Student Expenses

Full-time undergraduate tuition charges and student activity fees at North Central College cover classroom instruction for 12-18 credit hours each semester; admission to certain athletic, social and special events; and subscription to certain College publications. Some courses and instructional programs require additional fees, which are published in the course schedule. A schedule of charges for the 2023-2024 academic year, as of the date of publication of this catalog, appears below. Other expenses beyond the basic tuition charge and student activity fees include books and supplies and room and board.

Statement of Charges: 2023–2024

The normal academic course load is 16 credit hours per semester to complete a degree within 4 years. Students do not normally choose to enroll in more than 18 credit hours in any semester as doing so incurs additional tuition charges and requires an approved petition.

To qualify for financial aid, such as Illinois State Scholarships or Grants, Pell Grants, Stafford Loans, special scholarships or other awards, a student must maintain an enrollment of not less than 4 credit hours. Full veteran subsistence requires a minimum enrollment of 12 credit hours. This standard also applies for the purpose of establishing priority to live in residence halls. Undergraduate students who enroll for less than 12 credit hours will be considered part-time students.

The following fee schedule is applicable to the 2023–2024 academic year. The College reserves the right to change these fees at any time prior to the beginning of the academic year.

Tuition and mandatory fees will remain at the published rate regardless of the method of instruction and will not be adjusted in the event instruction occurs remotely or via a hybrid model for any part of the Academic Year.

Tuition and Fees:

Room and Board

The College furnishes all residence halls with basic furniture, draperies, desks and mattresses. All other items, including pillows, lamps, blankets, bed linens and towels, are supplied by the student.

Campus housing charges include both room and board. All students living in College-owned residence halls are automatically covered by a 195-meal per semester plan at Kaufman Dining Hall. While no reduction in charges can be made for irregular or interrupted usage of the food service, students may select alternate meal plans which provide fewer meals and snack bar money (“Bonus Bucks”) which can be used at the Cage or Rolland Center Boilerhouse Café when Kaufman Dining Hall is not available to them. Alternate meal plan selections can be made during the first week of each semester at Kaufman Dining Hall. Sack lunches are available for those students who are absent during the regular meal hours for practice, teaching, internships, athletic practice/events or other activities. Students living off-campus may purchase a meal plan or purchase flex dollars at Student Accounts (Third Floor of Old Main) to pay for food on a per-meal basis.

In cases where the student is prevented from consistent use of the dining facility due to College-sponsored internships or health restrictions, a written appeal can be submitted to the Director of Residence Life, requesting removal from the board plan. Such written requests must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the start of each semester and discussed completely with the Director of Food Services and are only granted if Food Services cannot meet dietary or other restrictions.

Other Expenses

Full-time students can expect to pay an average of $1,200 for books and supplies during the academic year. The cost may be higher or lower depending upon the number and nature of the courses in which the student is enrolled.

Personal and transportation costs will vary depending upon spending habits, place of residence and marital status of the individual student. A single student living on campus can anticipate personal expenses (clothing, entertainment, laundry, etc.) averaging $1,182, and transportation expenses averaging $447 for the academic year. Transportation expenses for a commuting student can amount to over $1,470, depending upon the distance the student travels to and from campus and the mode of transportation used.

Advance Deposits

A student who is offered admission to the College must submit a $100 nonrefundable tuition deposit to confirm their intention to enroll. The deposit is applied to tuition for the first semester of enrollment.

New students planning to live in campus housing must submit a nonrefundable $100 housing deposit with a room and board contract to reserve a residence hall room. The deposit is applied to room and board for the first semester of enrollment.

Music Instruction Fees

Charges for private lessons are not included in tuition charges. Lessons are 30 or 60 minutes in length and are not schedule during vacation periods. No deduction is made in case of student absences, except in cases of protracted illness. In such cases, the pro-rata loss is shared equally by the student and the College.

One-half hour lessons are given by resident music faculty as time permits. Such lessons, whether taken for credit or not, will be charged as indicated on the class schedule, which is published at the beginning of each registration period. A student who officially withdraws from the College of course(s) may receive a full or partial refund (credit) according to the following schedule: Refund Schedule (Undergraduate) .

Payment of Tuition and Fees

Tuition, fees, room and board charges, as scheduled, are due and payable on the Friday before the beginning of each semester. A late payment fee is charged after the fourteenth calendar day of the semester. Statements are available online approximately 4–6 weeks in advance of the due date.

