RESIDENCY, TUITION/FEES AND REFUNDS (Policy 3.10)

In-District

A resident or in-district student is a student who resides within the Glen Oaks Community College District.  Persons owning property or a qualified dependent of a person owning property in St. Joseph County (according to IRS) are eligible for In-District tuition rates (may be asked to show a copy of the property tax statement to the Registration Office at the time of registration).

Service Area

Service-area residents include Branch, Calhoun, Cass and Kalamazoo County in Michigan and residents in Elkhart, LaGrange, Steuben and St. Joseph Counties in Indiana.                                                               

In-State (State of Michigan)

This category includes students who live outside both the Glen Oaks District and its service area. 

Out-of-State

This category includes students who live outside of the State of Michigan and outside the College service area. 

International

This category includes foreign students on a student VISA, unless they become a U.S. citizen or are a Resident Alien.

General Information

The application for admission will be used to determine a student's legal residence.

A student will be charged tuition based on the above residency determination.

Any student desiring to change his/her legal residence may do so by providing any two of the following:  voter registration card, Secretary of State identification card, driver's license, place of residence property tax receipt, utility bill with student name and mailing address identified or rent receipt (indicating mailing address) to the Registration Office and completing the necessary form in Etrieve.

If a student changes residence and wishes to receive a refund for the difference between service area or out-of-district tuition and in-district tuition, the student MUST establish resident status within 10% of the academic period for the semester in which the refund is requested.  In addition, it is the student’s responsibility to prove residency through the Registration Office and request the refund through the Cashier’s Office within the 10% period.

Any student may be asked to furnish verification of residency status. Failure to comply could result in a service area or out-of-district status determination.

An International Student in this country on a Student VISA will be assessed the International tuition rate.

TUITION AND FEES POLICY

Students will be assessed on a per semester contact hour basis, effective FY 2024-25:

                                                                                    Per semester contact hour*

            In-district                                                                    $135.00                         

            Service area                                                               $166.00                          

            In-State                                                                       $201.00

            Out-of-State                                                                $237.00                         

            International                                                               $285.00

Students residing in on-campus student housing, with the exception of international students, will be charged the In-District tuition rate.  This cost does not include laboratory and course fees.  Tuition charges are subject to change without notice upon action of the Board of Trustees. 

*NOTE:  A contact hour is equivalent to the time the instructor spends in the classroom.

GENERAL FEE

A general fee will be assessed at $25 per contact hour per semester.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES FEE

A student activity fee of $5 per contact hour will be assessed. 

TECHNOLOGY FEE

$9 per contact hour

Residency Policy for Programs Offered by and for Business and Industry

For those students who are participating in programs which are offered and designed for industry located in the district and where the industry is paying the tuition directly to the college, residency will be considered that of the participating student.  Where the individual student is paying tuition, residency will be that of the student.

Reduced Tuition for Senior Citizens

CREDIT COURSES:  Glen Oaks Community College provides a specific Senior Citizen tuition benefit.  This benefit provides In-District residents who are sixty-two (62) years of age or older at the time of registration, waived tuition, technology fees, general fees, and student activity fees for a maximum of eighteen (18) credit hours per year. Beyond the eighteen (18) credit hours per year, regular tuition and fee rates apply.  This benefit is subject to the following conditions:

• The senior citizen is to enroll in the course one week ahead of the beginning of the course.
• The minimum class size (which determines whether a given course has sufficient enrollment to be offered) must be attained without considering the senior citizen enrollment.
• Maximum class size shall not be exceeded by the enrollment of senior citizens.
• The course enrollment will be as an Audit with no college credit granted.
• Senior citizens must pay for any specific course/laboratory fees associated with the class.
• The senior citizen tuition waiver may not be used for tuition costs for limited and competitive enrollment academic programs, including Nursing, Allied Health, CNA, and other career development programs.
• This course enrollment does not permit open use of the college Wellness/Fitness Center.

NON-CREDIT COURSES & PROGRAMS:

• The senior citizen tuition policy and benefit does not apply to continuing education, customized business training, or other courses, seminars and workshops that may be offered at the college.

Other Fees

Other fees assessed not including individual course fees are as follows:

Student ID Card Fee:                          First card is free.  Thereafter, there is a $5.00 replacement ID charge.

           Credit by Examination Fee:               $50.00

Course and Laboratory Fees

Laboratory and course fees will be charged according to a schedule adopted and periodically revised by the Board of Trustees.  For further information regarding laboratory and course fees assessed for individual classes, please contact the Vice President of Academics.

Registration / Payment

New students are expected to register in person for each semester prior to or on the registration dates given in the college calendar.  Students are not admitted to class until they are properly registered.  Any exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Registrar.  Returning students have the option to register online.    Payment in full for tuition & fees or enrollment in a Nelnet Payment Plan must be completed within 48 hours of registration.  All fee charges are subject to change without notice.

Refunds

Glen Oaks believes that students should be allowed to attend at least one class meeting without penalty.  During that class meeting, students can review the detailed requirements of the course syllabus and determine if they would like to continue in the course or not. In light of this principle, the following refund policy has been adopted.

Any student who officially drops a course or courses during the registration period  during the first 10% of the academic period may receive a full refund of 100% of tuition and fees.

No refunds of tuition & fees will be made for withdrawals after the first 10% of the academic period.

Students attending GOCC who are receiving Title IV funding and withdraw from, or stop attending, all classes prior to the 60th percentile of the semester will have a Federal Return of Funds calculation used to make adjustments to their federal student financial aid award.  A copy of the Federal Return of Funds policy and calculation is available in the Consumer Information Guide on the Financial Aid website or from the Financial Aid Office.

Students who registered for a course that is canceled by the college will be refunded all tuition and fees related to the canceled course.

If a student does not officially drop the class(es) by the refund deadline, the charges will remain on his/her account and the student is responsible for payment and any collection costs.  Not attending or not paying does not constitute an official drop.

Refunds - Special Circumstances

A written request for refund needs to be submitted to the Vice President of Student Services requesting a full refund of all tuition.  This request will be reviewed by the Refund Review Committee, consisting of the Vice President of Student Services, Vice President of Finance & Administrative Services, Controller and Director of Financial Aid.  The decision of the committee determines whether the refund approval or denial.  Students may appeal using the Due Process procedure.  The following circumstances are those which may result in a full refund:

1.         Induction or activation of the student into the U.S. Armed Forces.

2.         Death of the enrolled student or a parent, spouse or dependent.

3.         Verifiable incapacity, illness, or injury to the student which prevents the student from returning to school for the remainder of the semester.

Refunds for students on Federal financial aid are controlled by Federal Methodology or Federal Pro Rata Refund Policies.  The handling of special circumstances such as those listed above is outlined within the Federal Financial Aid regulations available in the College’s Financial Aid Office.

Adopted by Board of Trustees 1/13/93, revised 4/14/93, 3/9/94, 3/8/95, 4/7/95, 4/10/96, 8/14/96, 2/12/97, 10/8/97, 3/9/99, 3/20/00, 8/9/00, 4/11/01, 9/12/01, 2/13/02, 7/02, 9/11/02, 12/11/02, 5/12/04, 11/10/04, 4/13/05, 9/14/05, 4/12/06, 2/29/08, 6/8/11, 9/17/14, 4/8/2016, 2017, 4/1/18, 4/11/19, 1/2020, 6/20, 4/8/21, 6/21, 8/12/21, 4/14/22, reviewed 3/9/23, 10/17/24, 11/21/24