**Contact Residence Life for pricing information for rooms that are not regular occupancy rooms.

EXPLANATIONS OF CHARGES

Housing Surcharge
Students who choose to live in rooms other than standard housing will be assessed additional housing charges per semester.

Personalized Learning Service
Students who are enrolled in PLS are charged based on the level of service registered for, per semester. Fees are not reduced or refunded for schedule changes made after the second week of the semester.

Tuition Surcharge
The full-time tuition rate covers up to 18.5 credit hours per semester. Students enrolled in more than 18.5 credit hours are charged $150 per additional credit hour. Tuition surcharges are not reduced or refunded for schedule changes made after the second week of the semester.

Lab Fee
Refer to the course catalog for information regarding fees for a particular course. Lab fees will not be reduced or refunded due to the schedule changes made after the second week of the semester.

Music Lessons
Students can opt to have specialized voice or instrumental instruction at an additional cost. Music lessons are not reduced or refunded for schedule changes made after the second week of the semester. Contact the Performing Arts Department at (508)541-1795 for more information.

Library Books, Athletic Equipment, Parking Fines, Damage and Breakage Fees
Students will be charged for any library books or athletic equipment not returned, parking fines, or damage done to College property, including breakage of lab equipment. Damages, which cannot be assessed to the appropriate individual(s), will be pro-rated among the residents of the hall/house or floor. These charges appear as "Community Dorm Damages" on the bill.

Health Insurance
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that all full-time students have health insurance.  All students are required to be enrolled under Dean College's policy if they are not covered under certain policies.  Health Insurance can be waived on-line if the student's current plan qualifies.

New Student Fee
All new students will be assessed on their first semester billing a one time charge for the cost of assessment testing and the registration process.

Commencement Fee
All graduation candidates will be assessed a mandatory commencement fee, which covers the cost of cap, gown, diploma, mailing of diploma if needed, senior day activities, meals, housing and the commencement day ceremony.

Payment Policies
Payment may be made by cash, money order, check, wire transfer, and credit card.  Bills for the fall semester are mailed in early July and are due the last Friday in July. Bills for the spring semester are mailed in early December and are due the first business day in January.

If a check made payable to Dean is returned as uncollectible, the check amount will be charged back to the students account, and a $25 return check charge would be added. If the returned check causes a balance to be past due, late payment charges may also be added.

Payment Plans and Long-Term Financing Options
Families who are unable to pay the total cost for the year in two large payments may break up the cost into installments using Tuition Management Systems (TMS). For a $60 fee, payments may be made for the entire year on an interest-free, 10 month payment plan beginning July 1st and ending April 1st. For information about how to enroll in this plan, contact Student Administrative Services or call TMS 1(800) 722-4867.

To finance the cost over a longer period of time, families may apply for loans which can be repaid over as many as 15 years. The MEFA Loan and the Federal PLUS Loan are the most frequently used options. Both are described in detail under the Financial Assistance section of this handbook.

Consequences of Late Payment and Non-Payment of Institutional Charges
A $50 per month fee will be charged to the student's account if payments are not received when due. Students will not be permitted to register for subsequent semesters until balances due are settled. If for any reason a student's account is not paid in full, classes and dining room privileges may be withheld, grades will not be reported or recorded for that semester, and transcripts or other academic information will not be released until satisfactory settlement of the account is made. The College also reserves the right to withhold diplomas, certificates, and transcripts at the end of the academic year until students have fulfilled their financial responsibility. In extreme cases of non-payment, the College reserves the right to administratively withdraw a student from the College and remove the student from their residence facility. In cases of administrative withdrawal, unpaid charges remain owed in full to the College.
If any overdue obligation is referred to an outside agency or attorney for collection efforts and/or legal suit, the debt is increased to cover all reasonable costs of collection including collection agency and attorney's fees and court costs. By registering for any class at the College, each student accepts and agrees to be bound by the foregoing policy as applied to any pre-existing or future obligation to the College.

Refund Policies

Student Accounts with a Credit Balance
If a student's account reflects an actual credit balance, not anticipated pending credits, due to either withdrawal from the College, excess financial aid, adjustment of charges, or overpayment, the student or the student's parent can request a refund of the excess credit. The refund will be issued within two to three weeks of your request. In most cases, the refund will be issued to the parent.

Refund of Charges Due to Schedule Changes
If a student withdraws from a course within the first two weeks of the semester, course-associated charges such as lab fees or a tuition surcharge will be refunded in full. Lab fees and surcharges will not be adjusted for schedule changes made after the second week of the semester.

Students who are suspended or dismissed from the college will lose eligibility for a refund of charges.

