Financial Policies 2023-24
I. The Student Account
A. Unless previous payment arrangements have been made (see "G," below), payment for classes is due prior to the start of the term; any balance due thereafter on a student's account is payable upon the student's receipt of the monthly statement. Whitworth may cancel registration for students who have unpaid balances.
B. 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.
C. Around the 10th of each month, you will receive a communication to your Whitworth email account prompting you to review your student account in Self-Service. Your Monthly Statement of Account shows current charges and payments. Please review carefully for accuracy.
D. Starting the second month of each semester (October in the fall and March in the spring), outstanding balances not covered by a payment plan are subject to late fees. Beginning in the 2023-24 academic year, Whitworth will be assessing "late fees" based on a schedule and not "service fees" based on a percent. The schedule is as follows:
| Balance | Monthly Late Fee |
|---|---|
| $501-$1,000 | $25 |
| $1,001-$5,000 | $50 |
| $5,001-$10,000 | $100 |
| >$10,001 | $200 |
Please Note: 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balances that have not been adequately covered by a payment plan by the end of the first month of the semester may be withdrawn from the university.
E. Upon registration, students and/or their parent(s) or guardian(s) agree to accept the responsibility for all charges and other special fees already incurred and 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 re-evaluate 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, collection 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 $35 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 of those who will not be allowed to use personal checks for on-campus transactions.
F. Only students who officially withdraw from Whitworth during the course of fall or spring semester are eligible for a refund according to the schedule listed below.
G. Payment Options
Whitworth offers the following payment options:
- Payment in Full: 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 2023-24 school year, full-semester payment must be received for Fall Term by Aug. 9, 2023, and for Spring Term by Feb 9, 2024. If you are an early arrival for fall semester, your deadline is July 31, 2023! Under this plan, students/parents/guardians may elect to mail a check, to pay by debit card at the cashier's window in McEachran Hall, or to pay directly via e-check** or by processing their credit cards** online via Self-Service or any other Whitworth University website that allows the online processing of payments for tuition and fees.
- Monthly Payment Plan from Credit Card/Checking/Savings Bank Account: The monthly payment plan is $50 for the semester plan. Under this plan, students/parents/guardians sign a contract so that payment for semester balances will be spread over a maximum of 5 months per semester and withdrawn directly from their checking/savings accounts or charged to a credit card. The number of months varies depending on the start date of the contract. Late registration will, of course, require that we adjust the plan to fewer, larger payments. Enrollment for the fall 2023 semester must be by Aug. 9 and for the spring 2024 semester, must be enrolled by Feb. 9. Early arrivals for fall 2023 have a deadline of July 31, 2023.
**Please note that credit-card transactions on any of the payment options will be subject to a convenience fee of 2.85 percent plus .35, charged to the cardholder at the time the transaction is processed. Debit card transactions on any payment will be subject to a convenience fee of 2.85 percent plus .35, charged at the time the transaction is processed. E-check transactions are subject to a convenience fee of .35, charged at the time the transaction is processed.
G. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| First and Second Week | 100 percent | Tuition and fees |
| Third Week | 75 percent | Tuition, no fees |
| Fourth Week | 50 percent | Tuition, no fees |
| Fifth Week | 25 percent | Tuition, no fees |
| Sixth Week | 0 percent | Tuition, no fees |
This schedule also applies to tuition-overload fees as well as to room-and-board charges.
- For tuition purposes, Fall Term begins Sept. 6, 2023, and Spring Term begins Feb. 1, 2024.
- For room-and-board purposes, Fall Term begins Sept. 3, 2023, and Spring Term begins Jan. 30, 2024.
- Degree Completion, MBA, MAT and accelerated-format courses have a different refund schedule. Please refer to the withdrawal process & tuition refund schedule or check with the Whitworth Student Accounting Services Office.
Students also need to refer to the financial aid website 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.
