Educational Costs and Business Regulations

Summary of Program Costs for the Academic Year 2016-2017

There may be additional costs associated with certain courses for text books, materials, laboratory fees, and computer access charges.

Business Regulations

All charges are due and payable the first day of each term. If full payment or payment arrangements have not been made by census day of each term, the student account will be subject to late fees. A hold will also be placed on the student account to prevent further registration or release of transcripts. Census dates are listed on the academic calendar as the last day for registration. The academic calendar can be found at doane.edu.

Automatic deferments will be granted to students who have been awarded financial aid or have certified military benefits to cover the entire balance by census day. However, if these benefits do not cover the balance 100%, the student is responsible for the difference by the first day of the term.   In addition to check payments, Doane accepts Visa, American Express, MasterCard, and Discover for settlement of accounts with a 2.75% convenience fee.  Deferred payment plans are available through FACTS Tuition Management (for more details visit the website at www.doane.edu.)

Registration may be refused for any student whose previous term account is not in good order. No refund of charges is made to a student suspended or dismissed from university. Registration may be canceled for students delinquent in their payments.

A transcript or diploma is not issued to a student who has failed to pay off any indebtedness to Doane University. At the discretion of the Vice President for Finance and Administration, a transcript may be released to a currently enrolled student entering graduate school or a professional school who has a balance on his/her account, provided the student is current with the payment plan.

Official Business Day

The university’s official business day, as defined for federal financial aid delivery purposes, is 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Central time.

Cross Enrollment

In rare instances, students are permitted to cross-enroll between the School of Graduate and Professional Studies and the School of Arts and Sciences, with permission of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. A cross-enrolled student must pay all costs, including tuition, associated with enrollment at other than his/her main campus.

Refunds

Registration constitutes a financial contractual agreement between Doane University and the enrollee.

If a student withdraws from college prior to the official start of a term, all tuition and fees are refunded. After the term begins, a student who withdraws is refunded a portion of tuition and fees for all classes in which the student has enrolled on or after census day. (Census day is listed on the college calendar as the last day for registration.) The amount of the refund and the manner in which it is calculated depends upon the student’s status at Doane University.

For a student who is not receiving Federal Title IV student financial aid and is not a first-time attendee at Doane University, the refund is determined by the number of days that have passed from the official beginning of a term according to the following schedule:

Tuition and fee refunds are generally based on the last documented date of attendance or official withdrawal date. For a student who does not officially withdraw, refunds are generally based on the last date of class attendance.

After census day, no refund is made unless a complete withdrawal occurs. Refunds are not made for students dropping credits or classes, or students dropping from full-time to part-time status. Students adding credits after census day need to pay additional tuition for these credits.

Under very special circumstances, the policy for refund of tuition may be waived. If a student’s work schedule is changed or if the student, or a member of the student’s immediate family, develops a serious illness which makes class attendance impossible the student may request an exception with the Late Drop/Withdraw Committee.  A request form is available on the Doane website or through an advisor.  The committee meets every Wednesday.  The request form should include a letter from a work supervisor to verify the schedule change or a letter from a doctor verifying the illness.

Federal law requires a specific calculation be used for those students who are Federal Title IV recipients, and who withdraw from the institution during the first 60 percent of the period for which they have been charged. (Institutional costs are defined as charges that Doane University assesses a student for education expenses that are paid to Doane University directly.) If a student drops after the 60 percent point in the enrollment period, the percentage earned is 100 percent. There is no refund, nor is there a calculation of Title IV Assistance earned. Doane University retains 100 percent of all charges.

The following education expenses are considered institutional costs:

• All charges for tuition, fees, room and board (if contracted with Doane University)
• Expenses for required course materials, if the student does not have a “real and reasonable opportunity” to purchase the required course materials from any place but Doane University.

The total amount of all institutional costs must be used in the calculation of a refund, including the calculation of unpaid charges, if they are specifically designated as excludable.

Excludable costs are defined as costs that the regulations permit Doane University to exclude from the total amount of institutional charges when calculating the refund. They include:

• An administrative fee
• Documented costs of unreturnable equipment
• Documented costs of returnable equipment, if not returned in good condition within 20 days of withdrawal.

Refunds are based upon the official start of the term and the withdrawal date. A term is defined as one complete eight-week period, including seminars. The official registration and withdrawal process must take place during the appropriate time frame for the student to be considered for a refund. In some cases the actual start date of a course may be after a refund is no longer available.

If a withdrawing student received federal financial aid, a portion of any refund calculated must be returned to the federal student aid program(s) used. Doane College restores funds to the student aid programs in the following order:

1. Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
2. Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan
3. Federal Perkins Loan Program
4. Federal Parent (PLUS) Loan Program
5. Federal Pell Grant Program
6. Academic Competitiveness Grant
7. National SMART Grant
8. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
9. TEACH Grant

Funds are restored to each program up to the total amount disbursed for the term before any funds are replaced in the next program.