Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Tuition and Fees


 

Student Business Office (SBO), 360-650-2865
www.wwu.edu/sbo

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees include tuition, service and activities fees, mandatory fees, course fees and additional fees. All fees are subject to change as the result of action by the state Legislature or the board of trustees. See the Description of Tuition and Fees section below for a detailed explanation of each fee.

By registering for classes, a student incurs a legal obligation to pay tuition and fees to Western Washington University. This debt may be canceled only if the student officially withdraws from Western before the quarterly deadline published on the Registrar’s Office website at www.wwu.edu/registrar/ under Dates and Deadlines. A student is responsible for paying their account regardless as to whether or not an invoice or billing statement has been provided.

The SBO Tuition and Fee Schedule website is wp.wwu.edu/sbo/tuition-and-fee-schedule/ and includes the following:

  • 2018-19 Basic Cost of Attendance for resident/undergraduate, resident/graduate, non-resident/undergraduate, and non-resident/graduate;
  • 2018-19 Schedule of Tuition and Required Fees;
  • Required fees (1-5 credits);
  • Required fees (6+ credits); and
  • 2018-19 Extension/Self-Supporting Programs Tuition & Fees.

Downloadable PDF of the 2018-19 Tuition Rates and Mandatory Student Fees: budgetoffice.wwu.edu/files/2018-2019%20Tuition%20Rates_0.pdf

For more information about Tuition and Mandatory Student Fees go to budgetoffice.wwu.edu/annual-fees-and-rates.

A tuition calculator to assist in projecting the amount of tuition and fees that will be due to the university can be found at wp.wwu.edu/sbo/2016/04/13/tuition-calculator/.

See the University Academic Policies  section of the catalog for an explanation of full-time status and how that affects financial aid, athletic eligibility, and veterans’ benefits.

Your Student Account

Tuition and fees are charged to a student’s account at the time they register for classes. Students are responsible for reviewing their account and for paying the balance due. Western processes electronic statements and offers the option of paying student account charges online. Statement and account details are available at your student account online.

If courses are added after the statement date or after financial aid has been disbursed, it is important to check your account online or with the Student Business Office to determine if additional payment is required.

Student account information is confidential (see Appendix E - Student Records  in the Appendices section of the catalog). Release of account information may be authorized by completing a Release of Financial Information form.

Currently enrolled students will be sent a notification to their assigned university e-mail account. A second notification can be sent to another e-mail address by setting up an authorized payer. No paper bills will be sent. For more information go to the SBO website or visit the SBO office.

The University uses e-mail as its official form of communication. This is intended to meet the academic and administrative needs of the campus community.

The University expects that such communication will be received and read in a timely fashion.

Students are responsible for monitoring their student e-mail account and maintaining current contact information with WWU, including current address and telephone information.

Options for Paying Your Student Account

1) E-Pay (online payment using credit card or bank information associated with your checking, savings or debit card). Available 24 hours a day with immediate update to the student’s account. Payment may be made online with these credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express. A 2.75 percent convenience fee will be charged for using a credit card. Payment also may be made online with an E-check (an electronic check). E-checks are not subject to convenience fees.

To pay online, log in to myWestern, then Web4U and follow the links to your Student Account Online. Parents or other third parties who will be paying an account must be set up as an authorized user by the student in order to access student account information and make payments online. Instructions are available at www.wwu.edu/sbo or by visiting the SBO office.

2) Mail checks to the Student Business Office, 516 High St., MS-9004, Bellingham, WA 98225.

Allow 7-to-10 business days for mail to reach Western. Payments are credited when received, not when mailed.

  • Write your WWU ID number on the check and make it payable to WWU;
  • Canadian checks must be made payable in U.S. funds;
  • There is a $25 charge for the first returned check and a $50 charge for each subsequent returned check.

3) Pay in Person at the Student Business Office, located in Old Main 110 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. M-F). Payment may be made with cash, check or a debit card. 

Financial Aid: All aid types will be applied to current quarter charges on the student’s account. Only after University charges have been paid will a refund of excess aid be given to the student. If a student incurs additional registration charges after financial aid has been applied to their account, the student is responsible for paying the additional charges by the tuition due date without notification.

Miscellaneous Charges: Miscellaneous purchases charged to a student’s account, such as bookstore purchases, health center charges or athletic health fees, will not be paid by financial aid unless a student signs a form authorizing the university to use financial aid to pay these miscellaneous charges. Fill out an Authorization to Apply Financial Aid Funds form online to allow financial aid to pay these charges.

Due Dates, Late Fees and Interest

Tuition, fees, and housing charges are due on the first day of each term. Late fees and 1 percent interest will be assessed to all past due accounts after the close of business on the 15th of each month.

Tuition due dates are posted on the SBO website and the Registrar’s Office website.

Nonpayment Penalty

The university may withhold admission or registration privileges for students who fail to meet financial obligations to the university. The university may also withhold the issuing of official transcripts.

Unpaid balances mean your account will be placed in collection status with the SBO. A service fee will be added to the amount you owe.

Accounts with past due unpaid balances may be forwarded to a contracted outside collection agency. Additional collection costs up to 50 percent will be assessed. This includes costs of litigation and may result in a judgment and/or wage garnishment.

