Financial Information

Financial Information

Student Charges and Expenses
Paying Your Account

Freed-Hardeman University is a nonprofit private institution, operating without direct tax support, and must generate income from the following sources: student tuition and fees, grants, private gifts, endowment earnings, and auxiliary enterprises. This section of the catalog will define the cost of Christian education at Freed-Hardeman University, explain the university policy for meeting financial obligations, and explore areas of assistance available to the student.

Most students and parents will use university catalogs to compare prices. Those making cost comparisons between universities are encouraged to look closely at all potential charges to ensure that accurate costs are compared. Tuition, room and board, and fees are areas where comparisons should be made.

When comparing tuition costs, it is important to search the catalog of potential institutions to see how many credit hours are required to complete a degree (At FHU, 132 credit hours are required for graduation). By dividing that number by the assumed eight (8) semester college career, the average number of credit hours needed per semester can be calculated. The average at most institutions is 16 to 16.5 credit hours per semester. At Freed-Hardeman it is 16.5 hours.

Costs for room and board and fees should also be considered. The number of meals taken in the university cafeteria per week determines the cost of board. The type dorm and the choice of a private or shared room determines the cost of housing. Activity fees, general fees, and class or lab fees must also be considered. These vary greatly between institutions.

Freed-Hardeman will make every effort to provide the best possible education at the lowest possible price.

Student Charges and Expenses

Summer 2007 and January 2008

Short Course or Regular Summer Term Tuition (per semester hour) .......................................^*$370

Short Course or Regular Summer Term Room (per week or part of week) ....................................$54

*Short Course or Regular Summer Term Board (per week or part of week) ..................................$64

Short Course or Regular Summer Term Privileged Housing Room (per week or part of week) .....................................................................$152

Technology Fee (per semester hour in Summer or January) ..........................................................$20

* Board is required if living in dormitories

Fall or Spring Semester 2006-2007

Tuition per semester hour: ...........................................................................*$370

Room for Residence Halls (per semester) (additional 50% for private room) (includes cable TV connection, laundry, and internet connection) ..................................$1,850

Room for new apartment style halls for seniors (per semester) .................................................$2,580

(includes cable TV, laundry, and internet connection)

Board- Plan A (per semester–21 meals per week + 20 Lion Bucks) ..........................................$1,430

Plan B (per semester–15 meals per week - No Lion Bucks) .............................................$1,350

Plan C (per semester-15 meals per week + 80 Lion Bucks) .............................................$1,430

Plan D (per semester-10 meals per week + 60 Lion Bucks) .............................................$1,350

Plan S (per semester-7 meals per week + 40 Lion Bucks: for students who have completed 90 or more hours at beginning of semester) .......................................$700

General Fee: 1-11 sem. hrs. (per sem. hr.) ..................................................................................**$60

12 or more hours (per semester) ......................................................................................**$810

Technology Fee:

Per semester hour for undergraduate students taking fewer than 12 hours .......................***$20

Per semester for undergraduate students taking 12 or more hours .................................***$236

* Tuition includes charges for instruction and for most university facilities and services. Not included are private lessons, piano use, books and supplies, admission to some special events, and other special charges listed below.

** The General Fee is made up of several different extra costs that are not charged under any other category. These include the student newspaper, student yearbook, student government, student special events and concerts, intramurals, admission to intercollegiate ballgames, student fitness center, and other student related services. This charge is for all undergraduate students even if a student does not wish to participate in these activities.

*** Technology is a significant part of Freed-Hardeman University’s programs. Students benefit from varied technologies including electronic library services and resources, access to numerous computer labs, e-mail accounts, state-of-the-art campus network, multimedia instructional equipment, administrative software and hardware supporting all academic programs, on-line access to student's account and student's grades, and others.

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TYPICAL EXPENSES

A typical first-year undergraduate boarding student taking 15 hours per semester can meet all regular expenses of tuition, room, board, and required fees for $19,752 for the year. An undergraduate non-boarding student can meet expenses of tuition and required fees for $13,192.

