tuition and Fee Due Dates

1. Due dates are on the 2nd and 5th business days of the term during normal business hours.
2. Tuition is due at the time of registration for anyone enrolling after the 5th business day of the semester.
3. Full payment is due twenty-five (25) business days after the start of the term unless the student has an approved tuition and fee payment plan or made other arrangements for payment.

Subpart B: Payment Plans

1. Payment may be made with the Student Payment Office, e-Services or e-Cashier by:
   1. Cash
   2. Check
   3. Credit Card
   4. Advance scholarship payment or scholarship notice
   5. Establishing an approved payment plan as described below
2. Approved tuition and fee payment plan using e-Cashier
   1. Student must submit the required down payment.
   2. Student is charged a payment plan fee as established by Minnesota State on e-Cashier.
   3. Payment plans must be arranged AND approved before the payment deadline.
   4. Student must remain timely and current on all scheduled payments; payment plans that are not current will subject student to procedure 7.6.2 hold criteria for the next term, unless the delinquent account is paid in full prior to registration.
3. College payment plans may be arranged in certain extenuating circumstances however the same payment due dates and fees typically apply.
   1. All college payment plans and exceptions must be approved by the Director of Business Services or Vice President of Administration.

Part 3: Registration Cancellation for Nonpayment (RCFN)

Using the RCFN process, student registration for all credit courses will be cancelled on the schedule below unless one of the conditions in the following conditions section has been met.

1. 2nd business day of the term at 5:00pm.
2. 5th business day of the term at midnight.
3. 1st and 15th of each month during the term (after the 5th business day)

Subpart A: Conditions Preventing Registration Cancellation

1. Student has paid at least 15% of the Tuition and Fees due or made a $300 down payment towards tuition and fees;
2. Financial Aid Application (FAFSA) has been submitted AND received by LSC or another Minnesota State  College or University;
3. Student has enrolled in an approved tuition and fee payment plan;
4. Student has received an approved tuition waiver;
5. Student has submitted a Financial Aid formal inter-college Consortium Agreement and it is on file in the LSC Financial Aid Office;
6. Third Party Billing Authorization is on file in LSC Student Payment Office;
7. Student is enrolled in the Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program AND has completed and submitted the PSEO form to the college. This form must be completed and submitted prior to each semester;
8. Veteran registered with the LSC VA Certifying Official for the current term.

The college reserves the right to implement special Registration Cancellation for Nonpayment schedules, which may override the conditions listed above, in the following conditions:

1. Students registered for any semester that has not yet begun with a balance owing from a prior semester that have not made payment arrangements or are not current on their payment plan.
2. Students who submitted a FAFSA and have been notified they do not qualify for financial aid but have not made payment arrangements as listed in Part 2, Subpart B.

The College may implement a special Registration Cancellation for Nonpayment schedule for certain programs that operate on a unique schedule that does not fall into one of the categories described under drops or withdrawals.
Students should not rely on the Registration Cancellation for Nonpayment process to manage their enrollment status. Students who do not plan to attend classes must drop classes online or they will be held responsible for any balance due.

Subpart B: Re-registration after Registration Cancellation
Students are able to re-register for classes after the Registration Cancellation process during the drop/add period. Students requesting to re-enroll in courses which have been dropped for non-payment after the 5th day of the term must complete the Request to Reinstate Courses Dropped for Non-Payment form, obtain all required signatures, and make the required payments before the 10th day of the term. Students must re-register for all courses they were dropped from with the exception of full classes. Overloads are not allowed for students who have been dropped for non-payment.
Re-registration for late start classes must be within 24 hours of the first class meeting.

Part 4: Refunds

Dropping a course or withdrawing from school may or may not result in a refund of tuition and fees (see following sections). Refunds will be issued approximately ten days after the start of the term or the official withdrawal from a course, whichever is later. Refunds are applied to current charges first before refunds are issued.
If written authorization is provided by the student, the following charges may be paid with financial aid:

1. Up to $200 of current financial aid may be used to pay prior academic year charges;
2. Current term financial aid may be used to pay any amount of prior term charges within the same academic year;
3. Non-institutional charges (any charges not directly tied to a class).

Subpart A: Refunds by Payment Type
Where tuition and fees were paid through use of a credit card, debit card, or check card and a refund has been approved in accordance with this policy, such refund must be processed against the original credit card, debit card, or check card account, and the same processor and merchant agreement as used for the original transaction. Refunds of tuition and fee payments made by check or cash shall be made by check.

Subpart B: Tuition and Fees Paid from a Financial Aid Source
If the student’s tuition and fees were paid from a financial aid source, the refund is returned to the financial aid program, not the student.

Subpart C: State Student Organization Fees
The Minnesota State Student Association (MSCSA) fee is nonrefundable.

Subpart D: Refunds for Drops
(See Part 5 for total withdrawal refunds)

Fall and Spring Term:	Refund
Through 5th business day of the term	100%
After the 5th business day drop deadline	0%
Summer Term:	Refund
Through 5th business day of the term	100%
After the 5th business day drop deadline	0%
Class Terms Less than Three Weeks in Length:	Refund
First day of the class	100%
After the 1st class day drop deadline	0%
Class Terms More than Three Weeks but Less than Ten Weeks in Length:	Refund
Within one calendar day of the first class session	100%
After one calendar day following the first class session	0%

No refund of tuition and personal property fees shall be provided to a student who reduces credit hours, but does not withdraw from all courses, after the drop/add period.

Part 5: Refunds for Total Withdrawals

Refunds for official total withdrawal from the College will be issued in accordance with the following schedule:

Fall and Spring Term:	Refund
Through 5th business day of the term	100%
6th through 10th business day of term	75%
11th through 15th business day of the term	50%
16th through 20th business day of term	25%
After 20th business day of the term	0%
Summer Term:	Refund
Through 5th business day of the term	100%
6th through 10th business day of the term	50%
After the 10th business day of the term	0%
Class Terms Less than Three Weeks in Length:
1st business day of the term	100%
2nd through 3rd business day of the term	50%
After the 3rd business day of the term	0%

Part 6: Waivers

Students requesting a tuition waiver must complete a Petition and provide documentation of extraordinary circumstances. The college will document the reasons for all petition waivers. The College cannot waive the MSCSA student association fee.

History

Date Implemented: January 18, 2001
Date Updated: October 12, 2011