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General Financial Policies & Information

I. The Student Account

1. Unless previous payment arrangements have been made, (see F below) any BALANCE DUE on a student's account is payable upon receipt of the monthly statement. Whitworth may cancel registrations for students who have unpaid previous balances.
   
   
2. Charges that appear on your statement after registration (i.e. yearbook, vehicle citation, health center fees, library fines, and student tour charges) are due and payable within 30 days of billing.
   
   
3. A finance charge of 1.5 percent per month will be assessed on any student account balance (including finance charges previously assessed) that is not paid within 30 days after its due date. This includes overdue accounts resulting from delayed financial aid, which may be caused by student failure to submit complete financial aid files. Students with financial aid that is not finalized or with account balances that have not been adequately covered by a payment plan by the end of the first month of the semester may be withdrawn from the University.
   
   
4. Upon registration, students and/or their parent(s) or guardian(s) agree to accept the responsibility for all charges and other special fees incurred or to be incurred for the student's education. Whitworth, in turn, agrees to make available educational programs and facilities as described in the university catalog and in most recent updates. Failure to pay amounts due to the university will result in a financial hold being placed on the student's account. This hold shall release the university from any obligation to continue to provide educational benefits and services, including issuance of transcripts and diplomas, admittance to classes, use of university facilities, and registration for future terms, until balances are paid in full. The university and the student both retain the right to reevaluate the student's account for human or system errors for up to three years.
   
   Delinquent accounts may be referred to a commercial collection agency and may be reported to national credit bureaus. All costs, expenses and fees (including, but not limited to attorney fees, court costs, and other out-of-pocket expenses) incurred by the university in collecting or attempting to collect past due balances are the responsibility of the student, and shall be charged to the student's account.
   
   A service fee of $30 will be charged for any check returned unpaid to Whitworth. Students whose checks are returned twice for insufficient funds will be placed on a list and will not be allowed to use personal checks for on-campus transactions.
   
   
5. Only students who officially withdraw from Whitworth during the course of fall or spring semesters are eligible for a refund according to the schedule listed below.
   
   
6. Payment Options. Whitworth offers the following payment options:
   
   Semester Payment Plan: This plan requires full payment of each term's charges (excluding those covered by financial aid) prior to the start of each semester. For the 2008-09 school year full semester payment must be received by Aug. 8, 2008, for Fall Term and by Jan. 9, 2009, for Spring Term. Under this plan students/parents/guardians may elect to pay by mailing a check, paying by debit card at the cashier's window in McEachran Hall, or by paying directly via e-check** or by processing their credit card** online via WhitNet or any other Whitworth University website which allows the online processing of payments for tuition and fees.
   
   Monthly Payment Plan from Checking/Savings Bank Account or Credit Card: This plan is managed by ECSI (Educational Computer Systems, Inc.) at a cost of $35 for the semester plan and $45 for the annual plan. Under this plan students/parents/guardians sign a contract so that payment for the semester or school year balances will be spread over a number of months and directly withdrawn from their checking/savings account or credit card**. The number of months varies depending on the start date of the contract and the selection of the semester plan or the annual plan. Late registration will require downward adjustments to the number of payments.
   
   ** Please note that credit card transactions on any of the payment options will be subject to a convenience fee of 3.95 percent plus $1.00 charged to the cardholder at the time the transaction is processed. E-check transactions are subject to a convenience fee of $1.00 charged at the time the transaction is processed.
   
   
7. Tuition & Fees Refund Policy
   
   All refunds must be claimed through proper application to the Whitworth Student Accounting Services Office. Students must secure the form from the Whitworth Registrar's Office for class drops and withdrawals. The date the form is received by the registrar's office will be used to establish the refund/withdrawal dates as follows:
   
   Withdrawal/Drop Refund * Applicable To:
   
   

   Withdrawal/Drop	Refund*	Applicable To
   First Week	100 percent	Tuition & fees
   Second Week	90 percent	Tuition & fees
   Third Week	80 percent	Tuition, no fees
   Fourth Week	60 percent	Tuition, no fees
   Fifth Week	40 percent	Tuition, no fees
   Sixth & Seventh Week	25 percent	Tuition, no fees
   Eighth Week	0 percent	Tuition, no fees

   
   
   This schedule also applies to tuition overload fees as well as room and board charges.
   
   
   • For tuition purposes, Fall Term begins 9/3/08 and Spring Term begins 2/3/09.
     
     
   • For room and board purposes, Fall Term begins 8/30/08 and Spring Term begins 1/31/09.
     
     
   • Degree Completion, MBA, MIM, MAT, and Accelerated Format Courses have a different refund schedule. Please check with the Student Accounting Services Office.
     
