Payment of Tuition, Fees and Expenses

Tuition and Fee Deferment

All Curriculum students, after registering for courses for the specific term, must pay or establish a payment plan through a provider approved by the College on or before a specific date prescribed by the College that is on or before the first date of the course section. Students applying for financial aid that completed their application before the established deadline, and appear to be eligible for assistance, will be allowed to remain in their courses until the census date to allow additional time for financial aid to be processed. Students that did not apply for financial aid prior to the established deadline may establish a payment plan.

Students wanting to enroll but lacking funds to pay tuition and fees must meet one of three criteria prior to the census date of the course to defer their payment beyond the payment deadline set by the registrar’s office:

1. Must have applied for financial aid by the application deadline set by the financial aid office and, through preliminary review, appear to qualify for assistance;

2. Must provide (or have their sponsor provide) documentation in writing from a valid third party agency that the student may be sponsored by the third- party agency once a final review is complete; or

3. Must enroll in a payment plan to satisfy the outstanding balance through a third-party provider contracted by the College. All balances must be paid before the last day of the semester.

Students who have not completed all requirements by the financial aid office, not supplied a final authorization from their third-party agency or who fail to pay the balance owed by the end of the semester will be subject to the following restrictions until payment in full has been received or until assistance is granted to satisfy the account balance:

1. Grades for the term shall be withheld;

2. Transcripts shall not be released;

3. Registration for future terms shall not be permitted without an approved payment plan; and

4. Permission to participate in graduation shall be denied.

Students with outstanding balances shall be notified by a Statement of Account showing the account balance and the nature of the charges and shall be dealt with pursuant to Policy 6.2.9 – Debt Collection.

Student Debt Collection

Tuition and fees for all College students are due and payable prior to the beginning of each term. A student’s registration will be subject to cancellation when prior term, past due charges have not been resolved before the current term. Students not paying or deferring current term charges by the due date may be subject to cancellation. Any unpaid balance on a student's account may prevent registration. In addition, transcripts and diplomas may be withheld until outstanding balances are paid.

Students who leave the College with unpaid balances are subject to collection actions. These actions will begin with a letter reminding the student of the unpaid debt and encouraging immediate payment, payment arrangements or other action to resolve the debt and avoid additional action. If the student fails to respond satisfactorily, a final letter will be sent. Next steps include referral to collection agencies, litigation where appropriate and actions pursuant to the NC State Offset Debt Collection Act (“SODCA”) and the NC State Employee Debt Collection Act (“SEDCA”), when applicable.

Tuition and Fees Refunds

Definitions

Academic Period – an academic term or subdivision of an academic term during which the College schedules a set of course sections.

Non-regularly scheduled course section – is any of the following: a) a class where a definitive beginning and ending time is not determined; b) a class offered in a learning laboratory type setting; c) a self-paced class; d) a class in which a student may enroll during the initial College registration period or at any time during the semester; or e) any class not meeting the criteria for a regularly scheduled class.

Off-cycle course section – a regularly scheduled course section that is not offered consistent with an academic period.

Officially Withdraw – the removal of a student from a course section by one of the following methods:

1. The student notifies the authorized College official, as defined by the College’s published procedures for withdrawal, of the student’s intent to dis-enroll in a course section as outlined in the College’s published procedures for withdrawal; or

2. The College removes the student from the course section because the College cancels the course section or for any other reason authorized by written College policy.

On-cycle course section – a regularly scheduled course section that is offered consistent with an academic period.

Regularly scheduled course section – is a class that meets any of the following criteria: a) assigned definite beginning and ending times; b) specific days the class meets is predetermined; c) specific schedule is included on the College’s Master Schedule or other official College documents; d) class hours are assigned consistent with the College’s catalog; or e) identified class time and dates are the same for all students registered for the class excluding clinical or cooperative work experience.

Curriculum Tuition/Fees Refunds

The College shall issue tuition refunds, using State funds, and fees only in the following circumstances:

Refunds for On-Cycle Course Sections

1. The College shall provide a one hundred percent (100%) refund to the student for both tuition and fees if the student officially withdraws or is officially withdrawn by the College prior to the first day of the academic period as noted on the College calendar.

2. The College shall provide a one hundred percent (100%) refund to the student for both tuition and fees if the College cancels the course section in which the student is registered.

3. After an on-cycle course section begins, the College shall provide a seventy-five (75%) percent refund to the student for tuition only if the student officially withdraws or is officially withdrawn by the College from the course section prior to or on the ten percent (10%) point of the academic period.

Refunds for Off-Cycle Sections

1. The College shall provide a one hundred percent (100%) refund to the student for both tuition and fees if the student officially withdraws or is officially withdrawn by the College prior to the first day of the off-cycle course section.

2. The College shall provide a one hundred percent (100%) refund to the student for both tuition and fees if the College cancels the course section in which the student is registered.

3. After an off-cycle course section begins, the College shall provide a seventy-five percent (75%) refund to the student for tuition only if the student officially withdraws or is officially withdrawn by the college from the course section prior to or on the ten percent (10%) point of the course section.