There is a one-time matriculation charge of $72 for all new full-time students to cover record set-up and orientation costs. For boarding students, a non-refundable (after May 1) housing fee of $100 will reserve a room.

Credit-by-Exam Charges

If a full-time student earns credit by examination (including International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, CLEP, DANTES, etc.) he or she will be charged $15 per credit hour. Any part-time student will also be charged $15 per credit hour.

Room and Board

Single students not living with parents or other relatives live in university housing and have a choice of five meal plans. Plan A provides 21 meals per week per semester plus 20 Lion Bucks. Plan B provides 15 meals per week per semester with no Lion Bucks. Plan C provides 15 meals per week per semester plus 80 Lion Bucks. Plan D provides 10 meals per week per semester plus 60 Lion Bucks. Plan S provides 7 meals per week per semester plus 40 Lion Bucks (for students who have completed 90 or more hours at beginning of semester). Costs are outlined above. The university contracts with Aramark to operate the campus food facilities. One of these 5 meal plans must be chosen by resident students unless they are living in the new apartments.

Lion Bucks are the same as dollars that may be spent in the Lion’s Pride Snack Shop or Wallace-Gano Dining Hall. Any Lion Bucks left at the end of the fall semester will roll over to the spring term. However, at the end of each spring semester any unused Lion Bucks at that time will be lost. Resident students as well as commuters may purchase additional Lion Bucks at any time during the fall and spring semesters at the business office. For $100 (including tax), 100 Lion Bucks can be added to any meal plan. For $50 (including tax), 50 Lion Bucks can be added to any meal plan or purchased separately.

A meal equivalency of $3.60 for breakfast, lunch and dinner meals is honored at the Lion’s Pride. Amounts spent over the equivalency may be paid by Lion Bucks or cash.

Short course meals are served from Sunday evening of the first week to Sunday noon of the second week.

Special charges

The following special fees and charges are made where applicable:

Matriculation fee (charged to all new students when first enrolled as a full-time student) .................................................................................$72

Late registration (full-time students) ........................................................................$47

Graduation (required of all graduates whether attending or not) ..................................................$80

Diploma reorder fee ............................................................................$22

Proficiency examination (+$15 per credit hour tuition charge) .....................................................$34 (Note: There is no charge for placement tests in French, or in Spanish.)

ACT Assessment .....................................................................................$30

Transcripts (after the first) ...............................................................................$7

Auditing or non-credit charge (per semester hour) .....................................................................$155 (Note: There is no auditing charge for a full-time student.)

Noncredit swimming or tennis .........................................................$130

Housing Fee (Non-refundable after May 1) ..........................................................$100

Vehicle registration: boarding students and commuting students ..................................................$20

($20 charged in fall and $20 charged in spring)

Lab fee for BIO & NSG labs ........................................................................$37 or $62

Lab fee for ENS, PHS & CHE labs ..........................................$44 or $62

Art class lab fees: Ceramics ................................................$63

Raku Ceramics ...............................................................$46

Nursing Testing Fee .................................................................................$100

Student teaching ................................................................................$160

Social work practicum .................................................................$90

Key deposit (refundable) ..........................................................................$6

Key replacement ..........................................................$25

Lost or broken ID card replacement ....................................................1st-3rd: $25; 4 or more: $50

Placement file (after the second) ..................................................................$5

Extension Bible courses (subsidized credit or noncredit, per semester hour) .................................$17

Tutoring (per hour) ......................................................................................$4

Private Lessons. The following semester charges are not included in tuition.

Applied Music (1 private lesson weekly-includes practice room & piano) .................................$160

Applied Music (2 private lessons weekly-includes practice room & piano) ..................................$320

Individual Instruction (per semester hour) .................................................................................$107

Charges are subject to change without notice if conditions warrant.

Senior citizens. Persons aged 62 or over may register for one or more on-campus courses without tuition charge. This waiver does not apply to special charges, private lessons, or room and board. It also does not apply to summer short courses, topical seminars (numbered 199, 299, 399, 499), extension courses, or special noncredit courses.

