The Student Services Online Financial Newsletter provides you with the latest billing and student account information and should answer many of the typical questions generated by your semester bill.

You may contact us by telephone (1-800-294-0294 or 617-552-3300), send us a fax (617-552-4889) or an email (studentservices@bc.edu), or stop by the office in Lyons Hall.

For office, walk-in, and telephone service hours, or for more information about Student Services, visit our website.

Use the Agora Portal to register for courses, update your address, request enrollment certifications, process medical insurance waivers, and utilize many other University services.

Billing Services

Online Billing

Each month a billing statement is generated, you will receive an email notification at your BC email account with a link to your electronic bill.

Online billing and payment provide you with a faster, more convenient, and more flexible means of paying tuition and fees. You may pay electronically any day of the week from a checking or savings account in the United States. All billing information and payments are private and secure. You may also give access to authorized third-party payers who can then view and pay your bills online. For more information about online billing, visit the My Bill page.

Semester Billing

Students who anticipate any problem paying their tuition by the due date are urged to contact the Office of Student Services as soon as possible. A Student Services Associate can advise you concerning unresolved balances and payment plans. Information about financing alternatives can also be found on our Payment Options page.

Students who do not resolve their accounts may be subject to the following restrictions:

• Diploma and transcript holds
• Meal plan restrictions
• No access to the Athletic Complex
• No check cashing privileges
• No dorm access, if applicable
• No participation in the Room Selection Process (if applicable)
• Registration and drop/add holds

Tuition bills also include lab fees. If a student drops a course with a lab fee, the amount of that fee may be deducted from the tuition bill before payment is submitted.

Graduate and WCAS students who drop or add courses after their initial billing statement will have their charges adjusted on their next bill.

Payment is required by the date stated on the bill. Any student who registers for the first time or adds courses after the end of the drop/add period may be subject to a late registration fee.

Students whose accounts remain unresolved may be withdrawn from the University.

Undergraduates in tripled rooms (rooms made to accommodate only two persons) are expected to pay their full room rate when they receive their bill. Freshmen who remain in triples will receive a rebate of $1,193 after the first week of classes in the Fall and in mid-semester in the Spring. All rebates are credited to the student’s account. If this results in a credit balance on your account, you may request a refund through U-View or on your Agora Portal. All credit balances left on your account will be applied towards next semester’s charges.

Graduate Students

Tuition and fees for the Fall are due September 15 and on January 15 for the Spring for students in the Graduate Schools of Arts and Sciences, Education, Management, Nursing, and Social Work. Students in these schools must register by August 12 for the Fall or December 15 for the Spring in order to have their registration fee waived. First year students may not be eligible for this waiver in their first semester due to orientation requirements.

E-Payments

Boston College does not accept credit cards for payment of tuition and fees except for those students in the Woods College of Advancing Studies. However, students and parents can make tuition payments directly from their checking account to the student account. Payment requests are posted immediately.

You may access this secure service 24 hours a day on our Web Payment web page.

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Adjustments to Semester Bill

Credits Pending

If a student has completed the Financial Aid process for Federal Stafford, Perkins, or Nursing loans, the amount for the semester (less applicable fees) has been deducted as a pending credit from the balance due on his/her statement.

Students receiving Federal Perkins loans will be required to sign a new Master Promissory Note. Once this note is signed, disbursements will be credited to the student’s account for each semester funds are awarded. Recipients awarded Nursing loans are required to sign a promissory note once per year before proceeds will be credited to the student’s account.

Instructions regarding promissory notes will be sent to all loan recipients in August. For loans made after August 1, promissory notes are generated and mailed weekly. Loans not signed in a timely manner are subject to cancellation.

State Scholarships, outside scholarships, the TMS payment plan, Pell Grants, and other forms of aid that may be included in pending credits are applied to the student’s account as they are received by the University.

Students receiving awards from outside agencies should make sure that the Office of Student Services is aware of these awards, particularly if a bill needs to be sent to the agency before funds will be remitted.

Outside scholarships that are not already credited to the student’s bill may be deducted from the balance due provided they are not contingent upon grades and that documentation of the award has been sent to the Office of Student Services.

If the University does not receive the funds for the pending credits listed on your statement, you will be responsible for payment of the total balance on your student account.

If the amount of the pending credits received for outside scholarships exceeds the amount reported to Financial Services during the financial aid process, an aid adjustment may be required.

Financial Aid Awards

Your financial aid award may not be reflected on your billing statement if you completed the application after the filing deadlines. Check your application status at bc.edu/finaidapp or through your Agora Portal.

Medical Insurance

In accordance with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ law and the policies of Boston College, all students registered in a degree program will be charged directly by Boston College for medical insurance for the upcoming year. Non-degree students who are registered at least 75% of the full-time credit load will also be charged directly by BC.