Non-Regularly Scheduled Course Sections

1. The College shall provide a one hundred percent (100%) refund to the student for both tuition and fees if the student officially withdraws or is officially withdrawn by the College prior to the first day of the non-regularly scheduled course section.

2. The College shall provide a one hundred percent (100%) refund to the student for both tuition and fees if the College cancels the course section in which the student is registered.

3. After a non-regularly scheduled course section begins, the College shall provide a seventy-five percent (75%) refund to the student for tuition only if the student officially withdraws or is officially withdrawn by the College from the non-regularly scheduled course section prior to or on the tenth (10th) calendar day after the start of the course section.

Continueing Education Tuition/Fees Refunds

The College shall issue tuition refunds using State funds only in the following circumstances:

The College shall provide a one hundred percent (100%) refund to the student for tuition and fees if the student officially withdraws or is officially withdrawn by the College from the course section prior to the first course section meeting.

The College shall provide a one hundred percent (100%) refund to the student for tuition and fees if the College cancels the course section in which the student is registered.

After a regularly scheduled course section begins, the College shall provide a seventy-five percent (75%) refund of tuition only upon the request of the student if the student officially withdraws or is officially withdrawn by the College from the course section prior to or on the ten percent (10%) point of the scheduled hours of the course section. This section applies to all course sections except those course sections that begin and end on the same calendar day. The College shall not provide a student a refund using State funds after the start of a course section that begins and ends on the same calendar day.

After a non-regularly scheduled course section begins, the College shall provide a seventy-five percent (75%) refund of tuition only upon the request of the student if the student withdraws or is withdrawn by the College from the course section prior to or on the tenth (10th) calendar day after the start of the course section.

Other Refund Circumstances

Death of a Student

If a student, having paid the required tuition and fees for a course section, dies prior to completing that course section, all tuition and fees for that course section shall be refunded to the estate of the deceased upon the College becoming aware of the student’s death.

Military Refund

Upon request of the student, the College shall:

1. Grant a full refund of tuition and fees to military reserve and National Guard personnel called to active duty or active duty personnel who have received temporary or permanent reassignments as a result of military operations that make it impossible for them to complete their course requirements; and

2. Buy back textbooks through the Colleges' bookstore operations to the extent allowable under the College’s buy back procedures.

2. The College shall use distance learning technologies and other educational methodologies, to the extent possible as determined by the College, to help active duty military students, under the guidance of faculty and administrative staff, complete their course requirements.

Self-Supporting Tuition and Fees

Refunds to students enrolling in self-supporting curriculum courses and self-supporting continuing education courses shall be regulated in the same manner as stated in Sections I and II.

Residency Status for Tuition Purposes

The specific requirements for establishing residency for tuition classification and State financial aid purposes are prescribed by state law. A North Carolina resident for tuition purposes (and for State financial aid consideration) is a person, or a dependent person (dependent according to IRS tax code - not the FAFSA definition of dependency), whose parent or legal guardian has established and maintained legal residence in North Carolina for at least 12 months. Residence in North Carolina must be legitimate and be a permanent situation rather than just for the purpose of maintaining a residence prior to enrollment at an institution of higher education.

Under North Carolina law, to qualify for in-state residency, you must show that:

• You have established your legal residence (domicile) in North Carolina
• You have maintained that domicile for at least twelve (12) consecutive months before the beginning of the term
• You have a residentiary presence in the state
• You intend to make North Carolina your permanent home indefinitely (rather than being in North Carolina solely to attend college)

Persons not meeting the 12-month legal residence requirement may be classified as North Carolina residents for tuition purposes only if they fall within one of the limited categories authorized by the North Carolina Legislature. All other persons are ineligible for classification as a North Carolina "resident for tuition purposes" and will be charged out-of-state tuition and not given consideration for State financial aid.

Residency is not determined on campus and College staff is unable to adjust residency information for students. Residency will be determined by the Residency Determination Service (RDS), which was established by the NC State Legislature. Every applicant for admission will be required to complete RDS, an online interview that will be completed as part of the CFNC online admissions application. Verification of a student’s initial classification can take forty-eight (48) to seventy-two (72) hours under routine conditions. More information can be found at ncresidency.org.

Residency Determination Service (RDS) Appeal

A student may always seek an appeal if the student believes that the RDS process has failed to consider accurately important information regarding the student's residency status. The RDS appeals process will offer two levels of appeal, consistent with current practice. The initial appeal is the Additional Data and Documentation ("ADD") appeal; the second level appeal is to a state-level committee. Students will continue to have litigation available to them as an option following these two levels of appeal.

Additional Data and Documentation Appeal (ADD):

A "non-resident" student who believes the RDS determination is incorrect (i.e., key data was entered correctly and no change in circumstance has occurred) can move directly into the appeal process and provide additional narrative and/or documentation regarding his/her situation. The RDS website will provide a list of documentation which may support a residency claim; RDS will share this list with students. RDS will communicate to the student that:

1. submission of any or all documentation does not guarantee a "resident" determination
2. Non-submission of any or all documentation does not preclude an "non-resident" determination.

