Student Accounts

Fiscal Responsibility Code

Students enrolled at the University are expected to adhere to a fiscal responsibility code as described below. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from the University.

Promise to Pay

Students who are registered for any course or who have received any service from the University accept full responsibility to pay all tuition, fees, and other associated costs assessed as a result of their registration and/or receipt of services.

Timely Payment

Students who are registered for any course or who have received any services from the University accept the responsibility to pay all tuition, fees, and other charges according to the payment schedule outlined by the University. This expectation applies regardless of the payment method.

Maintaining Accurate Records

Students are responsible for keeping their records current. Students are responsible for notifying the Office of the Registrar of any changes in name, address, phone number, or other relevant demographic information within 30 days of any change.

Exercising Fiscal Responsibility

In the event the student receives federal funding, the student agrees to use this money for educationally related expenses, which include costs for tuition, fees, book supplies, transportation, housing and food costs, and incidental expenses.

Tuition and Fees

A  Tuition and Fees   schedule is published annually and is available on the University’s website as part of this catalog. The University reserves the right to adjust tuition and/or fees without prior notice.

Depending upon the program of study, the University charges students enrolled in degree and certificate programs on either a fixed term rate or a per-credit hour rate. In reference to programs charging a fixed term rate:

• Students enrolled in more than the maximum credits hours allowed by their program of study in a single term will be charged a per-credit hour rate for credits taken above the maximum.
• Students enrolled less than full-time (as defined by the program) are charged a per-credit hour rate based upon the tuition rate of their program of study.

Students who are required to retake all or a portion of the program will be charged an additional per-credit hour rate for repeated courses.

The University charges Accelerated Sciences students at a per-credit hour rate based upon the number of credit hours in which the student is enrolled.

In all cases, changes in a student’s enrollment status due to adding, dropping, or withdrawing from a course may impact tuition and fees.

Auditing Courses

Students who audit a course may be subject to a fee for each course they audit. Fees vary by program. Please see the Academic Policies section of the catalog for more information on auditing courses.

Additional Costs

Students are responsible for meeting additional costs associated with their program of study such as travel, accommodations, food, books, software, technology equipment, and supplies. 

Fixed Rate Tuition Guarantee

The Fixed Rate Tuition Guarantee allows students to pay the tuition rate in effect at the time of matriculation for the duration of their program of study. The Fixed Rate Tuition Guarantee does not apply to Accelerated Sciences students. The Fixed Rate Tuition Guarantee will vary depending on the program in which the student is enrolled. The Fixed Rate Tuition Guarantee does not apply to fees. 

To qualify for the Fixed Rate Tuition Guarantee the student must maintain continuous enrollment including summer in their program of study, and graduate either on time, or with one additional term of the published program length.  In addition, students will remain eligible for the Fixed Rate Tuition Guarantee in effect at the time of the original date of entry if:

• The student takes a Military Leave of Absence. 
• The student qualifies to return under the Reentry policy (return within one year of withdrawal).
• The student returns as scheduled from an approved Leave of Absence (return within six months).

Students will be subject to the tuition in effect at the time of their return to the University if:

• The student is suspended for disciplinary reasons.
• The student qualifies to return under the Readmissions policy (more than one year after withdrawal).
• The student took an approved Leave of Absence but did not return as scheduled (including any return after six months).

Payment Plans (Certificate and Degree Students)

To be accepted for a payment plan by the Office of Student Accounts, a student must have completed the required payment plan process online via mySCU, the University’s intranet. 

Once accepted, the student must complete the 5-step enrollment process, which is: 

Step 1: Review Terms and Accept Truth in Lending Act disclosure 

Step 2: Enter Date of Birth and Phone Number 

Step 3: Accept the amount due (the first payment plus the payment plan enrollment fee) 

Step 4: Enter payment information 

Step 5: Submit payment 

Students must self-enroll in the payment plan no later than the tuition due date for each term or block. Payment plans are available to all certificate and degree students. Please note that failure to make timely payments may result in late fees and other penalties. Students who violate the terms of their payment plan may lose eligibility for future payment plans and may be required to pay their balance in full. Additionally, students who have been referred to collections and are returning to SCU will not be eligible to participate in a payment plan.

