Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition and Fee Information – 2021-2022

Tuition and payment information can be found on the Business Office website.

Fees

Directed Studies: In addition to the course tuition charge, students enrolled in a directed study course are also responsible for a fee of $300 for undergraduate courses and $500 for graduate courses.

Transcripts: Paper transcripts are free of charge.

No transcripts of records will be furnished to anyone whose account is not paid in full.

Tuition Payment Policy

Students are required to submit payment for tuition in full prior to the beginning of the session. Payment may be made online by credit card (a convenience fee will be charged), ACH/Electronic Check (no additional fees) through JayWeb or the Business Office website.  Payment may also be made via cash (accepted at the Business Office), or check or money order, made payable to Elizabethtown College.

For information and questions, contact the Business Office at 717-361-1417 or businessoffice@etown.edu or visit their webpage. 

Veterans’ Benefits: 

Students who are using veterans’ benefits for tuition must contact the Veterans’ Certifying Official, Katharine Daniels at 717-361-3735 well in advance of the first class. Veterans attending the College for the first time should be prepared to pay their tuition for the first semester while awaiting reimbursement from the Veterans’ Administration. For more information on how to research Veterans’ Benefits, please see our Military Tuition Assistance & Veterans’ Benefits Information.

Deferred Payment Program:

School of Graduate and Professional Studies students who will be reimbursed by their employer after completing a course may be eligible for the deferred tuition payment program.

Deferred Payment Program Policy:

Payment is required within 30 days of the completion of the session. If payment is not received by the 30th day, the banking information or credit card listed on the deferred payment form will be charged for outstanding tuition and fee costs. A convenience fee of 2.75% of the total payment amount will be assessed for any credit card payment. If a credit card is declined, monthly finance charges of 1.5% on outstanding balances will be retroactively assessed to the first day of the session and a $50.00 late payment fee will be added to the student’s account.

Students are not able to register in future sessions or receive official transcripts until their account is paid in full; eligibility for the deferred payment program may be denied for future courses as well. 

Required Documentation:

The following items must be submitted to the Business Office (see below) in order to participate in the Deferred Payment Program:

• A copy of your company’s reimbursement policy
• A letter from your employer verifying your eligibility for tuition reimbursement. The letter must be on company letterhead
• A completed Deferred Payment form with a valid credit card account or bank information included.

To protect students’ personally identifiable and confidential information, the Elizabethtown College Business Office has a secure upload site through which all Deferred Payment Program documentation can be uploaded. The link and log-in information is provided by your admission’s representative.

Financial Aid

Elizabethtown College’s Financial Aid Office assists enrolled and prospective students in finding the financial means to allow them to fully participate in the educational experience at Elizabethtown College. Services include providing current financial aid information and resources, budgeting assistance, debt management advice, and financial aid counseling. The office is open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The office is located in Zug Memorial Hall, room 208.

Students interested in institutional, federal and state financial aid assistance must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It is strongly recommended that students complete the FAFSA electronically at https://studentaid.gov. Elizabethtown College’s Title IV code is 003262. Applicants should apply for financial aid no later than May 1.

In August, an email is sent to all matriculated SGPS students who meet institutional need based scholarship criteria, inviting them to apply.  Some of these scholarships include the approximately 100 endowed scholarships and gifts that are available to Elizabethtown students through the generosity of the College’s alumni and friends.

All requests for information regarding financial assistance should be directed to:

For more detailed information regarding Elizabethtown College’s financial aid programs, individuals may visit the Financial Aid website at www.etown.edu/FinancialAid.

How to Apply for Financial Aid

All steps should be completed at least ONE MONTH prior to the start of classes:

• Apply for your FSA ID beforehand.  The FSA ID serves as a student’s electronic signature for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Complete the FAFSA.  Elizabethtown College’s Federal School Code is 003262.  If you are an undergraduate student, please complete the FAFSA by May 1st for Pennsylvania State Grant Program consideration.
• Complete and submit the Employer Educational Assistance Form.  When you submit, please include a copy of your employer’s reimbursement policy if applicable.  The form can be returned to the financial aid office via US mail or uploaded to the Secured Document upload.  Contact the financial aid office for username and password.*

*Elizabethtown College recognizes that standard financial aid forms do not always capture the full financial profile of our students. Please contact the Financial Aid Office at 717-361-1404 if you feel you have special circumstances or have any questions concerning this process. 