Students currently enrolled in a health plan that is comparable to the Boston College-sponsored plan may waive coverage as follows:

• If you are over the age of 18, access your Agora Portal. Select U-View, then Medical Insurance. To provide proof of comparable coverage, you will need to have information about your current health insurance plan readily available.
• If you are under the age of 18, your parent or guardian must sign and submit a written waiver. You cannot file an electronic waiver.

International students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States will automatically be enrolled in the Boston College plan regardless of their credit hours. You are not eligible to waive the student insurance plan unless you are enrolled in a plan underwritten by a U.S.-based insurance carrier. You are no longer eligible to waive your insurance online. You will need to submit a written waiver form.

Waivers must be completed every year. Providing insurance information to other offices on campus (e.g., Athletics or Health Services) does not fulfill the waiver requirement.

If you do not complete a waiver (electronic or paper) prior to the deadline, you will automatically be enrolled in and charged for BC’s Student Injury and Sickness Insurance Plan. The annual cost is $1,678 — $738 for coverage from August 7, 2008, to January 14, 2009; and $940 for coverage from January 15, 2009, to August 6, 2009.

All waiver forms must be submitted through your Agora Services account by September 12, 2008 for the first semester and by January 27, 2009 for the second semester for students wishing to waive the Spring semester only. Students who do not complete a waiver (electronic or paper) prior to the September 12 deadline will automatically be enrolled in and charged the student only premium for BCBS’ Blue Care Elect PPO Plan. If you waive the insurance at the beginning of the first semester it will be waived for the entire year.

Campus Health Fee

The Campus Health fee is mandatory for all resident students but may be waived by students living off-campus. The deadline to file a waiver for the Fall semester is Spetember 12. For students enrolled in the Spring semester only the deadline to file a waiver is January 27. University Health Services at (617) 552-3225 for more information.

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Federal Education Loan Programs

Federal regulations require students to register for a minimum of six credits prior to receiving federal loan proceeds.

Loan proceeds that are wired directly to the University do not require endorsement. The Office of Student Services will notify students once loan funds have been received. A disbursement notice from the bank is not notification that we have received the loan proceeds.

Students may check the status of their loan on the web on their Agora Portal.

Federal loan regulations allow students fourteen days from the date of notice that the loan was applied to their account to notify the school if they wish to have their loan canceled. Students should contact the Office of Student Services in writing of their intent to cancel their loan. Students who request that their Federal loans be canceled will be responsible for any resulting balance on their account.

Federal PLUS Loans

Federal regulations require that PLUS loan checks are made co-payable to the borrower and the school. The proceeds of these loans are disbursed in two equal installments. Checks issued for PLUS loans are sent to Boston College and forwarded to the parent for endorsement. Graduate student PLUS loans must be endorsed in person at the Office of Student Services.

PLUS loan checks must be endorsed and returned to Boston College to be applied to the student account.

Federal Direct Loans

Federal Direct Loan regulations require that all students borrowing for the first time at Boston College under the Federal Direct Loan program must complete loan Entrance Counseling before receiving their first loan disbursement. Students who graduate or drop below half-time must complete an exit interview.

First-time borrowers receiving Federal Direct Loans through American Student Assistance (ASA) will receive a Master Promissory Note (MPN) at their permanent address in July. This MPN must be completed and returned to ASA promptly. Repeat borrowers who completed MPNs while attending Boston College will automatically be certified for their Federal loans.

Instructions will be included with the disbursement notification if the student is required to endorse a check and/or complete entrance counseling.

Perkins/Presidential Loan Signing

Information regarding the signing of Perkins and Presidential loans will be mailed to all recipients during the month of August and weekly for loans made after August 1. Please note that loans not signed in a timely manner are subject to cancellation.

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Financial Services

Credit Balances

If you have a credit balance on your account, you may request the credit balance be refunded to you through your Agora Portal.

If you are a graduate or WCAS student who has a credit balance as a result of Federal Aid and you do not request a refund, Student Services will, after seven days, send the credit balance to your local address. Be sure to verify or update your address through your Agora Portal.

If you are entitled to a refund due to withdrawal or overpayment and your account was paid by a credit card, a credit to that card will be made in lieu of a refund check.

City of Newton Tuition Vouchers

Graduate and WCAS students who wish to use tuition vouchers to pay for one or more of their courses should submit their vouchers to the Office of Student Services, Lyons Hall, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467. We will credit your account when we receive the voucher.

Lynch School of Education Teaching Vouchers

Graduate and Woods College of Advancing Studies students who wish to use a Lynch School of Education teaching voucher to pay for one or more of their courses should submit their vouchers to the Admission Office in the Lynch School of Education, Campion Hall. Once approved, your account will be credited for the amount of the voucher.