Refund Policies In Cases of Withdrawal From All Courses
Non-attendance does not constitute official withdrawal.  Tuition credits vary depending on the date of the official withdrawal processed by the Registrar's Office.  Adjustments to institutional charges are in accordance with the appropriate policy detailed below.  Upon withdrawal any balance due Dean College is payable immediately.  If any account is not paid in full, or payment arrangements are not made to satisfy the balance due, the account will be turned over to a Collection Agency and you will assume all collection costs and attorney fees.

Institutional Refund Policy
Students who withdraw from all classes will be eligible for an adjustment of tuition, fees, room and board charges in accordance with the following schedule, based on the date the student officially withdraws from the College:
Up to and including the first day of classes..........100% of institutional charges less deposits
Within the first week*................................……....80% refunded
Within the second week*.........................………...60% refunded
Within the third week*.............................……......40% refunded
Within the fourth week*..............................……...20% refunded
After the fourth week, there is no refund.
*Weeks are measured from Tuesday through the following Monday in semesters where classes begin on a Tuesday.

Students who received scholarship, grant, or loan funds from the College will forfeit the same percentage of their awards as the percentage of fees refunded based on the number of weeks that have elapsed. For example, a student who has 80% of institutional charges refunded will forfeit 80% of any Dean Loan, athletic scholarship, merit scholarship, or other institutional grant awarded by the College.

Refund of Board Charges
When a resident student voluntarily withdraws from all courses after all applicable refund periods have passed, the College will refund a portion of meal plan charges based on the number of complete weeks remaining in the semester.

Return of Federal Student Aid
Students who withdraw from all classes within the first 60% of an enrollment period will be eligible to receive Federal student aid based on the percentage of the term completed. Eligibilty for aid is calculated using the following formula:
Number of days completed by student divided by Total number of days in term
*The total number of calendar days in a term excludes scheduled breaks of more than 5 days. Unearned Federal aid (the amount that must be returned due to recalculation of eligibility) will be returned in the following order: Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, Subsidized Stafford Loan, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal PLUS Loan, Federal Pell Grant and Federal SEOG. 

Tuition Refund Plan: At an additional cost, families may purchase this elective plan that provides coverage for tuition and extends the shcool's published refund policy.  Subscribers are assured 100% tuition refund for medical withdrawals and 60% refund for psychological withdrawals.

Questions About Refund Policies
For questions about the refund policies for students who withdraw or are withdrawn from all courses, or for examples of refund calculations, contact the Center for Student Administrative Services.

Financial Assistance
Nearly all full-time students entering Dean College will receive some sort of financial assistance. Most students receive a combination of awards from federal, state, and institutional programs; including loans, grants and work-study. Application materials may be requested by phone, mail, e-mail or fax.

Applying for Financial Aid
Students must apply for financial aid each academic year. Dean College only requires the FAFSA form.

The FAFSA should be completed no earlier than January 1 and the priority application deadline for submitting all application materials is March 1. Financial aid is limited and is awarded first to those students who completed their applications by March 1. Late applicants are awarded in the order that their files are completed. Federal Pell Grant and Federal Stafford Loan funds are always available for qualified applicants, but all other funds are limited.

Eligibility for aid will not be determined until all application materials have been received. Award notifications for all students with complete application files will be mailed beginning in late March. Revised award letters will be sent if additional aid is awarded or if updated information results in changes in eligibility.

Determination of Eligibility
Student financial aid eligibility is based on demonstrated financial need, with the exception of grants offered by Admissions and Athletics.  Students should be prepared to work and save for College before they come to Dean and during periods of non-enrollment. In our institutional evaluation of a family's ability to pay college costs, we expect all students to contribute monies toward their education. Since we are never able to fully cover the cost of a Dean education, most students find that they are expected to obtain additional resources each year through a combination of their own savings, work income and/or parent loans.

Eligibility for federal and state aid is based on the formula applied to information you submit on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Types of Financial Aid
Grants and Scholarships
The Federal Pell Grant provides awards ranging from $400 to $4,310 per academic year for exceptionally needy applicants.

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) is only awarded to students who demonstrate exceptional financial need and qualify for the Pell Grant. Amounts generally range from $1,000 to $1,500.

The state of Massachusetts awards grants to needy residents who meet application deadlines and award guidelines. Other states that currently allow students to use state grant funds from their home states to attend schools in Massachusetts include Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Maine. These grants range in amount from $250 to $2,400.

Most grants at Dean are awarded on the basis of achievement and financial need.

In addition, students are encouraged to research scholarships from sources outside the College. Check with your high school guidance counselor, your local library, and the free search services available on the World Wide Web.