Payment Deadlines

An account shall be considered in good standing if one of the following applies:

• Payment is made in full by Friday of the second week of the term for certificate and degree students enrolled in a 12, 15, 16, or 17 week term.
• Payment is made in full by Friday of the first week of the block or term for certificate and degree students enrolled in a 5, 7.5, or 10 week block or term.
• Payment is made in full by the first day of the 5 week block regardless of when the first class section is scheduled for Accelerated Sciences students.
• Students relying on payment plans must enroll by Friday of the first or second week of the block or term (certificate or degree students) based on the length of block or term as noted above. Accelerated Sciences students must enroll by Friday of the first week of the block. To be accepted by the Office of Student Accounts, a student must have completed the required payment plan process online via mySCU, the University’s intranet.
• Students relying on Veteran’s Administration funds (excluding vocational rehabilitation) have been approved by the Office of Financial Aid by the end of business on the tuition due date. To be approved by the Office of Financial Aid, all requested documentation necessary to check benefit eligibility and certify benefits must be received by this day. Approval may be granted even if funds are delayed by the agency.
• Students relying on Department of Rehabilitation or other third-party providers funds have been approved by the Office of Student Accounts by the end of business on the tuition due date. To be approved, student must provide a valid authorization for the affected time-period. Approval may be granted even if funds are delayed by the agency.
• Students relying on a combination of outside funding (federal grants/loans, private loans, scholarhsips, VA, etc.) and a payment plan, must adhere to all stated deadlines for the repsective payment type.

Student Refunds

Refunds may result from excess financial aid, third-party payments (such as Veterans Assistance), or payments made directly by the student (either online or via check). Refunds from excess financial aid or third-party payments will be issued via check or direct deposit to the student. Refunds from student payments will be issued back to the original form of payment.

When a refund is due, a refund transaction will be processed within 14 days of the date the student’s account reflects a credit balance. Refunds stemming from financial aid or Veterans Affairs benefits will be issued once the funds have been received from the respective entity(ies) and a credit has been generated on the student’s account.

A student who is eligible for a refund due to excess financial aid and who uses a credit card to pay any and all tuition and fees will have a refund processed to the credit card up to the amount of the card payment. This policy applies to all credit card transactions, regardless of the order of payment. Any remaining refund due to the student over the amount paid by credit card will be processed through direct deposit or paper check.

Student Account Holds and Financial Compliance

When a balance remains on a student account after the tuition due date and payment arrangements acceptable to the Office of Student accounts have not been made (such as a payment plan), the account is no longer considered in good standing. In these cases, a registration hold will be placed, and current registration may be dropped. Students will be unable to register for future terms/blocks until the balance is paid or payment arrengements acceptable to the Office of Student accounts have been made. Students may also incur fees and penalties.

Accelerated Sciences:

If an account is not restored to good standing by day 8 of the block, the student is subject to Administrative Withdrawal for nonpayment. This policy applies regardless of the original payment status if payments are later returned, reversed, or declined (e.g., due to NSF, chargebacks, etc).

A student’s account is considered in good standing if:

• The student is not on a payment plan and all tuition and fees have been paid in full by day 7 of the block.
• The student has enrolled in a valid payment plan for their full balance and the second installment is paid in-full by the due date, regardless of any grace period stated in the third-party payment plan terms.
• The student has an approved private loan with an assigned disbursement date no later than the tuition due date, though the actual disbursement may occur after the due date. 

Certificate and Degree:

If the account is not restored to good standing by the time 40% of the block or term has passed, the student is subject to Administrative Withdrawal for non-payment. Students previously referred to collections or whose accounts were subject to bad debt write-offs must resolve their account and bring it into good standing by the tuition due date. Failure to address the balance in-full by that date will result in Administrative Withdrawal for non-payment.

A student’s account is considered in good standing if:

• The student’s account balance is less than $200 and not more than 120 days old.
• The student has a valid payment plan in place and has made all payments in-full and according to their payment plan due dates.
• The student has provided all necessary paperwork to the Office of Financial Aid and/or Office of Student Accounts, regardless of whether or not there is a student account balance.
• This typically means that the University can verify that student is waiting for funding from a third party.
• If a student has been offered Financial Aid, it must be in an accepted status.

