Financial Information

Tuition and Fees

The tuition and fee schedules are published each year in the Spring for the following year. A tuition and fee schedule for the current academic year is available from the Business Office.

Late Registration Fee – Charged to students who register for courses after registration has ended.

Educational/Technology Fee - Provides access to computers and other technology resources.

Syllabus Copying Fee – Fee for providing copy of course syllabus.

Transcript Fee - Fee for official transcripts.

Business Office

Payment Policy

Full tuition and fees are due at the time of registration. A student who is unable to pay the full amount at the time of registration may be eligible for a payment plan.  In order to qualify for a plan, the student cannot have a history of account delinquency and must sign a payment agreement. This agreement must be fulfilled in order to register for the following semester.

Delinquent Accounts

A delinquent account occurs when a balance remains following dismissal, withdraw, or graduation. A hold will be placed on the account until a payment agreement has been signed. A hold can result in incomplete transcripts, non-conferral of degrees, and/or collection processes.

Students receiving Veterans Administration (VA) funds will not be imposed any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a Chapter 31 or Chapter 33 recipient borrow additional funds to cover the individual’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement of a payment by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Refunds

Students withdrawing or dismissed after the first week are eligible for refunds in accordance with the fee schedule. Students receiving federal financial aid will also have a refund calculated based on Department of Education requirements. Students receiving financial aid which exceeds the cost of tuition, fees, room and board will be required to repay the appropriate fund as stipulated in federal regulations.

No refunds, either for withdrawal from single classes or for entire withdrawal from the College, are made unless the student has withdrawn properly in writing through the Registrar’s Office. Notification of the individual teacher does not constitute an official withdrawal. Until the Financial Aid Office is informed by an official withdrawal notice, the student is billed as though they were still attending classes.

Return of Federal Funds

The return of federal funds formula provides for the return of Title IV aid if the student received federal financial assistance and withdrew on or before completing 60% of the semester/term. Funds are returned as follows:

1. Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan
2. Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan
3. Federal PLUS Loan
4. Federal Pell Grant
5. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
6. Other Title IV funds
7. Other federal, state, private, or institutional sources of aid
8. Student

If funds were released to a student because of a credit balance on the student’s account, then the student may be required to repay some of the federal grants or loans released to the student. Students receiving federal financial aid who withdraw from anything less than 100% of their courses will have tuition refunded using the schedule below. All other students not receiving federal financial aid who withdraw from one or all of their courses (both officially and administratively) will also have tuition refunded according to the schedule below. Students will receive the following refund if proper written withdrawal is made before the following weeks:

Financial Aid

The College subscribes to the principle that financial aid programs exist primarily to provide financial assistance to students who, without such aid, would be unable to attend the college of their choice. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the preferred form used to evaluate need for all financial aid.

Application for Financial Aid

Students who wish to apply for financial aid must be admitted to the College. The application can be made through the free Federal application. The Title IV code for Research College of Nursing: 006392.

1. Both dependent and independent students must file a FAFSA.
2. Students can apply for all types of federal aid by completing the FAFSA.

An undergraduate student who qualifies for financial aid typically receives any one or a combination of various types of aid. Financial aid awards are for one (1) year only, so the student must reapply each year. The aid offered may vary from year to year due to changes in funding, statutory provisions, or student circumstances. Undergraduate students completing a second degree and graduate students are eligible to participate in financial aid programs. The types of aid are limited due to federal regulations.

Hours Required to Receive Financial Aid

Full-time undergraduate students (minimum of 12 credit hours) are eligible for institutional aid, federal aid and outside sources. Half-time students (6-11 credit hours) are only eligible for federal aid. Any student taking less than 6 credit hours is not eligible for Title IV aid.

Scholarships and Discounts

HCA Midwest Division Loan Program

This program offers loan funding to BSN students. Students who receive the funding agree to a work commitment as a registered nurse following graduation.

Scholarship Opportunities from The Research Foundation

The Research Foundation provides scholarship assistance to nursing and allied health students. Scholarships available to Research College of Nursing students include:

• Traditional and Transfer BSN Students
• Accelerated BSN Students
• Nursing Student Emergencies (Only available to actively enrolled students)

Applicants must create an account with The Research Foundation's Scholarship Portal to apply for all scholarships except the Nursing Student Emergency Fund. To learn more, visit The Reasearch Foundation's Scholarships page.

Government Aid

Students without a prior degree are eligible to receive all the following sources of financial aid. Students with a prior degree are limited to the Stafford and Federal Nursing Loan.

Federal Pell Grant

This federal grant is administered by the Department of Education to undergraduate students demonstrating a high level of financial need. The amount of these grants varies and is determined by the Department of Education.

Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (FSEOG)

These federal grants are awarded through the College to students demonstrating a high financial need. The amount of these grants varies and awards are limited.

Federal Stafford Student Loan Programs

These low interest loans are available to students who demonstrate financial need. Students may qualify for either a subsidized Stafford Loan (interest does not accrue until after graduation) or an unsubsidized Stafford Loan (interest begins accruing immediately). Interest rates on these loans are variable based on the 91-day Treasury Bill, but not higher than 8.25% (at time of printing). Loan amounts vary dependent upon year of enrollment in college, the level of demonstrated financial need, and previous loan history. Graduate and undergraduate students are eligible for these programs.

