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.

All rates, terms of enrollment, discounts, and policies listed below are subject to change.

Basic Expenses (2024-2025)

Payment of Business Office Accounts

Payment is due in full before the first day of the term.  Accounts can be paid with out-of-pocket payment &/or financial aid that is accepted and on the account before the term begins.  If there is a balance due on the first day of the term, the student’s registration will be canceled.

If there is a balance due on the student’s account after the term begins due to a book charge, withdrawal from a class with less than 100% refund, or return of financial aid etc., that balance must be paid in full before the first day of the next term of enrollment.

• Early application for financial aid allows for the aid to be finalized by the payment due date.
• Students are responsible for the total tuition and other miscellaneous charges even though a third party may pay the university directly or reimburse the student.
• Payments can be made online through MyAU:

•  eCheck/ACH - A convenient payment option with a .50-cent fee per transaction.  Simply enter your U.S. checking or savings account information and payment will be made electronically  OR
• Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diner’s Club, and Novus Network (Discover). If paying by credit/debit card, a 2.75% service fee will be charged by the credit card company.

You can pay in the Business Office with cash, personal checks, and money orders. Credit/debit cards are not accepted in the office. No payments are accepted by phone.  A $25.00 fee will be added to the student’s billing account for each returned payment due to non-sufficient funds (NSF).

Each student is required to have a signed student payment agreement and guarantee document on file in the Business Office.

If a student account is unpaid and therefore placed with an outside collection agency, additional restrictions will apply to future enrollment including payment of the past due amount in full and pre-payment for the next term of enrollment.  There will be a hold on the student’s academic records and registration (BW hold= Business Office Write-Off or BC hold= Business Office Collection) until the student is cleared by the Business Office.

Students who have past due balances and are not in the collection process will have a hold on their academic records and/or registration (BT hold = Business Office Transcript or BU hold = Business Office Unpaid) until the student is cleared by the Business Office.

Discounts through BrightHorizons/EdAssist are available to School of Innovation, Graduate and Professional Studies students and require proof of employment with the partner employer when the student first enrolls at Avila, and each fall thereafter to receive the discount.  BrightHorizons/EdAssist discounts are not available to full-time undergraduate students.

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, or if payment arrangements are not made with the Business Office, 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. 

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.

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 from the student’s graduate academic advisor.

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 the cancellation of registration.

Military Tuition Assistance (TA) Refund Policy

This policy pertains solely to students who receive Military Tuition Assistance (TA). TA is granted with the expectation that the recipient will remain enrolled for the duration of the assistance period. If a student withdraws, they may become ineligible for the full TA amount initially granted. In adherence to the Department of Defense (DOD) guidelines, Avila University will reimburse any unused TA funds on a prorated basis up to at least 60% of the assistance period. TA funds are earned incrementally throughout the enrollment period. Any unused TA funds, determined by the point of student withdrawal, will be refunded directly to the relevant military branch, not to the service member in compliance with DOD policy.

Withdrawal from Some or All Classes

Classes meeting 8 weeks

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 7th day of the term:
  • 100% tuition and fees
• 8th through 11th calendar day from start of the term in which the class is scheduled:
  • 50% tuition refund; no refund for fees
• 12th 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 16 weeks

Students who withdraw from classes meeting 16 weeks are eligible for refunds under the following schedule:

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

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. 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 https://www.avila.edu/finaid.

Application Process for the 2024-2025 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 2024-2025 FAFSA as soon as possible.

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 https://www.avila.edu/finaid.

Per Section 103 of Public Law (PL) 15-407, “Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018,” an individual can attend or participate in a course of education, pending VA payment, providing the individual submits a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under Chapter 31 or 33.

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 https://www.avila.edu/academics/registrar-office/current-students/.

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.