Tuition and Financial Aid

Elizabethtown College offers students an excellent and affordable educational experience. Not only is Elizabethtown one of the top-rated colleges in the North, we also are rated as one of the region’s best values.

We understand, though, that students and their families may have some difficulty meeting the full cost of a college education without some assistance. Our comprehensive financial aid programs ensure that an Etown education is available to students of all economic backgrounds. Through a combination of grants, loans, and campus employment, our students are able to find the means to attend Elizabethtown College. Each student’s amount of assistance is based upon his or her demonstrated financial need.

Tuition and Fee Information – 2023-2024

Full-time undergraduate students – those who are taking 12 to 18 credit-hours per semester will pay a comprehensive annual fee. Students who take fewer than 12 credit-hours are considered part time and will pay per credit-hour based on the type of course in which they are enrolled. Course credits, internships, directed and independent studies, tutorials, audit courses, and private music lessons are combined to determine the student’s status as part time, full time, or full time with overload (for those who are taking credits in excess of 18 per semester).

*Full-time undergraduate students, those who are taking 12 to 18 credit-hours per semester, will pay a comprehensive annual fee. Students who take fewer than 12 credit-hours are considered part-time and will pay per credit hour based on the type of course in which they are enrolled. Course credits, internships, directed and independent studies, tutorials, audit courses, and private music lessons are combined to determine the student’s status as part-time, full-time, or full-time with overload (for those who are taking credits in excess of 18 per semester).  Additional overload fees are assessed at the part-time tuition rate for credits in excess of 18 in a semester.

Tuition Payment Policy

Payment for all charges is due on or before the due date for each subterm or semester. Checks should be made payable to Elizabethtown College.

Elizabethtown College offers an interest-free monthly payment option for programs billed on a semester basis. This service is available for a $55.00 fee for an annual (fall and spring semester) payment plan or a $35.00 fee for a single semester payment plan. Students may enroll in the payment plan through Transact, accessible through Jayweb. Parents who have been provided payer access by their student, may also enroll in the payment plan option through Transact. Enrollment in the payment plan will be available in early March. The first payment for the 12-month payment plan will be due by April 10 and for the 10-month payment plan by June 10, and so on.

All amounts not received by the due date are subject to a one-time late payment fee of $50 and monthly interest at a rate of 1.5 percent per month, which is 18 percent per year. Loan funds – such as Federal Direct Stafford Loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans, private loans, etc. – or any other sources of financial aid not confirmed by the due date also are subject to a late charge and interest. In order to help ensure timely receipt, all loans should be applied for prior to July 1.

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 information on institutional, federal, state and private aid options, budgeting, debt management, and financial aid counseling. The office is open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday and located in Zug Memorial Hall, room 208. Students on clinical rotations may request an appointment outside of regular business hours to accommodate clinical rotation schedules.

Students interested in need-based financial aid from the College, state grants and/or federal student aid must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It is strongly recommended that students complete the FAFSA electronically at https://studentaid.gov no later than March 15. Elizabethtown College’s Title IV code is 003262. When all information has been submitted, a financial aid counselor verifies the accuracy of the data reported and prepares a financial aid offer. Students can view their financial aid offer on the Elizabethtown College’s Student Aid Portal.

All applicants are considered for merit-based scholarships during the admissions application review. Some of these scholarships include endowed scholarships and gifts that are available to Elizabethtown students through the generosity of the College’s alumni and friends. Notification of these scholarships follows the offer of admission but precedes any need-based awards. Students must reapply each year for all need-based financial aid.  Aid is not automatically renewed.

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

Financial Aid Office
Elizabethtown College
One Alpha Drive
Elizabethtown, PA 17022-2298
(717) 361-1404
finaid@etown.edu

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 contact 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 explicit 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.

Institutional Refund Policy

Notice of withdrawal for medical reasons must be processed through Student Wellness. Students must complete the necessary medical withdrawal paperwork located: https://www.etown.edu/offices/counseling/forms.aspx. Notice of withdrawal for non-medical reasons must be given in writing to Academic Advising, which can be contacted at 717-361-1415. The effective date of calculating refunds is the date of acceptance of a written notice of voluntary withdrawal by Counseling Services. Failure to provide notice of withdrawal will result in an unofficial withdrawal. The College withholds refunds and transcripts until an official withdrawal has been obtained.

If the withdrawal occurs within the three weeks prior to registration, a resident student is liable for a $150 room penalty in addition to his or her deposit.