Graduating or Exiting Students

Students who had a federal loan or federal teach grant disbursed while attending the university are required to complete exit counseling. The exit counseling requirement is designed to acquaint students with their rights and responsibilities regarding their student loans. Exit counseling should be completed before graduation, before withdrawing from Western, or when a student’s credit load drops to less than half time. Exit counseling is a federally mandated requirement.

Course Withdrawal

Students who drop courses may be entitled to a credit for a portion of the tuition and fees for a given quarter depending on the time of the quarter course withdrawal is completed.

  • Courses dropped prior to the sixth day of the quarter may be entitled to a full tuition credit;
  • Courses dropped beginning on the sixth day of the quarter and within the first 30 calendar days may be entitled to one-half tuition credit and no fee credit;
  • Courses dropped after the 30th calendar day will not receive a tuition or fee credit.

See a Withdrawal from a Course in the University Academic Policies  section of the catalog for more information.

Official School Withdrawal from the University

To officially withdraw from Western for the quarter, a student must contact the Registrar’s Office and make a written request to withdraw. A withdrawing student who will be away from Western a full quarter or more, except summer quarter, must apply for readmission prior to the deadline stated in the Undergraduate Admission section of this catalog.

Students who officially withdraw from Western prior to the sixth day of the quarter may receive full credit of tuition and fees. See the sections under University Academic Policies  for information on withdrawing from the university. The $280 enrollment fee is nonrefundable.

Students who officially withdraw beginning on the sixth day of the quarter and within the first 30 calendar days may be entitled to one-half tuition credit. After the fifth day of instruction, the health services, building, technology, recreation, transportation and renewable energy and course and audit fees, multicultural center, and legislative action fee are nonrefundable.

Students who withdraw after the 30th calendar day of the term will receive no tuition and fee credit.

The deadlines for each quarter are published on the Registrar’s Office website. Refer to the Summer Session website for summer quarter withdrawal policy.

A statutory pro rata return of financial aid is required for students who received financial aid.

Also refer to the following resources:

Refunding

Payments made to your student account, including financial aid disbursements (Federal Direct Stafford Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, scholarships, grants and waivers) and other support are applied to tuition and fees, university housing, and miscellaneous charges (if the authorization to apply financial aid funds form has been completed). If financial aid does not pay everything the student owes, the student is responsible for paying the balance by the tuition due date. If the payments to the account results in a credit balance the excess funds will be disbursed by ACH Direct Deposit into the student’s personal checking or savings account. For direct deposit refund enrollment information go to the SBO website.

Description of Tuition and Fees

Tuition rates and service and activities fees are set by the board of trustees within the parameters of the state Legislature. Tuition consists of the operations fee and the capital building fee. In addition, 4.0 percent of the operating fee, 3.5 percent of the capital building fee, and 3.5 percent of the services and activities fee collected is allocated to fund student financial aid.

The operations fee, with the state’s general fund appropriation, is used to support the university’s primary mission, the education of its students. This money funds instruction, library, student services, administrative and maintenance functions.

The capital building fee is used for the construction of academic facilities. It is not used for both housing and dining buildings or to support the university’s operating budget.

One-Time and Miscellaneous Fees

Official Transcripts: $11

Requests should be submitted to the Registrar’s Office one week in advance of need. The university may withhold transcripts for students who fail to meet financial obligations. Unofficial faxed transcripts are $15. There are additional fees and charges for FedEx and electronic transcript orders. Transcript ordering information and options may be found on the Registrar’s Office website.

Degree Application Fee: $45

Late fee for applying after the deadline: $38

Departmental Academic Certificates: $26

Parking permits: For parking and traffic regulations see Appendix I - Transportation Services . All parking rates are subject to change.

Student Health Center: An optional medical insurance plan is available to eligible students. Contact the Student Health Center for details.

Special Examination Charges (course challenge): $100 per credit

Residency Teacher Certification: $50 teacher certificate application fee

Residency Principal or Progam Administrator Certification: $50 administrator certificate application fee

Initial Superintendent Certification: $50 administrator certificate application fee

Residency Educational Staff Associate Certification: $50 educational staff associate certificate application fee

Additional Teaching Endorsement: $50 additional endorsement application fee

Certification and endorsement fees listed above are Western Washington University processing fees. There is an additional Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction processing fee tied to obtaining certification that is subject to change.

Other Special Course Fees: Students registering in certain courses are charged additional fees for purchase of special laboratory and studio supplies and for special services such as music practice room rentals. These fees are listed with each course on Classfinder and Timetable of Classes.

Audit Fees: Full fee-paying students (10 or more non-audited, main-campus credits) may audit a course without an additional fee (excluding course fees). Part-time students may audit courses for $10 per credit.

Late Registration/Late Course Adds: A fee of $12 per credit is charged if a student registers initially after the fifth day of instruction in a quarter. A fee of $12 per credit is charged if a student adds a class after the second week of instruction. Either action requires an override from the course instructor.

Tuition and Fees - Extended Education

The SBO Tuition and Fee Schedule website wp.wwu.edu/sbo/tuition-and-fee-schedule/ includes information for Extension/Self-Supporting Programs Tuition & Fees.

All self-supporting tuition and fees are subject to change without notice. Variable course fees apply to the professional certificate programs, workshops and special courses. Contact Extended Education and Summer Programs for current rates.

For more information on cost and registration for Summer Session go to ee.wwu.edu/summer-session/cost.

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