Payment of tuition and fees can be done online through Merlin, over the phone, in person at Student Accounts or by mail. Payments online can be made by credit card—Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover accepted, or E-check. Payments over the phone can be made by credit card. Payments made in person at Student Accounts can be made using cash, credit card or check (include student ID # on the check). Payments made through the mail should be by check (send Attention: Student Accounts and include student ID # on the check). All tuition and fee payments made by debit/credit card will be assessed a service fee from the College credit card processor. The service fee is nonrefundable and will appear as a separate charge on the payer’s credit card statement.

The College also offers a payment program for full-time undergraduate students, through a third party, ACI/Official Payments, in which the cost of education may be spread over each semester. The payment program may be arranged by completing the necessary application and contract forms and scheduling payments over the semester beginning in the month of July and preceding the start of each subsequent semester. A $40.00 nonrefundable fee is assessed for this plan per semester. Interested individuals may visit www.northcentralcollege.edu/paymentplan for additional information.

Students utilizing the payment program can pay by credit card or automatic withdrawal from a bank account. Payment plan payments made by debit/credit card will be assessed a service fee. This service fee is charged by the payment plan administrator’s credit card processor.

The College reserves the right to withhold the diploma or transcripts as long as any bills owed the College remain unpaid. Students with outstanding debt owed to the college may be eligible to request an official transcript for employment purposes. The College reserves the right to deny registration and housing to any student with outstanding bills from a previous semester. The College will pursue any outstanding balances owed by any student and the student will be liable for any costs of collection, including reasonable attorney’s fees.

Refunds

North Central College contracts with faculty and staff and incurs other expenses in advance of the academic year, a refund formula has been established to reflect the equitable sharing of the loss when a student withdraws from classes. Refunds due to official withdrawal, suspension or dismissal will be made on the following basis:

Tuition — A student who officially withdraws from the College or a course(s) may receive a full or partial refund (credit) according to the following schedule: Refund Schedule (Undergraduate) .

A schedule with specific effective dates is published in advance of each semester. The date of withdrawal is established by the student’s completion of all official steps in the withdrawal process and is based on the date the Registrar’s Office records the withdrawal. If a student withdraws from the College or any courses at any time without having completed the official process, no refund/credit will be made. Non-attendance in a class does not automatically withdraw the student from the course. Proper procedures must be followed to withdraw from class(es). The College reserves the right to modify the refund schedule as circumstances may dictate.

Requests for exception to this policy must be made, in writing, using the General Petition form available in the Office of the Registrar. Requests that are more than 90 days past the current semester may not be considered. Exceptions may be granted for reasons such as an institutional error, sudden illness, accident, or injury, death of an immediate family member, or call to military service.

Federal regulations require that North Central College have a written policy for the refund and repayment of Federal Aid (Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Pell Grant, Federal Stafford Loan and Federal Parent Loan) received by students who withdraw during a semester for which payment has been received. This policy is effective only for those students who completely terminate their registration (i.e., cancels his/her registration, withdraws or is dismissed) or stops attending classes before completing 60% or more of the enrollment period. The in-depth explanation of this written policy is available in the Office of Financial Aid.

Room and Board contracts are for the full academic year. If a student intends to withdraw from housing during the academic year, the student must follow the procedures outlined in the room and board contract signed at the beginning of the academic year or semester. In all cases, the student must petition the Director of Residence Life for release. Granting of the release is not automatic and refunds (credits) will be determined in accordance with the contract. All students should read and understand the Room and Board Contract before signing.

Refunds for Overpayment

A student may have a credit balance that was created on their account due to ​out-of-pocket overpayment or financial aid funds exceeding tuition and fees.   

Overpayment with Credit Card – If a student has a credit balance due to an overpayment with a credit card, the credit balance will be refunded back to the credit card up to the amount of the payment.  This is in accordance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliance. 

Overpayment Due to Financial Aid – If a student has a credit balance due to financial aid that exceeds tuition and fees, the credit balance will be refunded to the student in the form of check or direct deposit to their bank account. 

Overpayment due to Parent Plus Loan – If a student has a credit balance due to the application of a parent plus loan to their student account, the credit balance will be refunded to the parent that is specified on the Parent Plus loan application, unless the parent has indicated the refund should go to the student. 

Overpayment due to Check or Cash Payment – If a student has a credit balance due to overpayment with check or cash, the credit balance will be refunded to the student in the form of check or direct deposit to their bank account.