At this level of appeal a student may use RDS to explain the basis of the appeal and may submit documents through the standard RDS documentation upload procedure. Data and documentation will be reviewed and assessed by an RDS appeal committee. This committee may choose to contact an appellant directly for further information or clarification.

Higher Education Appeal Committee:

This option is available to students who remain "non-resident" following an ADD Appeal. This appeal committee, consisting of representatives of the UNC System, the Community College System, and the NC independent colleges and universities provides a check on the overall RDS process, allowing the committee to review a student's case to ensure the process was conducted fairly and correctly, and that the outcome was correct based upon the information provided throughout the process. Additionally, this process provides appellants the opportunity to appear in person or via technological means (Skype, conference call) to support their case and provide additional information, documentation, and clarifications as needed.

Following any successful reconsideration or appeal, the school will be notified via the school workgroup email so that the school can download the appropriate data reflecting the new determination and make the resulting change to the student's tuition bill. Any change in residency status will automatically be available to the state Grants System. RDS instructions and documentation will reflect this requirement to ensure students are aware the change is not automatic at the campus level.

Change in Residency

Students must disclose any change in residency to the Office of Admissions, Records, & Registration.

Tuition Waiver

The North Carolina General Assembly and the State Board have promulgated statutes and administrative regulations dealing with authorized groups of students with respect to tuition and registration fee waivers. For information concerning tuition and registration waivers, see N.C.G.S. §§ 115B-1, 115D-5, 1E SBCCC 800.2 and the North Carolina Community Colleges Tuition and Registration Fee Waiver Reference Guide.

To obtain a tuition and registration fee waiver, individuals must establish proof of eligibility as a member of an authorized group. To be eligible for a tuition or registration fee waiver, trainees enrolled in Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) courses must obtain a letter of sponsorship from a state, county, or municipal law enforcement agency prior to enrollment and uphold the terms of the sponsorship until completion of the BLET course. The College must maintain documentation of the sponsorship on file. The College shall not grant tuition and registration fee waivers to students enrolled in self-supporting courses. The College shall charge the student the self-supporting fee or use institutional funds to pay for the self-supporting fee on the student’s behalf.

Annually, the President shall report to the State Board the amount of tuition and registration fees waived by the College on behalf of individuals who are members of authorized groups.

Currently enrolled North Carolina high school students who meet the eligibility criteria for their chosen Career and College Promise pathway may enroll in select Career and College Promise courses, Innovative High School, or Early College High School tuition free.

Students enrolled in high school equivalency classes or other pre-college coursework (Adult High School, ESL, Life Skills, Work Skills Academy, etc.) do not pay tuition for those programs. However, students who take a high school equivalency test will pay a fee to the test provider (GED® or HiSET®).

Basic Law Enforcement Training students are exempt from tuition for CJC 100 if they meet requirements set forth in the State Board of Community Colleges Code. However, they are required to purchase student accident insurance and pay an ammunition fee.

Sworn law enforcement officers, and active members of fire departments or EMS agencies may receive tuition waivers in approved courses.

Senior Citizens (individuals over 65 years of age) may audit a course without payment of tuition. The individual must provide proof of age through a driver's license, state identification card, or other government-issued document. Self-supporting fees and/or applicable local fees cannot be waived.

All tuition exemptions are subject to change pending any changes made by the North Carolina General Assembly each year.

In-State Employer Waiver

1. Employed by a North Carolina based business, which has agreed to pay tuition;
2. A request for the in-state tuition rate must be made on said employer's letterhead;
3. A copy of the employee's pay stub must be submitted to verify employment; [AND]
4. The employee's tuition must be paid with said employer's check.

Military Waiver

For veterans, the twelve (12) month residency requirement for in-state tuition is waived for those meeting all of the following criteria:

• Served active duty for at least ninety (90) days in the Armed Forces, the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Heath service, or the national Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
• Was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable;
• Qualifies for and uses federal educational benefits under either the Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty Education Program or the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance;
• Qualifies for admission to the community college;
• Enrolls within three (3) years of the veteran’s discharge or release;
• The veteran’s abode is North Carolina, meaning the veteran must actually live in North Carolina, whether temporarily or permanently; AND
• Provides the College with a letter of intent to establish legal residence in North Carolina.

For other individuals, the twelve (12)-month residency requirement is waived for those meeting all of the following criteria:

• The person is the recipient of a veteran's federal educational benefits under either 38 USC Chapter 30 (Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty Education Program) or 38 USC Chapter 33 (Post -9/11 Educational Assistance).
• The person qualifies for admission and enrolls in a community college within three (3) years of the veteran’s discharge or release from the Armed Forces, the Commissioned Corps of the U.S Public Health Service, or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• The person’s abode is North Carolina meaning the person must actually live in NC, whether temporarily or permanently.
• The person provides the institution of higher education with a letter of intent to establish legal residence in North Carolina.

Furthermore, after the expiration of the three (3)-year period, any enrolled veteran or other enrolled individual eligible for the educational benefits listed above and for whom the twelve (12)-month residency requirement was waived will continue to be eligible for the in-state tuition rate so long as the veteran or qualified individual remains continuously enrolled at the same institution of higher education.