Grants and Scholarships Not Based on Need
Athletic scholarships are awarded at the discretion of the coaches and the Athletic Director.

Student Loans and Work
The Federal Stafford Loan is a program that allows students to borrow up to $3,500 for their first year and $4,500 for their second year at Dean (assuming the student has completed at least 30 credits). There are two types of Stafford loans; subsidized and unsubsidized. The advantage of the subsidized loan is that the government pays the interest on the loan when the student is enrolled. The unsubsidized Stafford loan accrues interest while the student is in school.  

Federal Work-Study is a program that provides on-campus job opportunities for students with financial need. Student Financial Services sponsors a job fair during the first week of school to help students find jobs. Most students work between 8 and 10 hours a week, and they receive a bi-weekly paycheck.

Parent Loans
The parent loan programs described below allow credit worthy parents to borrow up to the cost of college, less any awarded financial aid.  Applicant must meet eligibility requirements outlined in the application materials. Unlike student loans, repayment on parent plus loans begins after the second disbursement of loan funds to the school.

MEFA Loan: The Massachusetts Higher Educational Financing Authority (MEFA) offers a loan for parents who have a student attending a participating Massachusetts college.  Contact MEFA at 800-499-MEFA for more information.

Student Responsibilities
During summer months and the winter break, correspondence from the Center for Student Administrative Services will be sent to students at the permanent address the student has provided to the Registrar. It is the student's responsibility to maintain an accurate mailing address and phone number with the Registrar's Office. During the academic year, correspondence may be sent to the student's mailbox on campus. In some cases, copies may be sent to parents at the permanent address as well. Students should promptly respond to notices and information requests received from the Center for Student Administrative Services to avoid loss of eligibility for aid previously offered.

Financial aid recipients must notify the Center for Student Administrative Services if they receive any educationally-related assistance from a source outside the College, including private scholarships, vocational rehabilitation assistance, or tuition reimbursement programs. Every effort will be made to keep previously awarded aid intact. If reductions must be made, loans will be reduced before grants.
Finally, policies and procedures for financial aid are subject to change at any time. Every effort will be made to keep students informed of changes.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Aid Recipients
In addition to the academic progress standards published in the Academic Policies section of the student handbook, financial aid recipients must meet additional academic progress criteria, established in accordance with federal regulations. The Center for Student Administrative Services will evaluate continuously enrolled students as described below once each year, in May after spring semester grades are posted. Students who leave the College and are later readmitted will be evaluated before aid is offered, regardless of the term in which they return to Dean. Students must successfully complete 60% of all attempted course work. Any course in which a student is enrolled after the regular drop and add period is considered an attempted course. A passing grade is considered to be successful completion of a course. Failure, withdrawal after the second week (or at any time during which a W, WP, WF, RW, RP or RF will be posted to your transcript), or an incomplete (I) in a class constitutes an attempted course that is not successfully completed. Although aid is generally not available for repeat course work, repeated courses will be counted in measuring this standard.

Students who fail to meet the published grade point average standards after spring grades are recorded in May will not be eligible for aid in subsequent academic periods. Students who do not meet the College's standards and are allowed to return to the College on probation granted by the Academic Review Board may appeal to regain eligibility for aid through the Center for Student Administrative Services.  Students are required to obtain at least a 1.5 GPA after the first semester, a 1.7 cumulative GPA after the second semester, and a 2.0 cumulative GPA after each subsequent semester.

Federal aid recipients cannot continue to receive aid after they have attempted more than 150% of the number of credits required for their degree. Although aid is generally not available for repeat course work, repeated courses will be counted in measuring this standard.

Students who fail to meet any standard outlined above will be notified by the Center for Student Administrative Services by mail. Students may appeal to regain eligibility through the Center for Student Administrative Services. Appeals should be submitted as soon as possible but at least one month prior to the term for which the student seeks reinstatement of eligibility. Appeals should contain, at a minimum, a letter from the student and any documentation that supports claims of extenuating circumstances. Supporting letters from advisors and professors are also encouraged. Grounds for appeal include the student's documented illness, death or serious illness of an immediate family member, or other unusual circumstances. Additional documentation may be requested depending on the nature of the appeal. Decisions will be made by the Director of Financial Aid. Appeals of the Director's decision may be made in writing to the Vice President for Enrollment Services.

Students may also regain eligibility by taking course work to improve their grades or completion rate. Students can be reevaluated for eligibility at any time, and can be considered for aid in the term following the point at which the standards are met. Academic achievements at other colleges can be considered as part of an appeal but transfer work will not affect a student's GPA or completion rate record at Dean.