Federal Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)

These loans are not based on demonstrated financial need. Parents may borrow up to the cost of attending college less any other financial assistance their son or daughter is receiving. Credit history is considered by the lender when determining eligibility for a PLUS Loan.

Entrance and Exit Interviews

As required by federal regulations, the College requires that both entrance and exit interviews are completed by students receiving financial aid in the form of loans. Students are informed of all relevant information regarding their loans such as interest rates, amount of indebtedness, length of repayment period and the amount of expected monthly payment. Federal regulations require the College to maintain signed documentation of the interviews. The Financial Aid Office will provide documents to sign for verification of these interviews.

Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to Maintain Financial Aid Eligibility

The U.S. Department of Education requires students to maintain certain academic standards to obtain or retain eligibility for federally sponsored student aid programs. In accordance with these standards, Research College of Nursing has established the following standards to measure whether a student has achieved “satisfactory academic progress” (SAP). These standards will be applied uniformly to all undergraduate students when determining their eligibility for federal and college funding.

SAP Definitions

• Attempted credits include successfully completed courses, courses dropped after the drop/add period, failed or not passed courses, repeated courses, course withdrawals and transfer credits that have been accepted by the Research College of Nursing and apply to the student’s current program of study. Courses in which a student receives delayed/incomplete grades will be counted as hours attempted but will not be counted as successfully completed until a final passing grade is officially posted to the student’s permanent record. 
• Successful completion is defined as credit hours completed with a minimum grade of “D” resulting in GPA credits being awarded, or with a passing grade of “P.” 
• Payment period is defined as either the fall semester, or the spring semester, or the summer term.

Maximum Attempted Enrollment Credit Hours

Students receiving federal financial aid must complete their educational programs within a timeframe no longer than 150% of the published length of the educational program.  For example, the maximum attempted credit hours in which students may enroll to complete their university degree of study must not exceed 192 attempted credit hours for the completion of a 128 credit-hour degree program. For academic programs requiring less than 128 credit hours for degree completion, the maximum attempted enrollment credit hours for program completion is 150% of the total required credit hours for the program.

Pace of Completion

Students must successfully complete 67% of attempted credit hours for each payment period.

Cumulative GPA Requirement

Students must maintain a Research College of Nursing cumulative GPA of 2.0 in order to achieve SAP. The cumulative GPA requirement applies to all federal, state, and college aid.

Monitoring SAP Requirements for Federal Title IV

At the end of each payment period, the student’s academic record will be reviewed for SAP, including Maximum Attempted Enrollment Credit Hours, Pace of Completion, and Cumulative GPA Requirement.

If the student does not successfully complete 67% of attempted credit hours or has not met the 2.0 cumulative GPA requirement, the student shall be placed on academic progress warning. Students remain eligible to receive aid during the warning period, and their record will be reviewed for compliance again following their next payment period. Students will have one payment period to achieve a 2.0 cumulative GPA and to have completed 67% of attempted credit hours. If at the end of the warning payment period the student has not done so, then the student’s eligibility for Federal Title IV/state aid will be terminated. Once the student has achieved SAP, Federal Title IV/state aid will be fully reinstated for future semesters.

Where the review shows that it is no longer mathematically possible for a student to complete within 150% of the published length of his or her educational program, or the student failed to complete within 150% of the published length of the educational program, the student’s eligibility for Federal Title IV/state aid will be terminated.

Notification

The college will notify students of academic progress deficiencies by sending a letter to the permanent mailing address on file with Research College of Nursing. Students are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of their permanent mailing address at all times. Students are responsible for being aware of Research College of Nursing’s Satisfactory Academic Progress policies and will remain ineligible, even if the College’s notification is not received.

Appeal Process for Federal Title IV

A student placed who becomes ineligible for failure to meet the requirements stated above may appeal based on mitigating circumstances that are supported by documentation. Appeals must be made in writing within 30 days of the issuance date of the financial aid ineligibility notification letter to:

Director of Financial Aid, stacie.withers@researchcollege.edu

After 30 days, no appeals will be considered.

If the appeal is approved, students will be placed on financial aid probation for one payment period and may continue to receive aid as otherwise eligible. At the end of the appealed probation period, the student’s GPA and pace of completion will be reviewed to determine if the student has met the 2.0 cumulative GPA requirement and completed 67% of the attempted credit hours, or has otherwise completed the requirements of a probationary academic plan. 

At the end of the appealed probation period, students who have, for the probationary period, a completion rate of 67% and a GPA of 2.0 or have otherwise completed the requirements of a probationary academic plan, remain eligible for Title IV/state aid and are removed from financial aid probation. Students who do not meet those requirements for the probationary period will become ineligible for Title IV/state aid.

Repeat Coursework, Incompletes and Withdrawals, and Second Degree Coursework

Any non-credit coursework, repeat coursework or coursework for which a grade of incomplete or withdraw is given count toward both 150% credit hour maximum and the 2.0 cumulative GPA requirement.

Maintenance of Financial Aid Records

The College maintains all individual financial aid records in accordance with applicable Federal laws.