Late Payment Fees and Payment Limitations

Students who fail to make payments in a timely manner are subject to late payment fees, including when payments are declined, returned, or disputed. Additionally, once the tuition due date has passed, failure to accept Financial Aid within 3 days of award may result in a late fee.

Online payment methods may be rescinded without notification if a student has multiple payment failures, such as non-sufficient funds (NSF) or chargebacks. In these cases, alternative payment methods may be required for future transactions.

Additionally, students who have been referred to collections and are returning to SCU may be required to pay with guaranteed funds. These students will not be eligible for payment plans or credit card payments.

Course Drops (Certificate and Degree-Seeking Students)

Students who are billed on a fixed term rate and who drop courses during the add/drop period for their program that bring their total units below full-time (as defined by the program) will be charged on a per unit basis.

Students will not be eligible for an adjustment or refund for any courses dropped after the add/drop period, regardless of the number of units in which the student is registered.

Pro Rata Refund Policy (Certificate- and Degree-Seeking Students)

Students who withdraw, take a leave of absence, or are dismissed from the University may be eligible for a 100% tuition adjustment if the action occurs prior to the start of the block or term. Students who withdraw, take a leave of absence, or are dismissed after the start of the block or term may be eligible for a pro-rata adjustment, depending on the timing of the exit.

All exit dates-whether student-initiated or administrative-are determined by the Office of the Registrar. These dates are used by Student Accounts to calculate tuition adjustments. Fees, tuition deposits, and other charges are non-refundable.

The pro rata adjustment will be determined by the total number of days the student was enrolled (based on exit date as determined by Registrar) in a block or term divided by the total number of calendar days in the block or term. For this calculation, all calendar days in the block or term count, not just those with scheduled class sessions. If the amount is less than 60%, a prorated adjustment is applied to the student’s financial accountbased on the total number of days the student is enrolled in the block or term. If the amount is equal to or more than 60%, no adjustment will be made. For example, if there are 100 calendar days in the term and a student withdraws on the tenth day of the term, the adjustment will be 90% of billed tuition. Note: this pro rata adjustment policy applies to degree and certificate programs only - see below for the refund policy for students in Accelerated Sciences.

Oregon Pro Rata Refund Policy (Certificate- and Degree-Seeking Students)

Students who reside in Oregon that withdraw, are dismissed, or take a leave of absence from the University will be eligible for a tuition refund according to the tables below. The withdrawal date, as determined by the Office of the Registrar, is used to calculate the pro rata refund for students residing in Oregon. Fees and other charges are not refundable.

The pro rata refund will be based on unused instructional time and will be prorated on a weekly basis. The pro rata refund will be determined by the number of weeks the student completes in a term. All weeks in the term count toward the number of weeks the student completes in the term, not just those weeks in which a student has scheduled class sessions.

15-WEEK TERM (applies to Standard and Non-Standard Term Academic Calendar)

7 ½-WEEK BLOCK (applies to Two-Block Academic Calendar)

5-WEEK BLOCK (applies to Three-Block Academic Calendar)

Refund Policy (Accelerated Sciences)

Students who drop or withdraw from Accelerated Sciences courses will be eligible for a tuition adjustment according to the table below. Fees and other charges are not refundable.

Please note: Adjustments are based on the first day of the block, not the actual first day of class.

Accelerated Sciences Courses Only

Cancellation and Refund Policy - Arizona Students

The following information is in addition to the Cancellation and Refund Policy and applies to students residing in Arizona.

Three-Day Cancellation: An applicant who provides written notice of cancellation within three days (excluding Saturday, Sunday and federal and state holidays) of signing an enrollment agreement is entitled to a refund of all monies paid. No later than 30 days of receiving the notice of cancellation, the school shall provide the 100% refund.

Refunds will be issued within 30 days of the date of student notification, or date of school determination (withdrawn due to absences or other criteria as specified in the school catalog), or in the case of a student not returning from an authorized Leave of Absence (LOA), within 30 days of the date the student was scheduled to return from the LOA and did not return.

Holder in Due Course Statement: Any holder of this consumer credit contract is subject to all claims and defenses which the debtor could assert against the seller of goods or services obtained pursuant hereto or with the proceeds, hereof Recovery hereunder by the debtor shall not exceed amounts paid by the debtor (FTC Rule effective 5-14-76).