Tuition and Financial Aid

Overview

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. For all who are accepted, Elizabethtown helps to make private education affordable through merit-based scholarships and need-based financial aid.

Eighty-five percent of our students receive some financial assistance. Scholarships – which could be as much as one-half of the total cost of tuition – are awarded to more than half of our incoming first-year students based on their academic and co-curricular achievement. Additionally, every current and prospective student is assigned a personal financial aid counselor who will work with that student and his or her family to determine ability to qualify for need-based financial aid from the College and from state and federal agencies.

Tuition and Fee Information – 2012-2013

Full-time 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 Students

Comprehensive Fees

Elizabethtown College’s full-time students have access to campus facilities and programs. Included in the comprehensive fee is the use of the High Library, Baugher Student Center, Body Shop, gymnasium and athletic fields. Full-time students also receive free admission to all regular season, on-campus athletic events and most cultural activities offered by the College. Additionally, they receive a subscription to the Etownian, the student-run newspaper.

Partial meal plans are available to students residing in Independent Living Units and to non-residential students for an additional cost. Please contact the Business Office at (717) 361-1417 for details.

Other Fees

By May 1, all applicants must send a non-refundable deposit of $200 to the Office of Admissions. This deposit will be held as a security deposit. All full-time students are required to maintain a $200 security deposit on account.

Full-time students may carry up to 18 credits per semester. A cumulative grade point average of 3.20 is required to carry more than 18 credits, with the maximum allowed credit load being 19 credits. The excess credit will be invoiced at the current part-time, daytime course rate of $885 per credit-hour.

Part-Time Students

All Students – Miscellaneous Charges

In addition, 50 percent of the appropriate part-time tuition rate in effect at the time the test is administered is charged for academic credits awarded as a result of performance on the challenge tests.
 

Late fees are assessed for occurrences such as late registration, late course changes and late payment of fees. For additional details, please see the information on Tuition Payment Policy.
 

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

Tuition Payment Policy

All charges are due on or before the due date for each semester. Checks should be made payable to Elizabethtown College.

Full-time students are sent a bill in July and December for one-half of the annual comprehensive fee. All confirmed financial aid is listed on the bill. Students should compare the bill with their latest financial aid award letter and deduct from their bill any aid not listed, excluding Federal Work-Study (FWS).

Elizabethtown College does not accept direct monthly installments or deferred payments for tuition. However, certain third-party tuition plans are accepted. For more information, please contact the Financial Aid Office at (717) 361-1404 or the Business Office at (717) 361-1417.

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 received 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 current information and resources, budgeting assistance, debt management advice and suggestions for financing a college education. The office is open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. It is located on the first floor of Zug Memorial Hall.

Students interested in need-based financial aid must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Elizabethtown College Need-Based Financial Aid Application. Current federal income tax returns and W-2 forms also are required to complete the process. It is strongly recommended that students complete the FAFSA electronically at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Elizabethtown College’s Title IV code is 003262. Applicants should apply for financial aid no later than March 15.

All applicants are considered for merit-based scholarships during the admissions application review. 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. Notification of these scholarships follows the offer of admission, but precedes any need-based awards.

All requests for applications and other information regarding need-based financial assistance should be directed to:

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

For more detailed information regarding Elizabethtown College’s financial aid programs, individuals may request a copy of the “Financial Aid Handbook” from the Financial Aid Office or visit the Financial Aid website at www.etown.edu/FinancialAid.

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, as the College’s copies cannot be returned.

Institutional Refund Policy

If enrolled students choose to leave the College, they must give written notice of withdrawal to Counseling Services. The effective date of withdrawal for calculating refunds is the date of acceptance by Counseling Services. Refunds must be requested in writing.

Failure to provide notice of withdrawal will result in an unofficial withdrawal. Refunds and transcripts will be withheld by the College 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 room-and-board status after the beginning of the semester, the student is obligated to pay the actual room and board used to the date of withdrawal plus 25 percent of the unused room-and-board charges. Tuition refunds are calculated as follows:

Refunds of tuition and room-and-board 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. Board charges are prorated to the date of dismissal or suspension and a 25-percent surcharge of the unused board is assessed. No room refunds are granted under these circumstances.

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 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.