Financial Obligations

Tuition and fees are established by the Washburn University Board of Regents and are subject to change. Once a student has enrolled in classes, she or he is liable for tuition and fee charges unless the student withdraws from all classes before the end of the 100% tuition refund period (fees are non-refundable after the term begins). Financial aid eligibility may change upon withdrawal from one or more classes, leaving a balance due on the student account. If receiving financial aid and/or scholarships, students are encouraged to contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from classes. Payments can be made in WU-VIEW, accessed through MyWashburn, Payment Portal card. Payments may also be made by mail or in person at the Cashier Window in Morgan Hall 103. The Cashier Window is open between 8:00 AM and 5 PM, Monday through Friday, except on Wednesday, when office hours are 9 AM to 5 PM. A depository is located next to the Cashier Window to receive payments outside of office hours. Washburn University accepts cash, checks, and debit cards at the Cashier Window, and electronic checks, debit, and credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express) online for the payment of student accounts. The processor charges a convenience fee of 2.95% for each credit card transaction submitted online.

All tuition and fee charges must be paid, or an installment plan set up, by the published “last day to pay without a late fee” to avoid penalties (more below). An installment plan may be set up in WU-VIEW, accessed through MyWashburn, Payment Portal card. There is a $30 setup fee for the installment plan and a $25 late fee for each installment not paid on time. Installment payments may be made online in WU-VIEW, by mail, or in person at the Cashier Window in Morgan 103. Students or an authorized user may set up scheduled payments in WU-VIEW to automatically pay installments from a bank account or card. E-mail reminders will be sent to students and authorized users who schedule payments.

Electronic bills will be generated on a monthly basis and may be viewed in WU-VIEW. NO PAPER BILLS ARE SENT. A Financial Obligation Letter is mailed to students with a balance in mid-January or mid-August, but may not be sent if a student enrolls after that date. No obligation letters are sent for the Summer term.

Academic Status: Full-Time and Part-Time Students

Students are defined as full-time in the Fall and Spring semesters if they are:

• Graduate students enrolled in at least 9 hours.
• Law students enrolled in at least 9 hours.

Students are defined to be half-time in the Fall and Spring semesters if they are not full-time and are:

• Graduate students enrolled in at least 5 hours.
• Law students enrolled in at least 5 hours.

During the summer session, any student enrolled in at least 6 hours is considered full-time, while students enrolled in at least 3 but fewer than 6 hours are considered half-time. For financial aid purposes, full-time enrollment in the summer is 5 hours for graduate and law students.

Tuition

The tuition charge is applicable to all terms of work such as regular semester, evening program, etc., whether taken for credit or as an audit.

Categories of Charges

Tuition and fees vary by category of student. Current rates may be viewed on the Business Office website at (https://washburn.edu/student-life/business-office/index.html).

Existing categories of graduate students:

• Traditional Graduate (resident)
• Traditional Graduate (nonresident)
• Traditional Online GR
• Graduate Distance Education
• School of Business MBA/MAcc GR (resident)
• School of Business MBA/MAcc GR (nonresident)
• School of Business MBA/MAcc GR Online
• School of Nursing MSN GR Online
• School of Nursing PMHNP GR Online
• School of Nursing DNP GR Online
• School of Law (resident)
• School of Law (nonresident)
• Master of Studies in Law (resident)
• Master of Studies in Law (non-resident)
• ​School of Law LLM

Information on tuition residence categories may be obtained from the section, “Residence Qualifications.”

Fees

Current fee structure may be viewed at the Business Office website: https://washburn.edu/student-life/business-office/index.html

Student Fee

The Student Fee is required of all students attending the University who are enrolled during the regular Fall and Spring semesters. Student fees are charged regardless of whether the courses are on-campus or off-campus. Student fees are non-refundable after the 100% tuition refund date and are not charged during the Summer term.

Miscellaneous Charges

Late Fees will be charged to those students who have not completed the payment for tuition and fees, or set up an installment plan, by the date set and published as the last day to pay without a late fee. A single late fee, based upon the number of credits in which they are enrolled, will be charged.

Late Fees

Credit Hrs.	Late Fees
0.5-3.0	$25.00
3.5-6.0	$50.00
6.5-9.0	$75.00
9.5+	$100.00

Cap and Gown Use

The student is responsible for making arrangements and for paying the Ichabod Shop for use of cap and gown during commencement exercises.

Laboratory Usage

The student is expected to compensate the University for laboratory breakage or damage to other University property due to negligence, carelessness, or failure to follow instructions.

Course Materials Charge

Certain courses may have materials or other course-related fees in addition to tuition charges. Information on specific course fees can be obtained from the academic department offering the course.

Housing Payments

If a resident of University housing fails to make payments or enroll in a term payment plan according to the published payment deadline for the term (see Business Office website), a hold will be placed on the person’s records. Advance registration and enrollment in subsequent terms will not be permitted until the financial obligation is paid in full.

Parking Fines

Failure to pay a University parking fine within five days of the due date results in a late payment fee of $10.00. If the student does not pay the fine and the late payment fee, a hold will be placed on the student’s records, restricting registration in courses, the ability to obtain transcripts and/or diploma. Enrollment in subsequent terms will not be permitted until the financial obligation is paid in full. Parking and traffic regulations are distributed each semester.