H. Emergency Event Refund Policy
The university's first priority is to ensure its students' safety, health and well-being. In the event students are required to vacate their residence hall due to a public-health mandate (or similar) after the fourth week of the semester, a prorated credit or refund for the unused portion of room and board will be issued, up to a maximum of 50 percent of the amount paid by the student. (The university incurs contractual obligations for the full academic year which limit the amount of credits or refunds it is able to provide.) If the event takes place within the first four weeks of the semester, room and board refunds will follow the published schedule of refunds for the academic year, which can be found here. Students receiving financial aid that may have been based, in part, on room and board costs should refer to the financial aid refund policy to determine whether they would be obligated to return any financial aid funds. Tuition and fees refunds will follow the normal refund schedule tied to the number of weeks of the semester.
II. Financial Aid
A. File Completion
Students who intend to use funds from a financial aid offer to settle their account and have not yet received a financial aid offer must visit or contact the Whitworth Financial Aid Office at 509.777.3215. Students must keep in mind that all ESTIMATED financial aid offers are conditional upon completion of their file and that all estimated financial aid offers are subject to change. For questions regarding financial aid, please contact the Whitworth Financial Aid Office at 800.533.4668 or 509.777.3215. Click here for more important financial aid information.
B. Federal Student/Parent Loans
Students who have received a financial aid offer and intend to include proceeds from a Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loan and/or PLUS Loan as payment to their account are encouraged to complete the required online processes and forms NO LATER THAN Aug. 9, 2023. No expected loan proceeds will be counted as a student account's credit without the appropriate completed online processes. Students can complete their required loan processes at www.studentloans.gov.
C. How To Get Your Financial Aid Funds
Grants & Scholarships
University, state 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.
Student Employment (Work-Study)
Paychecks earned from on-campus work-study or regular positions are available via direct deposit or are available for pickup from the Whitworth cashier window on the 12th and 27th of each month, if the required timecard and work authorizations have been processed with the payroll office on time. Potential earnings from work are not included as expected credit on the estimated bill.
Private Scholarships
Scholarships from private sources are disbursed according to the student's or awarding organization's instructions. In the absence of such instructions, the total funds will be credited to the semester in which they are received. Students need to report to the financial aid office those scholarships that they receive directly from donors. Click here to report scholarships received.
Loans
Federal Direct and PLUS loans will be credited to the student's account once enrollment and financial aid file completion have been confirmed. The student and parent have the right to cancel all or a portion of any loans received and credited to the student's account: 30 days from the date s/he receives a Federal Direct Loan, 14 days from the date s/he receives a Plus Loan, and 72 hours from the date s/he receives a Whitworth University loan. To cancel, the student/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 s/he has signed the required forms in the Whitworth Student Accounting Services Office. Click here to access important disbursement and credit-refund information.
D. When Funds Are 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 offer has been made, registration charges are in the student's account, and the student has attended his/her first class.
E. Title IV Funds
If students wish to apply Federal Title IV* funds to their accounts for items other than tuition, fees, or room and board, they must authorize Whitworth University to do so. Authorization is accomplished by completing the authorization on Self Service or by completing an authorization form available at the Whitworth Student Accounting Services Office.
F. Veterans Benefits
Students who are eligible to receive VA educational benefits must contact the Whitworth Student Accounting Services Office about payment arrangements for their accounts. Also, these students must notify the Whitworth Financial Aid Office of their eligibility for this federal benefit.
G. Credit Balances On Student Accounts
- Pursuant to the student's authorization, any federal funds in excess of tuition, fees, room and board, and any other authorized items will remain on the student's account until they are 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 Student Accounting Services Office. Credits remaining on student accounts will not accrue interest. All excess federal funds being held will be refunded at the end of the academic year whether requested or not.
- All credit-balance-refund requests must be submitted to the Whitworth Student Accounting Services Office by Friday for direct deposit or check pickup after 1 p.m. on the following Wednesday and by Tuesday for direct deposit or check pickup after 1 p.m. on the following Friday.
- The student accounting services office CANNOT give advances on anticipated credit balances.
- At the end of the student's enrollment period, the student accounting services office will issue direct deposits or checks for all credit balances on the student's account resulting from Federal Title IV* funds, regardless of the student authorization to keep funds in his or her account. Pursuant to the student's request, continuing students may keep non-federal credits for future enrollment periods.
- 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 Grants, SEOG, Teach, Federal Direct Loans, PLUS Loans and Perkins Loans.
For questions regarding student account charges, payments and billing, please contact the Whitworth Student Accounting Services Office at stuaccts@whitworth.edu or 509.777.4495.