Payments, Refund Policies & Usage

Paying Your Tuition/Fees Bill

The University’s Student Accounts Office bills students each semester for tuition, room, board and mandatory fees.  Full payment is expected by the due date or a late fee will be assessed.  The fall payment due date usually occurs in late July, and the spring payment usually is due at the middle of December. 

Financial aid that has been awarded and accepted will appear as a credit on your bill.  However, federal work-study awarded will not be credited on your bill; rather, you will receive payment as you work throughout the semester or year toward fulfillment of your work-study award. Outside scholarships do not credit your bill. However, you can communicate that credit to the Student Accounts Office on your bill paperwork.

The Student Accounts Office offers students a monthly installment plan, which allows you to pay your bill over a period of 4 months per semester.  For more information on the Installment Plan, please contact the Student Accounts Office at (413) 572-8538.

How Your Financial Aid Award is Disbursed

If your financial aid award is determined prior to the printing of your bill for the coming semester, your financial aid award will be listed on your bill as a credit.  If you are awarded more aid than is required to meet your financial obligation to the college, the balance will be refunded to you by the Student Account Office for use toward your additional college expenses.  Refunds generally are not available until mid-semester.  If your award is determined after your bill is due, you must make arrangements to pay your bill, or enroll in the installment payment plan until your financial aid award is determined.

Financial aid funds disburse to students through Student Accounts. Most awards pay half for fall and half for spring. Disbursements occur after each semester's Add/Drop period ends. For example, most Fall 2020 funds will begin to pay to students' accounts on October 2, 2020. Most Spring 2021 funds will begin to pay to students' accounts on February 19, 2021. Certain funds that pay from outside sources can arrive earlier, or more typically, later than the University's scheduled disbursement date.

Federal Work-Study funds do not pay to a student's account. Rather, funds are paid directly to the student in the form of a bi-weekly paycheck. The amount paid in each pay period is dependent on the student's rate of pay and the hours worked.

University Withdrawal Refund Policy

To be eligible for an adjustment of charges, a student must withdraw formally from the University. Please see Withdrawal Procedures in the University Catalog.  Upon formal withdrawal, the official date for adjustment purposes is established.  This date will be used by the Office of Student Accounts to determine the amount of reduced tuition, mandatory fees, room and board.  Withdrawal forms are available in the Registrar’s Office for full-time undergraduate day students or at the Division of Graduate and Continuing Education Office for part-time day, evening, and graduate students.  Important to note:  A student who leaves the University without formally withdrawing either in person or in writing through the appropriate office forfeits all rights to a refund (within Title IV regulations).

Due to the extremely high volume of clerical processing that coincides with the start of each semester, students should not expect to receive refunds until at least four weeks after his or her official withdrawal date.

Below is a chart that shows the refund policy schedule for tuition, mandatory fees, room and board for full-time undergraduate students:

*This policy is in accordance with the 1998 Financial Aid Reauthorization Act.  It is reviewed annually by the University’s Vice President for Administration and Finance and Board of Trustees.  This policy also is subject to change without notice.

Financial Aid Withdrawal Policy

When a student withdraws before 60% of the semester is completed, the University is required, under Federal law, to recalculate federal and/or state financial aid and return unearned funds to the appropriate agency. The calculation is based on the amount of time the student was enrolled for the semester.  For example, a student who completes only 20% of the semester will keep only 20% of his or her federal and/or state funds.  The remaining 80% will be returned to the appropriate source.  Funds are returned to federal and/or state sources in the following order:  Direct Loans, Perkins Loans, Plus Loans.  Once loans are satisfied, remaining unearned funds are returned first to Pell Grant, then to SEOG, and then to other Title IV funds requiring a refund.  It is possible that a student who withdraws before 60% of the semester has passed, thus requiring a recalculation of financial aid and return of funds, could owe a bill to the University.

Financial Aid Refund Usage

If the amount of financial aid on your University bill exceeds the tuition, fees and other charges and the student does not have a previous balance, you may receive a refund.  When a student has excess pending financial aid, they can request the excess funds (up to $1,000 per semester) be transferred to their Owl Bucks’ account.  Simply click on this link to access the form. Owl Bucks can be used in the campus bookstore to purchase books and other supplies. A complete list of vendors that accept Owl Bucks is available online by visiting www.OwlBucks.com.  The use of Owl Bucks is optional. Any excess financial aid funds not transferred to Owl Bucks will be refunded to you based on your refund preference set up in BankMobile.