Elizabethtown College is required to review your academic progress regularly to ensure your continued eligibility for Federal financial aid, as outlined in our Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policies and procedures. For information about SAP Standards at Elizabethtown College, and for the policies that are in effect for undergraduate and graduate students, visit the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards webpage. 

Enrollment Eligibility for Financial Aid

The accelerated sessions are offered in 5-week, 7-week and 8-week subterms which comprise a semester.  Because of this, the determination of half-time status is different than traditional degree programs that operate on a fall/spring semester schedule. Undergraduate enrollment levels are determined by combining the credits taken in three separate 5-week sessions. Graduate enrollment levels will be determined by combining the credits taken in the two 8-week sessions.  The following are the credit minimum requirements for half-time and full-time enrollment by degree:

Undergraduate Programs (including associate and bachelor programs)

Full-time status is a student taking 12 or more credits per semester.

Half-time status is a student taking at least 6 credits per semester.

Graduate Programs and applicable Title IV approved certificate programs

Full-time status is a student taking 6 or more credits per semester.

Half-time status is a student taking at least 3 credits per semester.

The website https://studentaid.gov has an abundance of information for students regarding understanding and applying for federal student aid. At https://studentaid.gov, students can:

• learn about the types of federal financial aid available and eligibility requirements
• apply for federal financial aid
• complete federal financial aid documents
• manage your federal student loans

Disbursal of Financial Aid

Disbursal of aid typically takes place in the first session in which a student is registered; Pennsylvania grants (for undergraduate students) are not disbursed until the last session of the semester. 

Renewal of Financial Aid

Students must reapply each year to be considered for financial aid. Typically, a reminder is sent by the financial aid office through email in March. Students are highly encouraged to complete materials for their application by May 1 for the following summer and fall and November 1 for the following spring. This includes the College’s Employer Assistance Verification Form and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Tax documents and other necessary documentation may be requested.

Scholarships for SGPS Students

Edward and Carol Murphy/Charlotte Newcombe Scholarship for Mature Women Students The Edward and Carol Murphy/Charlotte Newcombe Scholarship for Mature Women Students is open to female students ages 25 and older, on basis of financial need, academic record and professional/career aspirations. In August, an email is sent to all matriculated SGPS students who meet the criteria, inviting them to apply for the endowed scholarship.

James L. Fritz/Charlotte Newcombe Scholarship for Mature Women and Men Students The James L. Fritz/Charlotte Newcombe Scholarship for Mature Women and Men Students is open to male and female students ages 25 and older, on the basis of financial need, academic record and professional/career aspirations. In August, an email is sent to all matriculated SGPS students who meet the criteria, inviting them to apply for the endowed scholarship. 

Members of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) International Honor Society are eligible for a 10% tuition discount in any undergraduate program offered by the School of Graduate and Professional Studies (SGPS) at Elizabethtown College.  Candidates must provide proof of membership in PTK and possess a 3.5 cumulative GPA upon admission into SGPS.   Candidates must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA throughout their program and complete a minimum of 18 credits each academic year in order to maintain the PTK discount.   

There are numerous external scholarships available to nontraditional students. We’ve compiled a list, available in the PDF documents. Please know that these links take you off our website; we do not monitor or control the information provided on these websites. This information is provided for your convenience only.

Undergraduate Scholarship Opportunities (PDF) 
Graduate Scholarship Opportunities (PDF)

Federal Financial Aid Requirements

We Have a Right to Ask

All information requested by the Financial Aid Office is authorized by law. The legal right to ask applicants to provide their social security number is based on Section 7(a)(2) of the Privacy Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-579).

All applicants for financial aid at Elizabethtown College are advised that disclosure of their social security number is required as a condition of participation in federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs. The applicant’s social security number is used in conjunction with the College identification number to identify the applicant’s financial aid application and account at Elizabethtown.