The wife of a full-time ministerial student may enroll as a special (part-time, noncredit) student in Bible courses without charge.

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Title IV Refund Policy

The Higher Education Amendments of 1998 changed the formula for calculating the amount of aid a student and school can retain when the student totally withdraws from all classes. Students who withdraw from all classes prior to completing more than 60% of an enrollment term will have their eligibility for aid recalculated based on the percent of the term completed. For example, a student who withdraws completing only 30% of the term will have “earned” only 30% of any Title IV aid received. The remaining 70% must be returned by the school and/or the student. The Office of Business Services encourages you to read this policy carefully. If you are thinking about withdrawing from all classes PRIOR to completing 60% of the semester, you should contact the business office to see how your withdrawal will affect your financial aid.

1) This policy shall apply to all students who withdraw, drop out or are expelled from Freed-Hardeman University, and receive financial aid from Title IV funds:

a) The term “Title IV Funds” refers to the Federal financial aid programs authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (as amended) and includes the following programs: Unsubsidized FFEL loans, subsidized FFEL loans, FFEL PLUS loans, Federal Direct PLUS loans, Federal Pell Grants, Federal SEOG, Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Grants (LEAP).

b) A student’s withdrawal date is:

i) the date the student began the institution’s withdrawal process, or officially notified the institution of intent to withdraw; or

ii) the midpoint of the period for a student who leaves without notifying the institution; or

iii) the student’s last date of attendance at a documented academically-related activity.

2) Refunds on all institutional charges, including tuition and fees, will be calculated using the institutional refund policy published in the FHU Catalog.

3) Title IV aid is earned in a prorated manner on a per diem basis up to and including the 60% point in the semester. Title IV aid and all other aid is viewed as 100% earned after that point in time.

a) The percentage of Title IV aid earned shall be calculated as follows:

NUMBER OF DAYS COMPLETED BY STUDENT / TOTAL NUMBERS OF DAYS IN TERM* = % OF TERM COMPLETED

The percent of term completed shall be the percentage of Title IV aid earned by the student.

* The total number of calendar days in a term of enrollment shall exclude any scheduled breaks of more than five days.

b) The percentage of Title IV aid unearned (i.e., to be returned to the appropriate program) shall be 100% minus the percent earned.

c) Unearned aid shall be returned first by FHU from the student’s account calculated as follows:

( TOTAL INSTITUTIONAL CHARGES X % OF UNEARNED AID) = AMOUNT RETURNED TO PROGRAM(S)

Unearned Title IV aid shall be returned to the following programs in the following order:

1. Unsubsidized Stafford Loan 4. Federal Pell Grant

2. Subsidized Stafford Loan 5. Federal SEOG

3. Parent Loans 6. Other Title IV grant programs to Undergraduate Students (PLUS)

Exception: no program can receive a refund if the student did not receive aid from that program.

d) When the total amount of unearned aid is greater than the amount returned by FHU from the student’s account, the student is responsible for returning unearned aid to the appropriate program(s) as follows:

1. Unsubsidized Stafford Loan* 4. Federal Pell Grant**

2. Subsidized Stafford Loan* 5. Federal SEOG**

3. Parent Loans 6. Other Title IV grant programs** to Undergraduate Students (PLUS)*

* Loan amounts are returned with the terms of the promissory note.

** Amounts to be returned by the student to federal grant programs will receive a 50% discount.

4) Refunds and adjusted bills will be sent to the student’s home address on file in the Registrar’s Office following withdrawal. Students are responsible for any portion of their institutional charges that are left outstanding after Title IV funds are returned.

