Student Financial Services

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• Financial Aid
• Eligibility Requirements for Federal Financial Aid
• Tuition & Fee Rates
• Tuition & Fees
• Other
• Room and Board Charges - per semester
• Refunds

Funding your education is critical to achieving your goals in life. The Student Financial Services Office at BHSU is designed to help you and your parents/sponsors create an overall plan to pay for your education. We are here to be your resource and to help you negotiate the many rules, deadlines, and requirements placed on student aid funds. Black Hills State University’s FAFSA code number is 003459.

Financial aid programs at Black Hills State University have been established by alumni and friends of the school, the federal and state governments, and the University. The aid that is available can be divided into three categories:

The student must:

Application Procedures:

For more detailed information go to: http://www.BHSU.edu/Admissions/PayforCollege/FinancialAid

Students will be required to pay their full tuition and fee bill or make other financial arrangements no later than the first business day after census. Classes added after the semester due date are expected to be paid for when added. A late payment fee may be assessed on payments made after the semester due date.

No student is officially enrolled until all financial obligations have been paid. This, however, does not mean that students can register and simply not attend a class without incurring a financial obligation to the university. Students who are in any way financially indebted to the university or who have failed to account for university property placed in their possession will be denied university services, including class registrations and transcripts of grades, until they have made satisfactory settlement.

SDePay is now available for online payment of tuition and fees. Please refer to www.BHSU.edu/PayForCollege for complete payment and billing details.

Tuition and fee rates are set according to the policies of the South Dakota Board of Regents and are subject to change without prior notice. The tuition and fees are for Summer 2014, Fall 2014, and Spring 2015 semesters.

• Tuition and Fees
  Students who drop courses, withdraw or are administratively withdrawn, suspended or expelled from the Regental system within the drop/add period receive a 100 percent refund of tuition and per credit hour fees. Students who withdraw or are administratively withdrawn, suspended, or expelled from the Regental system after the date the first 10 percent of the term ends for the period of enrollment for which they are assessed may be entitled to a refund. No refunds will be processed for dropped courses after the drop/add period. Total withdrawals refunds will be based on a percentage of the remaining portion of the semester, up through 60%.
• Residence Hall
  Students with a room contract who withdraw from the Regental system will receive a proportional refund at the time of withdrawal up to the 60 percent point after which no refund is available.
• Food Service Fees
  Students with a food service contract who withdraw from the Regental system will receive a proportional refund at the time of withdrawal up to the 60 percent point, after which no refund is available. The balance of flex plan dollars will be refunded at 100 percent.
• Textbooks
  Students may return textbooks during the prescribed Board of Regents drop periods.  Fall and Spring refund period begins when classes start and texts may be refunded for three days after purchase or BOR drop/add deadline, whichever comes first.  Summer class refund is two days after beginning of class.  Policy is stated on printed register receipt and at www.bhsubookstore.com.  The original purchase price plus tax will be refunded if returned in the same condition as sold.  A receipt is required.  Some shrink-wrap books that have been opened may not be returned if noted on the package or shelf tag.  Resalable condition is at the sole discretion of the bookstore manager.  New books in less than perfect condition will be repurchased at 75% of new book price.
• Military Service
  Students required to withdraw from the Regental system before completing a semester may receive credit or refund privileges if they are regularly enrolled and belong to a military unit called for duty or are drafted and not eligible for deferment and the discontinuance of class attendance is on the last practicable day before reporting for duty as determined by the students home university. Eligible students who are required to report for military duty not earlier than four (4) calendar weeks prior to the date a semester ends as stated in the official catalog of the home university, or after completion of at least seventy-five per cent (75%) of the enrollment period in a non-standard semester course, may, when authorized by the instructor, be given full credit for all courses for which they have an average of C or better. Eligible students who receive credit, or an incomplete, in progress, or normal progress grade for any course for which they are enrolled shall not be entitled to any refund of tuition or fees paid. Eligible students who do not receive an incomplete, in progress, or normal progress grade or credit for a course in which they are enrolled shall be entitled to a full refund of tuition and academic fees.

Options for Final Grades and Refunds - Weeks remaining in standard semester

Fees - The Board has authorized the universities to charge certain fees and to retain the revenue for the specified uses. An institution shall not assess any fee for any special purpose unless authorized by the Board. Information about approved fee charges shall be available on the Boards web page and at the Executive Director’s Office.

University Support Fee: The university support fee ($90.30 per credit hour-resident $106.30 per credit hour-non resident base)(USF) supports the instructional and administrative service areas related to the institutional mission. Examples of areas funded include direct instruction, libraries, computer centers, museums, admissions, registration, financial aid, administrative offices, general institutional expenses, and the payment of debt incurred for the construction, maintenance, repair, and equipping of campus buildings, except for student unions and auxiliary enterprise, athletic facilities, and wellness facilities. It is assessed on all state-support courses and remedial courses delivered on campus.  The salary competitiveness fee is used to enhance faculty and non-faculty exempt salaries.

General Activity Fee: The general activity fee ($30.50 per credit hour) (GAF) supports student functions related to the co-curricular and extracurricular activities and operations and payment of debt incurred for the construction, maintenance, repair and equipping of student unions, athletic facilities and wellness facilities as approved by the Board. Examples of activities funded by GAF are student organizations, cultural events, homecoming, student government, yearbooks, student newspapers, campus radio and television stations, child care, student activities, athletics, intramurals, student health services, and the operational and debt expenses for student unions. The general activity fee shall be assessed on all state-support courses delivered on campus.

1. Student Representation on General Activity Fee Committee: There shall be at least a simple majority of students on the committees that recommend to the president the establishment and allocation of the general activity fee. The president of the institution has the approving authority for the final recommendation to the Board.
2. Authorization to Waive General Activity Fee: Universities are authorized to waive the general activity fee for anyone enrolled in a workshop.

Special Discipline Fees: Special discipline fees shall be used to purchase instructional equipment and pay other operating costs, excluding salary enhancement, for the benefit of students enrolled in the discipline.

Laboratory Fee: Laboratory fees shall be used to purchase instructional equipment and pay other operating costs, excluding salaries, for the benefit of students enrolled in the course.

Salary Enhancement Fee: Students enrolled in certain disciplines may be assessed a fee which shall be used to enhance the salaries of faculty teaching in the discipline.

Program Delivery Fees: Universities may assess a program delivery fee to support the incremental costs of additional equipment, support staff, space or facilities, student services, business services or library and related services for all courses in a program offered in an off-campus location.

Room and Board: The Board shall approve all board plans, and room plans for standard semesters and the weekly summer room rates.

System Fees- The revenue from these fees shall be deposited in the system tuition and fee fund and into the Higher Education Facilities Fund (HEFF) in the same proportion as tuition revenue.

Application Fee :

1. Undergraduate Application Fee: Students will be assessed the application fee for each university to which they apply as a degree-seeking student. Any student that attended a Regental institution in the three terms prior to the term of the application is eligible for a fee waiver. Military personnel that have stopped out due to a call to active duty longer than the three previous terms are also eligible for a waiver.  Students taking courses as a “special” student will not be assessed the application fee until they are accepted as a degree seeking student
2. Graduate Application Fee: The fee shall be assessed on all applications to graduate schools. A student will pay the fee multiple times if applying to multiple graduate schools at the same or different institutions. Students attending as special students will not be assessed the application fee until accepted as a degree seeking student.

Transcript Fee: Students shall be assessed the transcript fee each time they request an original copy of their academic records. One-half of this fee will be retained on-campus for postage and handling.

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