     Students also need to refer to the Financial Aid Award Information Brochure, which accompanied their first award letter, to learn how their financial aid will be returned.
     
     NOTE: Students who have received federal financial aid may wish to discuss the financial impact of a complete withdrawal with the Financial Aid Office before making their final decision.

II. Financial Aid

1. File Completion
   Students who intend to use funds from a financial aid award to settle their account and have not yet received a financial aid award, must contact or visit the Whitworth Financial Aid Office at 509.777.3215. Students must keep in mind that all ESTIMATED financial aid awards are conditional upon completion of their file and that all estimated financial aid awards are subject to change. For questions regarding financial aid please contact the Whitworth Financial Aid Office at 800.533.4668 or 509.777.3215.
   
   
2. Federal Direct Student/Parent Loans
   Students who have received a financial aid award and intend to include proceeds from a yet-unprocessed Stafford or PLUS Loan as payment to their account must complete and submit the appropriate application and/or worksheets NO LATER THAN Aug. 8, 2008. No expected loan proceeds will be counted as a student account's credit without the appropriate completed application.
   
   
3. How Do You Get Your Financial Aid Funds?
   Grants
   College and federal grants are applied directly to the student's account. Generally, annual grant funds will be divided 50/50 and applied to the student's account at the start of each semester.
   
   Work-Study
   Paychecks earned from on-campus work-study or regular positions are available for pickup from the Whitworth Payroll Office on the 12th and 27th of each month, if the requisite timecard and work authorizations have been turned in to the Payroll Office on time. Potential earnings from work are not included as expected credit on the estimated bill.
   
   Scholarships
   State grants, scholarships, and other awards are disbursed according to the student's or awarding agency's instructions. In the absence of such instructions, the total funds will be credited to the semester in which they are received. Institutional scholarships are credited to the student's account as soon as eligibility is confirmed. Students need to report to the Financial Aid Office those scholarships that they receive directly from donors.
   
   Loans
   Stafford and PLUS loans will be credited to the student's account once enrollment and financial aid file completion have been verified. The student has the right to cancel all or a portion of the Stafford and/or Plus loan(s) that have been credited to his/her student account. To do so students/parents need to contact the Whitworth Financial Aid Office as soon as possible. Perkins and Whitworth loans will be credited to the student's account when he/she has signed the required forms in the Whitworth Student Accounting Services Office. Students have 14 days from the date they receive Perkins and Whitworth loans to decline part or all of these loans.
   
   
4. When Are Funds Credited to Student Accounts?
   Financial aid funds are credited to the accounts of full-time or approved part-time students after a final financial aid award has been made, the award has been accepted and signed by the student, registration charges are in the student's account, and the student has attended his/her first class.
   
   
5. Title IV Funds
   If students wish to apply Title IV* funds to their accounts for items other than tuition, fees, or room and board, they must give Whitworth their written authorization. Authorization forms will be mailed to students with their Fall Confirmation bill packages and are also available at the Student Accounting Services Office.
   
   
6. Veterans Benefits
   Students who are eligible to receive VA educational benefits must contact the Student Accounting Services Office about payment arrangements for their account. Also, these students must notify the Whitworth Financial Aid Office of their eligibility for this federal benefit.
   
   
7. Credit Balances On Student Accounts
   
   
   1. Pursuant to the student's authorization, any funds in excess of tuition, fees, room and board, and any other authorized items will remain on the student's account until requested by the student. The student can rescind this authorization in part or in full at any time by completing a Credit Refund Request at the Whitworth Students Accounting Services Office. Credits remaining on student accounts will not accrue interest.
      
      
   2. All check requests must be submitted to the Whitworth Student Accounting Services Office by Friday for check pickup after 1 p.m. on Wednesday and by Tuesday for check pickup after 1 p.m. on Friday.
      
      
   3. The student accounting services Office CANNOT give advances on anticipated credit balances.
      
      
   4. At the end of the student's enrollment period, the student accounting services office will issue checks for all credit balances on the student accounts resulting from Federal Title IV* funds regardless of student authorization to keep funds on the student's account. Pursuant to the student's request, continuing students may keep non-federal credits for future enrollment periods.
      
      
   5. Graduating or transferring students with credit balances will also be issued a refund after all appropriate charges have been assessed.
      
      *Title IV funds are Pell Grant, SEOG, Stafford Loans, PLUS Loans and Perkins Loans.
      
      For questions regarding student account charges, payments, and billing please contact the Whitworth Student Accounting Services Office at 800.535.4668, 509.777.4317, or 509.777.3209.