Expenses, Payment, Refund Policies and Financial Aid

The University year is divided into terms whose length is determined by each individual graduate program. Tuition and fees are the same for audited and credited courses. Accounts must be paid in full at the beginning of each term in order to be considered in good standing.

Basic Expenses (2021-2022)

Payment of Business Office Accounts

All charges (tuition, fees, room & board, miscellaneous fees) must be paid in full with a combination of out-of-pocket personal payment, financial aid/scholarships or enrollment in a Deferred Payment Plan by the payment due date for each term announced in the class schedule.  This is approximately two weeks before a term starts.  If a student has not paid in full for a term with a combination of out-of-pocket personal payment, financial aid/scholarships or Deferred Payment Plan, at the beginning of the term, the student may be dropped from classes by the university.

Early application for financial aid allows the aid to be finalized by the payment due date.  Access to enroll in the Deferred Payment Plan is in the student’s MyAU portal before the start of each term. There is a $50 fee for each term the student enrolls in the Deferred Payment Plan such as fall, spring, or summer terms.  Students are responsible for the total tuition and other charges even though a third party may pay the university directly or reimburse the student. Payments with cash, check, or money order may be made in the Avila University Business Office. Payments made through the Deferred Payment Plan may be made with an electronic check (e-check) free of fee, or a credit card with a 2.75% convenience fee.

Each term such as fall, spring, or summer, must be paid in full by the end of that term.  If a term’s charges have not been paid, and the student is not enrolled in a Deferred Payment Plan, a hold on future class registration and/or a hold on academic transcript will be placed by the Business Office until the bill is paid in full.

Each student is required to have a signed Financial Statement of Responsibility document on file.

Billing statements are available in the student’s MyAU portal, and paper statements are not sent.  

If a student account is past due, the student will be sent a letter informing them of the past due balance and, if not paid in full, the account will be placed with an outside collection agency.  If a student’s account has been placed with a collection agency, restrictions will apply to future enrollment.  These restrictions include paying the collection agency balance in full and pre-paying for the term in which the student will enroll with a combination of financial aid/scholarships and personal funds. 

Deferred Payment

Through Avila’s Deferred Payment Plan, the term charges, after accepted financial aid is applied, may be paid in equal installments throughout the semester. Payment plan agreements should be selected through the student’s MyAU portal prior to the beginning of each semester. If a plan is not selected, the enrollee, by making the first payment of the deferred payment plan, accepts all conditions of the plan. A $75.00 fee for the 12 month plan, or $40.00 per term plan fee is charged. If payments are not made on or before the installment due dates, the student may have a registration and/or transcript hold placed until payments are up-to-date. Each term such as fall, spring, or summer, must be paid in full by the end of that term. The student’s responsibility for the total charges is not changed by having some portion of the payment deferred.

Financial Aid and Loan Recipients

Graduate students will receive their Financial Aid award notifications electronically via their Avila email accounts. Graduate students must be enrolled and attending a minimum of 3 credit hours to qualify for federal loans.

The student will be responsible for any payment due on the scheduled due dates. Loan proceeds must be finalized to be considered as payment on the student account. If finalized financial aid does not cover the term balance, personal payment will be due on the scheduled dates. Loan proceeds must be applied to any balance due, and any resulting credit balances will be refunded as noted under Credit Balance Refunds.

Please remember: Loans of any type must be repaid.

Late Payment Penalties

Failure to make arrangements for any payment due on a campus account by the due date may result in one or more of the following actions:

1. Late payment fee
2. A hold on the student’s transcript and/or registration, and/or
3. Cancellation of the student’s registration

A student may be reinstated within the designated time period by bringing the account to current status. However, the original classes cannot be guaranteed.

Financial Statement of Responsibility

Students agree to be financially responsible for all costs of the courses they register for regardless of how the registration occurs and are bound by all terms of the Avila University Financial Statement of Responsibility   

Refunds

Credit Balance Refunds

Refunds are available from the Business Office as outlined below:

• Students not receiving federal assistance may request a refund at any time after the second day of classes.
• Students receiving any federal assistance (Unsubsidized Direct Loans or Grad PLUS loans) which results in a credit balance will be issued a refund within 14 days from the receipt of funds by the University.
• In instances where credit balances are created by funds paid from outside sources (such as business, government, and banks), the money must first be received by Avila University in order to issue a refund to the student. An authorization to bill an outside source does not create a credit balance.
• Refunds will be issued via ACH through our partner, BankMobile. Students may set-up a BankMobile Vibe checking account or use their own personal checking account.  If the student has not linked their bank account in BankMobile, the refund cannot be direct deposited into the student’s bank account and BankMobile will issue a paper check sent to the student’s permanent address on file with the University.