Fees and any amount not covered by the City of Newton or the Lynch Teaching vouchers should be submitted by the due date. Do not mail the voucher with your payment.

Graduate Department Tuition Remission

The graduate academic departments are responsible for crediting the student account with the tuition remission award. Students whose awards have not been credited to their bill should contact the department responsible for the credits.

Employee Benefits

Full-time employees of Boston College should have had their employee benefits automatically deducted from the enclosed statement. Part-time employees and eligible spouses of employees must obtain a tuition remission voucher from the Benefits Office in More Hall. Send this voucher to the Office of Student Services, Lyons Hall, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467. Your account will be credited when we receive the voucher. Fees and any amount not covered by the voucher should be paid by the due date.

Outside Scholarships/Agency Billing

You may be deferred for the amount of an outside scholarship or employer reimbursement if your agency/employer pays upon receipt of a bill from Boston College. If your employer requires that you complete the course(s) before it renders payment, you must pay full tuition and fees by the due date and be reimbursed by your employer. If the amount of the scholarship received exceeds the amount reported to Financial Services during the financial aid process, an aid adjustment may be required.

Students who wish to be deferred for outside funding should submit a letter from the agency/employer stating their name, Eagle ID number, the amount covered, and the address where the bill must be sent for payment. The letter should also state that payment will be made upon receipt of the bill.

Send the letter by the due date to Boston College, Office of Student Services, Lyons Hall, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, ATTN: 3rd Party Billing.

Tuition Management Systems (TMS) Payment Plan

Undergraduate and law students are eligible to participate in an interest-free monthly payment option administered for Boston College by Tuition Management Systems (TMS). This plan allows you to pay your annual costs over a period of ten months. You also have the option of five monthly payments during one semester. For complete information on this plan, visit the TMS website. In addition to the monthly TMS bill, students participating in the TMS Payment Plan will receive monthly billing statements from the Office of Student Services. Any outstanding student account charges not budgeted on the plan are due to Boston College.

The deadline for enrolling in the ten month annual plan or the five-month Fall only plan is July 31, 2008. The deadline for enrolling in the five month Spring only plan is October 31, 2008.

Graduate Students

Boston College Payment Plan

Graduate students who wish to use the Boston College Payment Plan (BCPP) are required to make a minimum down payment of 25% of the semester charges. A 3% participation fee will be assessed on the remaining balance. This deferred balance is then divided into three installments. Fall semester installments are due October 15, November 15, and December 15. Spring semester installments are due February 15, March 15, and April 15. The BCPP application can be downloaded from our Forms web page.

Upon receipt of the enrollment form, the Office of Student Services will send participants a confirmation of enrollment and a payment schedule. BCPP participants will receive monthly statements from Boston College.

Prior semester balances must be resolved before you may participate in this plan. If you failed to make payments as agreed under the BCPP program during a previous semester, you are not eligible to enroll in this plan for subsequent semesters and will be required to pay in full by the due date.

Students who anticipate a problem paying their bill should contact the Office of Student Services.

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Withdrawals

Withdrawals and Refunds

Fees are not refundable. Tuition is cancelled subject to the following conditions:

• Notice of withdrawal must be made in writing to the Dean of the student’s school.
• The date of receipt of written notice of withdrawal by the Dean’s Office determines the amount of tuition cancelled.

The cancellation schedule will apply to students withdrawing voluntarily, as well as to students who are dismissed from the University for academic or disciplinary reasons.

Tuition Refund Plan

Boston College is pleased to offer undergraduate and Law students a way to help protect their substantial financial investment in a college education. The Tuition Refund Plan is an optional private insurance plan through A.W.G. Dewar, Inc., that assures subscribers who withdraw for illness or accident a refund throughout the semester, even if Boston College?s own refund policy has expired. For costs, benefit levels, further information, or an application form, please contact John Strain at Dewar, 4 Batterymarch Park, Suite 320, Quincy, MA 02169-7468, 617-774-1555.

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Confidentiality of Student Records

Certain personally identifiable information from a student’s education record, designated by Boston College as directory information, may be released without the student’s prior consent. This information includes name; term, home, local, and electronic mail addresses; telephone listing; date and place of birth; photograph; major field of study; enrollment status; grade level; participation in officially recognized activities and sports; weight and height of members of athletic teams; dates of attendance; school/college of enrollment; anticipated date of graduation; degrees and awards received; the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended; and other similar information.

Electronic access to selected directory information is available to both the Boston College community and the general public. A student who so wishes has the right to prevent the release of all directory information, including verification of enrollment or to suppress selected directory information. In order to do so, students must enter privacy preferences in their Agora Portal. This must be done by the end of the first week of enrollment. Suppression is available by selecting U-View and Privacy Preferences.

All non-directory information is considered confidential and will not be released to outside inquiries without the express written consent of the student.

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Important Telephone Numbers