The legal right to ask for all other information is based on sections of the law that authorize the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), FWS, Federal Perkins Loan, and Federal Direct Stafford Loan programs. These include sections 411, 413B, 443, 464, 425, 428, and 482 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. Any information submitted is subject to verification. If applicants do not supply proof when asked, they will not receive financial aid.

Referral of Fraud

Cases of suspected fraud on the part of a Title IV aid applicant involving information relevant to a student’s eligibility or amount of assistance will be referred to the U.S. Department of Education. The following circumstances are indicative of possible fraud when the aid administrator can find no other legitimate reason for the discrepancy: 1) false claims of independent student status, 2) false claims of citizenship, 3) use of false identities, 4) forgery of signatures or certifications, and 5) false statements of income. Any referrals made to a local or state law enforcement agency also will be reported to the Office of Inspector General within the U.S. Department of Education.

Viewing an Application File

If students think that an error in their financial aid package stems from information in their file in the Financial Aid Office, they may review their file at any time, according to the Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. To see a file, students should call the Financial Aid Office.

The Financial Aid Office treats each student’s file with sensitivity and utmost confidentiality. The financial information in these files is released only to those who have contributed to it, i.e., the student and, if he or she is a dependent, his or her parents. Students must give written and signed permission before the College will release information from their file to a third party. All students should keep copies of their tax returns, if submitted, as the College’s copies cannot be returned.

Return of Federal Student Aid

Under HEA98 Public Law 105-244, the Department of Education stipulates the way funds paid toward a student’s education are to be handled when a recipient of funds from the Student Financial Aid (SFA) Program withdraws from school.

A statutory schedule based on the period the student was in attendance is used to determine the amount of SFA Program funds a student has earned when he or she ceases attendance. Up through the 60-percent point in each payment period or period of enrollment, a pro rata schedule is used to determine how much of the SFA Program funding the student has earned at the time of withdrawal. After the 60-percent point in the payment period or period of enrollment, a student has earned 100 percent of the SFA Program funds.

In general, the amendments require that if a recipient of SFA Program assistance withdraws from school during a payment period or period of enrollment in which the recipient began attendance, the school must calculate the amount of SFA Program assistance the student did not earn and return those funds.

The percentage earned is one of the following:

If the date of student withdrawal occurs on or before the student completed 60 percent of the payment period or period of enrollment, the percentage earned is equal to the percentage of the payment period or period of enrollment that was completed.

If the date of student withdrawal occurs after the student completed more than 60 percent of the payment period or period of enrollment, the percentage earned is 100 percent.

The percentage and amount not earned is the complement of the percentage of SFA Program assistance earned multiplied by the total amount of SFA assistance that was disbursed and that could have been disbursed to the student or on the student’s behalf for the payment period or period of enrollment as of the day the student withdrew.

For credit-hour institutions, the percentage of the payment period or period of enrollment completed is the total number of calendar days in the payment period or period of enrollment for which the assistance is awarded divided into the number of calendar days completed in that period as of the day the student withdrew.

If the student receives less SFA Program assistance than the amount earned, the school must comply with the procedures for late disbursement specified by the department in regulations. If the student receives more SFA Program assistance than the amount earned, the school and/or the student must return the unearned funds as required and in the order specified.

The school must return the lesser of: 1) the amount of SFA Program funds that the student does not earn or 2) the amount of institutional costs that the student incurred for the payment period or period of enrollment multiplied by the percentage of funds that was not earned.

The student – or parent, if a Federal Direct PLUS Loan – must return or repay, as appropriate, the remaining unearned SFA Program grant and loan funds. However, a student is not required to return 50 percent of the grant assistance that he or she receives and is obligated to pay.

The student – or parent, if a Federal Direct PLUS Loan – must return the unearned funds for which he or she is responsible to the loan program in accordance with the terms of the loan and to grant programs as an overpayment. Grant overpayments are subject to repayment arrangements satisfactory to the school or overpayment collection procedures prescribed by the Secretary of the Department of Education. SFA Program funds for the payment period or period of enrollment for which a return of funds is required must be returned in the following order: 1) unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans, 2) subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans, 3) Federal Perkins Loans, 4) Federal Direct PLUS Loans, 5) Federal Pell Grants, 6) Federal SEOGs, and 7) other assistance under Title IV regulations.