Loan Recipients (Direct Unsubsidized or Private)

• Note: Loans of any type must be repaid
• Avila University regulations will not permit credit balances generated by student loans to be refunded until classes have begun and attendance has been verified. When such a credit balance exists, the refund will be available by the 14th day following the disbursement of financial aid.

Enrollment Changes and Tuition Adjustments

If for any reason a student will not be attending a course, that student must withdraw before the course begins to avoid financial penalty. To withdraw from a course, a student must sign a Change of Schedule form, which can be obtained in the Graduate Office of the respective School.

In any instance of adding, dropping, or withdrawing courses, the student must complete a Change of Schedule form available in the Registration and Student Records Office and return the form to the Registration and Student Records Office. The date the form is returned and processed in the Registration and Student Records Office is the date used for adjustments to charges. The time periods for the adjustments commence with the first day of classes according to the academic calendar and not the beginning date of the individual courses, unless otherwise noted. Fees are only refundable with cancellation of registration.

Withdrawal from Some or All Classes

Classes meeting 9 weeks or longer

Students withdrawing from classes will be re-assessed tuition based on the following schedule. The Change of Schedule form must be returned to and processed by the Registration and Student Records Office during the given period to officially re-assess tuition and fee charges.

• Before start of the term in which the class is scheduled and through the 14th day of the term:
  • 100% tuition; no refund for fees
• 15th through 21st calendar day from start of the term in which the class is scheduled:
  • 50% tuition refund; no refund for fees
• 22nd calendar day calendar day from start of the term in which the class is scheduled and after:
  • no refund of tuition or fees

Classes meeting 8 weeks

Students who withdraw from classes meeting 8 weeks are eligible for refunds under the following schedule:

• Before start of the term in which the class is scheduled and through seventh day of the term in which the class is scheduled:
  • 100% tuition and fee refund
• 8th through 10th calendar day from the start of the term in which the class is scheduled:
  • 50% tuition refund; no refund for fees
• 11th calendar day from the start of the term in which the class is scheduled:
  • no refund of tuition or fees

The return of any Title IV federal student aid and non-federal student aid will follow the policies listed under Return of Title IV Federal Student Aid below.

Classes Meeting 5 weeks and less (including weekend and Institute classes)

Students who withdraw from classes meeting less 5 weeks and less are eligible for refunds under the following schedule:

• Before start of session and through the 4th day of term in which the class is scheduled:​​
  • 100% tuition and fee refund
• 5th day of term in which the class is scheduled:
  • no refund of tuition or fees

See the Avila website at www.avila.edu/registrar/withdraw.asp 

Refund and Tuition Adjustment Appeal Policy

Students who feel their individual circumstances warrant an exception from the above stated refund policies may appeal in writing. The appeal should include a statement of the exception being requested, an explanation as to why an exception should be granted, and appropriate materials to support the request for the exception. The appeal letter and supporting materials should be sent to the Academic Affairs Office. Once all appeal materials are complete in the Academic Affairs Office, the student will receive written notification of the decision. The appeal must be received by the Academic Affairs Office within one year after the term in which the registration occurred.

Return of Student Aid

Return of Title IV Federal Student Aid

The US Department of Education requires institutions to apply the Return to Title IV Funds policy for students withdrawing from a University who receive Title IV financial aid.  This policy includes both official and unofficial withdrawals.  Unofficial withdrawals include any student that receives Title IV aid and subsequently fails to complete any coursework (drop, withdraw, or receives a failing grade) in a given term.  The Title IV programs include: Federal Pell Grants, TEACH Grants, Direct Loans, Direct Plus Loans, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOGs).

The requirements for Title IV program funds when you withdraw are separate from any refund policy that the school may have.  Therefore, you may still owe funds to the school to cover unpaid institutional charges.  Avila University will charge the student for any Title IV program funds that were required to be returned.