5) Institutional and student responsibilities in regard to the return of Title IV funds.

a) FHU’s responsibilities in regard to the return of Title IV funds include:

i) providing each student with the information given in this policy;

ii) identifying students who are affected by this policy and completing the Return of Title IV Funds calculation for those students;

iii) returning any Title IV funds that are due the Title IV programs.

b) The student’s responsibilities in regard to the return of Title IV funds include:

i) becoming familiar with the Return of Title IV policy and how complete withdrawal affects eligibility for Title IV aid;

ii) returning to the Title IV programs any funds that were disbursed directly to the student and which the student was determined to be ineligible for via the Return of Title IV Funds calculation.

6) The fees, procedures, and policies listed above supersede those published previously and are subject to change at any time.

7) Any notification of a withdrawal or cancellation of classes should be in writing and addressed to the Registrar’s Office. Such notification may be made by facsimile.

If you would like examples of the refund policy, contact the Office of Business Services.

Institutional Refund Policy

Refunds are issued as listed below. The university is not obligated to refund expenses if the withdrawal is unnecessary or due to the student’s misconduct.

Tuition refunds will be made from the date of withdrawal from the university. Refunds are determined as follows: Official withdrawal within one week, 90% refund; within two weeks, 80% refund; within the third week, 60% refund; within the fourth week, 40% refund; within the fifth week, 20% refund; after five weeks, no refund. The period of attendance is calculated from the catalog date classes begin. In each summer term, each week reduces the amount refundable by one-third; none will be refunded after two weeks. There are no refunds for temporary absences or for course withdrawals after the drop-add period.

Should a student withdraw due to sickness or disciplinary reasons, 50% of the tuition not refunded may be available as a credit toward future tuition charges. The student must enroll full-time in either of the following two regular semesters and request the credit.

The U.S. Office of Education may mandate use of their policy on first-time students receiving federal financial aid. First-time Freed-Hardeman University students should discuss their refund with the Business Office upon withdrawal.

Room and board refunds are determined on a weekly basis over a 17-week term during the regular year and a five-week summer term. No credit will be issued if the withdrawal is within two weeks of the end of the regular term.

In the event of a student withdrawing from the university, all institutional scholarships and aid shall be refunded to the university on a pro rata basis, based on the number of days the student attended.

There are no refunds of special fees, such as late registration, change of schedule, or examination fees.

Refunds will be mailed approximately four weeks after an official withdrawal or after residence hall is vacated.

Paying Your Account

Please refer to the financial information detailed in this catalog under Financial Information: “Student Charges and Expenses” to determine the approximate charges for each semester. In addition to room, board, tuition, and fees, remember to estimate a reasonable amount for textbooks and class supplies. The total of these charges represents the academic, room, and board charges for the semester. From this total, deduct scholarships, grants, or loans that have been awarded or offered as part of the financial aid package. (Aid awards are usually based on the academic year and will be credited to your account proportionately, i.e., half of the award or offer for each semester you are enrolled as a full-time student or as indicated in the award announcement.) For information concerning financial aid adjustments, contact the financial aid office or review the information provided with your offer of financial aid.

Students who have registered and selected classes must have their financial arrangements made by August 11, 2006, for the fall semester, and by January 5, 2007, for the spring semester. The charges for tuition, fees, room and board, must be paid by these dates to prevent the student's classes from being dropped out of the system. Students who register for fall classes after August 11, or for spring classes after January 5, must pay their bill in full the day they register.

After determining the amount of financial aid you will receive, and if financial aid does not cover all of the charges for the semester, the balance may be paid by: (1) Sending a check to FHU Business Office, 158 E. Main St., Henderson, TN 38340; (2) Paying by credit card online at www.fhu.edu; or (3) Paying through Tuition Management Systems (TMS). TMS is an off-campus company the university has contracted with to assist families wanting to spread out payments for school costs. There is an enrollment fee of $60, and no interest is charged during the school year. You may contact TMS at 800-722-4867, or www.afford.com. Also, the contract with TMS may be increased at any time to cover any additional balance that arises from changes that are made.

Transcripts are not released by the university until all outstanding accounts are paid. If, after a student leaves FHU, an obligation is due that requires an outside collection agency, the responsible party agrees to pay collection agency fees, court costs, and attorney fees for collecting the outstanding balance.