Library Fines/Other University Financial Obligations

Failure to pay a library fine or any other University financial obligation which has not been discussed above will result in a hold being placed on the student’s records, restricting registration and the ability to obtain transcripts and/or diploma. Enrollment in subsequent terms will not be permitted until the financial obligation has been paid in full.

Liability for Institutional Charges

(Tuition, Fees, Housing, Fines, etc.)

Once a student has enrolled in classes, she or he is liable for tuition and fee charges unless the student withdraws from classes via the web. Tuition charges for full-term classes from which a student has withdrawn will be removed from the student account according to the published refund schedule. Tuition charges for classes that are less than full term from which a student has withdrawn will be removed according to a pro-rated schedule. Refund dates by course are available on the Business Office website, Tuition Refunds section.

Having tuition charges removed from the student account does not necessarily mean there will be a refund. In fact, if withdrawal from one or more classes results in having financial aid removed as well, the student may owe a balance. Students considering withdrawing from one or more classes need to be sure that the financial implications are clearly understood before withdrawing.

If a student withdraws from one or more classes in which she or he has enrolled, it may be necessary to return all or a portion of the Title IV financial aid (e.g. loans and/or grant aid) that were received for the semester/term, as required by federal regulations. Based on this calculation and the refund period, the student may have to repay Washburn University up to the amount of aid that has been returned.

Please note that the student fee is refundable up to the 100% tuition refund date, even if the student withdraws from all classes. Refunds and/or charges that are due to a student leaving campus housing are governed by the terms of the housing contract.

Failure to pay any tuition, late fees, or other charges when due may subject the student to:

• Holds and non-release of the student’s records, including transcripts.
• Holds and non-release of diplomas/certificates.
• Restrictions on advance registration and enrollment in subsequent semesters.
• Placement of the balance due with the Kansas Debt Recovery System (setoff program) and/or other collection agencies.
• Collection charges, including attorney fees, incurred as part of collection efforts.

Holds will be lifted only after the student has made full payment.

For payments made by personal or electronic check, a transcript hold will remain in place for 7 to 10 days to allow time for the payment to clear the bank. Post-dated checks will not be accepted for payments. Returned checks are subject to a $30 fee.

Refunds

A student permitted to withdraw from a course or courses in an academic session in which he or she is enrolled may be eligible for a refund of the University tuition paid for that course or courses. No refunds will be made of the late fee unless the failure to settle the account balance in a timely manner was due to an error on the part of Washburn University. In the event the student is a financial aid recipient, the refund will first be made to the financial sources used to pay such tuition, including but not limited to scholarships, grants, and Federal Title IV funds. Withdrawal from a course or courses making the student ineligible for the grant, aid or scholarship paid shall require the student to make repayment of the grant, aid or scholarship pro-rated on the basis of the amount of the student’s participation in the activity for which the grant, aid or scholarship was awarded. If the student has any unpaid account with the University, any refund from withdrawal may be applied to such an account. Any amount paid to the University that exceeds tuition and fees paid by these other sources, and any amounts due to the University, shall then be paid to the student. For students who completely withdraw from classes and have received Federal Title IV funds, please refer to the Federal Return of Title IV funds policy available in the Financial Aid office or on the website and select “Policies & Consumer Information.” For students required to make repayment of a grant, scholarship or aid under this policy, please refer to the formula available at https://www.washburn.edu/student-life/business-office/financial-aid-refunds.html.

If a student account has a refundable credit balance, a refund will be generated. The preferred method of disbursement of excess financial aid is via direct deposit to a student checking or savings account, (which the student sets up via MyWashburn, Payment Portal card, WU-VIEW, Electronic Refunds). The University reserves the right to refund credit balances to credit card(s) used to make payment(s) on the student account. Parents will normally receive any excess funds for Parent PLUS loans by mail.

Students may request that a check be mailed, or they may pick up a check – specific dates, times and places for that process will be posted on the Business Office website (https://washburn.edu/student-life/business-office/index.html). The student is responsible for ensuring that all contact information is correct and up to date. Students can change their mailing address and other contact information through their MyWashburn account. It is important to make sure address information is correct and up to date. Checks are normally mailed to the current address on file with the Business Office.

Due to the unique nature of the various programs offered, cancellations and refunds for non-credit offerings may be different depending on the program or course. If a student is unable to attend a course, she or he should refer to the cancellation and refund policies established for each program as indicated in the program brochure, on the program web page, or by contacting the coordinator responsible for the program.

The first official day of classes constitutes the beginning of the semester for tuition refunds. For courses which are scheduled out of sequence of the regular Fall and Spring Semesters and Summer Session, the day published as the official first class meeting for the course constitutes the beginning of the course for tuition refund purposes, assuming the course is for a term of five or more weeks and is subject to tuition refund. Withdrawal from a course and enrollment in another course are treated as separate transactions and there may be fees attached. Information about Refunds Dates by Course is available on the Business Office website: https://washburn.edu/student-life/business-office/tuition-refunds.html.

Refund Due to Death of a Student

If a student should die during a semester/session in which the student is duly enrolled, the student’s estate will be refunded the tuition and fees based on the above stated policies, providing the student has no other outstanding University financial obligations. To initiate this process, the family may contact the Associate Vice President of Student Life, Morgan Hall.