A student who withdraws after the 60% point of a semester is entitled to retain all Title IV aid for that semester.  However, if the student withdraws prior to the 60% point of the term, unearned Title IV funds as determined by the federal policy must be returned to the various programs.  These funds must be returned even if the University provides no refund to the student.  This means the student could owe the University and/or the U.S. Department of Education a significant amount of money.

Financial Aid

Avila University believes that qualified students should not be denied an educational opportunity due to lack of financial resources and that financing a student’s education should be a cooperative effort between the student and the institution. While the student’s family has primary responsibility for the student’s education, the University, federal and state governments, and other external agencies work as partners in making higher education affordable.

Students and families are strongly encouraged to call or visit the Financial Aid Office to engage in this planning process: the office may be reached by phone at 816-501-3600 or via email at finaidoffice@avila.edu. Please note that counseling on debt management and loan repayment is also available to all students attending Avila University.

Detailed information about aid programs and the application process for federal, state, Avila, and private assistance is available at www.avila.edu/financialaid.

Application Process for the 2021-2022 Academic Year

Avila University uses the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as its primary application for all federal and state financial aid programs; no supplementary applications are required. Students are encouraged to apply online at www.studentaid.gov. The FAFSA is completed using the student’s and parents’ federal income tax returns and should also include Avila University’s School Code (002449). When possible, students should utilize the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to import their tax information from the IRS’s database into the FAFSA.

Avila University does not have established deadlines for processing financial aid. However, students are encouraged to file the 2021-2022 FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1, 2020.

Financial Aid awards will be communicated to the student via the Financial Aid Award Letter. All students will receive their award letter via email to their University email address. The student is then expected to confirm acceptance of the offer of financial aid by returning a signed copy of the award letter to the Student Success Center.

Generally, the initial offer of financial assistance delineated in the award letter is non-negotiable. The financial aid package may, however, be altered as a result of one or more of the following conditions:

• Changes in the student’s housing status
• Changes in the student’s enrollment (i.e., credit hours) status
• Lack of satisfactory academic progress
• Receipt of financial aid from an outside source
• Discrepancies noted as a result of the verification process

Note that the U.S. Department of Education randomly selects one in three FAFSA applications for verification. The verification process entails the comparison of actual financial aid data to that supplied on the FAFSA. Students selected for this process will be notified by the Financial Aid Office and additional documents may be requested.

Students must submit all documents requested with the financial aid award letter (e.g., IRS tax transcript, copy of birth certificate, etc.). Financial aid packages cannot be finalized, nor aid applied to a student account, until the financial aid file is complete.

Types of Financial Assistance

Financial aid packages at Avila University may be comprised of a combination of loan funding. Loans must be repaid with interest. Interest rates and repayment terms vary as a function of the type of loan a student has secured. The following paragraphs identify and describe the types of funding at Avila University for graduate students.

Private Scholarships

Various service clubs, organizations, churches, schools, and industries offer scholarships to students. High school counselors, libraries, and hometown newspapers are often excellent sources for information concerning private scholarships. The Financial Aid Office website provides a listing of various scholarship websites that will enable you to conduct your searches on your own and to apply for these scholarships online. For a complete listing students can visit http://www.avila.edu/admission-aid/financial-aid.

Federal Programs

Students attending Avila University can borrow funds from the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan program or through private lenders. Students completing the FAFSA will automatically be awarded all federal loans they are eligible for. Students are encouraged to exhaust federal loan options prior to applying for additional aid through private lenders. Also available is the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan which allows students to borrow up to their cost of attendance.

Federal TEACH Grant. Avila University participates in the Federal TEACH Grant program. This program provides grants of up to $4,000 per year to students who intend to teach in high-need fields in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families. For additional information regarding this program, please contact the Student Success Center at 816-501-3600.

For additional information regarding state and federal funds, please visit the Financial Aid Office website at http://www.avila.edu/admission-aid/financial-aid. 

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal regulations require institutions to establish minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress for students receiving federal, state, and/or institutional financial aid. All aid applicants are required to maintain a designated grade point average (GPA) and satisfactorily complete a percentage of the number of credit hours they attempt. The full Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy is available at http://www.avila.edu/admission-aid/financial-aid.

All students are encouraged to thoroughly read all information sent from the financial aid office including the terms and conditions for all awards prior to accepting their aid. For more information about the financial aid process, contact the Financial Aid Office at 816-501-3600 or click on the link above.