Institutional Refund Policy

Refund Policy - All Students, All Program (Traditional & Accelerated), All Semesters

Credit for Semester Charges will be made in accordance with the following schedule*:

Withdrawal Prior to the 1st day of the semester	100%
Withdrawal During the 1st 5 days of add/drop and late registration	100%
Withdrawal After the add/drop and late registration period	0%

The date used to calculate the specific period of enrollment shall be the date on which the student notifies the University, as stated above, of their intent to withdraw or take a leave of absence from the University or drops a course. Financial Aid calculations, for withdrawals, leave of absence or drops, will be made in accordance with any federal and/or state loan or grant program regulations.

Exceptions to Refund Policy

The following pertains to all University refund policies due to a withdrawal, leave of absence or a dropped course. Appeals to the University policy, for a proration of tuition and fees, may be considered as circumstances warrant. The appeal must be submitted in writing, signed, and dated to the Student Accounts Office. The appeal must contain your personal statement explaining extenuating circumstances surrounding your decision to withdraw, take a leave of absence or drop a course after the start of the semester. With the appeal, you must submit third party documentation supporting your statement. (Examples of supporting documentation: Doctor’s note, death certificate or obituary, police accident report, etc.) Without supporting documentation your appeal will be denied. For further information, please see the refund policy located here.

Send appeals to:

Centenary University

Attn: Student Accounts Office

400 Jefferson Street

Hackettstown, NJ 07840

FAX: 908‐813‐2632

Studentaccounts@centenaryuniversity.edu

Time Limit

The appeal must be received by the University within one year from the last date of the semester for which you are appealing. Requests submitted after one year will not be considered and will be returned to the student.

Financial Aid

An approved appeal may affect your financial aid. Institutional awards will be prorated using the same prorated calculation used for tuition and fees. Any federal and/or state aid will be adjusted as described in the “Financial Aid Student Withdrawal and Return of Title IV Funds Policy”.

Extenuating Circumstances:

Examples of Appropriate Circumstances for an appeal:

The death of an immediate family member or close relative: spouse, child, parent, stepparent, or sibling
The onset of a medical or mental health condition that prohibits your continued attendance
An accident or injury that prohibits your continued attendance
A substantive administrative error made by the University
Call to active military duty or training
Need to relocate or leave the country to care for an immediate family members’ health. (Spouse, child, parent, stepparent, sibling)

Examples of Unacceptable Circumstances for an appeal:

Personal errors in judgement or irresponsibility involving availability of finances (including but limited to non-qualification, late application, or loss of eligibility for financial aid or scholarships), academic ability, childcare, time management or transportation.
Lack of knowledge and/or misinterpretation of university policies and procedures as published in the Centenary University Academic Catalog, the student handbook, or the Centenary website.
Dissatisfaction with course content, academic progress, course requirements prior to registration and attendance, and/or personal conflicts with faculty member of record. Academic issues must be addressed with the appropriate academic chairperson or Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Voluntary/involuntary acceptance of employment or other activity impacting ability to attend class (i.e., lack of childcare; work schedule/change of hours; business trip; vacation).
Voluntary enlistment in the armed forces.
A pre-existing medical or mental health condition that began prior to the semester in which you withdrew.
Pregnancy (unless a doctor certifies that you are unable to continue to attend school because of complications in your pregnancy occurring after the start of the semester).
Changing your mind about attending Centenary, your major/program or the courses you registered for after the start of the semester.
Incarceration in a civilian or military facility
Academic Dismissal or Expulsion from the University.

Institutional Payment Policy

All financial obligations to the University must be paid for each term by the due dates specified on the website. Late payment fees of up to $300.00 will be assessed for missed payment deadlines. Payment must be made in full, with monthly payments through Touchnet, and/or Financial Aid sufficient to cover the cost of the semester. If payment criteria has not been met before the start of the semester, the student may be dropped from their courses. Once payment or satisfactory payment arrangements have been completed, the student may be allowed to re‐register but will not be guaranteed placement in the originally scheduled course(s). Past due accounts may prevent a student from registering for the next semester. Students must have a balance below $5,000.00 in the current term and no prior term balances to be able to register for future terms. If a student has a balance below $5,000.00 in the current term and has balances in prior terms, they will not be able to register for future terms until all previous term balances are paid in full. No person may participate in Commencement or receive a diploma if all financial obligations owed the University have not been met. The financial obligations include tuition, room and board, and all other forms of indebtedness to the University such as special course fees, parking fines, library fines, return of laptop (if required), return of athletic equipment, and return of library books.

Any financial obligations outstanding the semester after the one for which a student was billed may be submitted to an outside collection agency. The student will then be responsible for all past due charges as well as collection agency contingency fees up to a maximum of 50% of the delinquent account balance, late payment penalties, reasonable attorney’s fees, and court costs the University incurs in the process of collecting on a delinquent account. A delinquent account may also be reported to a national credit bureau.

All checks should be made payable to Centenary University and not to any individual officer. Returned checks and ACH payments are subject to a $50 service fee. The University and its agents, representatives, attorneys, and contractors (including collection agencies) have the right to contact a student through their mobile phone, home phone, and e‐mail, including by way of text, automated message calls, or auto dialer.

For the latest and most up‐to‐date information on tuition and fees, please contact the Student Accounts Office or visit www.centenaryuniversity.edu.