If a student withdraws or changes credit-hours and/or housing and food plan status after the beginning of the semester, the student is obligated to pay the actual housing and food plan used to the date of withdrawal plus 25 percent of the unused housing and food plan charges. Tuition refunds are calculated as follows:

Refunds of tuition and housing and food plan charges for a withdrawal due to medical reasons are prorated to the date of withdrawal. A student who is absent from the College because of sickness or other reason and who retains a place in class must pay in full during the absence.

Students who are dismissed or suspended from the College are refunded tuition charges according to the standard policy. Food plan charges are prorated to the date of dismissal or suspension and a 25-percent surcharge of the unused food plan is assessed. No housing refunds are granted under these circumstances.

In the case of a withdrawal for a student receiving Title IV financial aid funds, tuition, housing and food plan charges are prorated based on the student’s last date of attendance up to the 60% point the term. There are no tuition adjustments once more than 60% of the term has been completed.

Return of Federal Student Aid

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

A statutory schedule is used to determine the amount of SFA Program funds a student has earned when he or she ceases attendance based on the period the student was in attendance.

Up through the 60% point in each payment period or period of enrollment, a pro rata schedule is used to determine how much SFA Program funds the student has earned at the time of withdrawal. After the 60% point in the payment period or period of enrollment, a student has earned 100% of the SFA Program funds.  For both official and unofficial withdrawals, the withdrawal date used in calculating the percentage completed is based on the student’s last date of attendance at an academically-related activity.

In general, the Amendments require that if a recipient of SFA Program assistance withdraws from a school during a payment period or a 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 those funds must be returned as soon as possible but no later than 45 days after determining the student has withdrawn.   If a credit balance on the student’s account is created as a result of the calculation, the credit balance will be refunded as soon as possible and no later than 14 days after the calculation is completed.

The percentage earned is one of the following:

• If the day the student withdrew occurs on or before the student completed 60% of the payment period or period of enrollment for which the assistance was awarded, the percentage earned is equal to the percentage of the payment period or period of enrollment for which assistance was awarded that was completed.
• If the day the student withdrew occurs after the student has completed 60% of the payment period or period of enrollment, the percentage earned is 100%.

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, or the student, or both, must return the unearned funds as required, and in the order specified.

The school must return the lesser of:

• The amount of SFA Program funds that the student does not earn; or
• 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 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% of the grant assistance received by the student that it is the responsibility of the student to repay.

The student (or parent, if a Federal PLUS loan) must return the unearned funds for which they are responsible to loan programs 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:

• Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
• Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans
• Perkins Loans
• Federal PLUS loans
• Federal PELL grants
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
• Other assistance under Title IV regulations

Post-withdrawal Disbursements

A student that receives less Title IV aid than earned will be offered a disbursement for the amount of earned aid that was not received.  Post‐withdrawal grant disbursements will be disbursed to a student’s account within 45 days.  Post-withdrawal loan disbursements will be offered to the student within 30 days, allowing the student at least 14 days to accept or decline the funds.  All post-withdrawal disbursements are applied to the student’s account first, with any resulting credit balance being refunded within 14 days.

Military Tuition Assistance and Veteran Benefits

Elizabethtown College certifies education benefits to veterans through the GI Bill®. Evaluation for transfer of military credits is supported through Joint Services Transcript (JST).  Elizabethtown will not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a covered individual borrow additional funds, on any covered individual because of the individual’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement funding from VA under chapter 31 or 33. 

To receive GI Bill® Assistance:

• Establish an account on the GI Bill website
• Confirm availability of tuition assistance through the Educational Services Officer if applicable
• Provide certificate of eligibility to the College’s Certifying Official
• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Application

If a Reservist is called to active duty, the American Council on Education provides guidelines for consideration:

• 100% tuition refund through the 3rd week of the session.
• No notations made on the permanent record card.
• After the 3rd week, grades of “I” (incompletes) or “W” (withdrawals) are given – based upon the students’ preferences.
• Tuition refund is given for only courses with grades of “W.”
• If the withdrawal is during the last two full weeks of the session, full course credit is to be awarded and grades earned by the time of activation shall be posted. 
• A copy of the activation paper is filed in the SCO’s file and the Advising folder.

For more information and resources available for military personnel, veterans and/or their families, please contact the Office of Financial Aid, the Business Office, or one of the Certifying Officials below.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S.  Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S.  government web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

Certifying Officials