Fees and Refund Policy

Tuition and Fee Installment Plan (TIP)

TIP is an alternative to the single payment of fees due at the beginning of each semester. A nonrefundable service fee will be charged to students for the Tuition and Fee Installment Plan. Participants pay their fees in three installments for 16-week terms and in two installments for 8-week terms. The first installment is due according to the published fee payment schedule, with the second and third payments due in approximately 30-day increments. The second and third installments are due on the same dates for all students regardless of when the first payment was made. It is the students’ responsibility to know the payment due dates and to make payments on time, even if they have not received a reminder notice.

A late fee will be added to an installment payment when payment is not received by the due date stated on the contract.

Tuition, out-of-state, and all other fees are covered by this program. Courses added after the first payment is made are not covered. Courses (including flexibly scheduled courses) paid for after late registration dates are not covered. Books, supplies and non-credit tuition are not covered. Financial aid is deducted from total fees due before calculation of the payments. Financial aid finalized after the first payment is applied to the TIP balance due. The refund amount of a withdrawal from class is applied to the TIP balance due. Financial aid or a withdrawal which results in an overpayment (after the TIP balance is covered in full) will be refunded to the student.

Senior Citizen Discount

Any person who is 60 years of age or older, and who has resided in the state for at least one year, shall be permitted to enroll in classes without instructional charge, provided such attendance is on a credit basis and classroom space is available. Your instructional and general fees will be waived, but you are still responsible for any lab fees, student fees, books and any required materials. The fee waiver will be applied to tuition only after all other grants and scholarships are used. Students need to pay for all other fees by the scheduled due date to avoid a late fee charge.

Complete the “Senior Citizen Fee Waiver” form in the Business Office and bring your driver’s license or Golden Buckeye Card. (You will need to do this each semester you register for a class.)

Payment of Fees

The amount of fees students pay each semester will depend upon the number of credit hours for which they are enrolled. Students choosing to audit courses will pay the same fees as if the courses were being taken for credit.

Students who have outstanding financial obligations to the College will not be permitted to register for any subsequent term, obtain grade transcripts or receive grades for the current term until those obligations are met.

Any student who does not pay their fees by the published due date for the semester may be removed from their classes without notice on that day. If you are registering for multiple sessions, the earliest due date applies.

Payment of fees is required prior to the first day of the semester. Failure to pay on time will result in a late fee being added.

All fees are subject to change at the beginning of any semester. If paying in person by credit card with a credit card not in your name, NSCC must have both a written authorization and the credit card signed by the card holder specifying if the card may be used for fees and/or books. This must be done each time the card is used.

Student Fee

A student fee will be assessed to students each semester. Upon total withdrawal from all classes during the 100 percent refund period, the student fee will be fully refunded.

Late Registration

Late registration will be permitted after the term has begun with the signature of the instructor and division dean on an Add/Drop/ Withdrawal form. A late registration fee may apply.

Course/Lab Fees

Course/Laboratory fees are assessed in certain courses to cover the cost of expendable materials used by the student, technology costs, and/or distance learning costs.

Proficiency Examination and Credit by Documentation Fees

A non-refundable fee must accompany any application for a proficiency examination or credit by documentation. Contact your Division Dean to secure the proper proficiency application form.

Refund of Student Fees

All withdrawals from class(es) may be done through a student’s myNSCC account or in writing and are effective on the date received by the Registrar. The tuition and lab/material fee refund policy are shown below. The student fee is refunded if a complete drop is done during the 100 percent refund period.

In extreme circumstances, tuition and lab/material fees may be refunded after the refund period. Documentation proving extreme circumstances must be submitted to the Registrar for consideration and final approval from the Chief Fiscal Officer.

Refund policy for courses that are 16 weeks or more:

Refund policy for courses that are 8-15 weeks:

Refund policy for courses that are 2-7 weeks

Refund policy for courses that are 1 week or less:

Must be dropped the day before the course begins for a 100% refund.

Financial aid recipients should contact the Financial Aid Office if they plan to withdraw from (or stop attending) all classes during the semester.

Ohio Residency

The following persons shall be classified as residents of the state of Ohio for subsidy and tuition surcharge purposes:

1. A dependent student, at least one of whose parents or legal guardian has been a resident of the state of Ohio for all other legal purposes for twelve consecutive months or more immediately preceding the enrollment of such student in an institution of higher education.
2. A person who has been a resident of Ohio for the purpose of this rule for at least twelve consecutive months immediately preceding his or her enrollment in an institution of higher education and who is not receiving, and has not directly or indirectly received in the preceding twelve consecutive months, financial support from persons or entities who are not residents of Ohio for all other legal purposes.
3. A dependent child of a parent or legal guardian, or the spouse of a person who, as of the first day of a term of enrollment, has accepted full-time, self-sustaining employment and established domicile in the state of Ohio for reasons other than gaining the benefit of favorable tuition rates.
4. A veteran, the veteran’s spouse and any dependent of the veteran, who meets both of the following conditions:
   1. A veteran either (i) served one or more years on active military duty and was honorably discharged or received a medical discharge that was related to the military service or (ii) was killed while serving on active military duty or has been declared to be missing in action or a prisoner of war.
   2. If the veteran seeks residency status for tuition surcharge purposes, the veteran has established domicile in this state as of the first day of term of enrollment in an institution of higher education. If the spouse or a dependent of the veteran seeks residency status for tuition surcharge purposes, the veteran and spouse or dependent seeking residency status have established domicile in this state as of the first day of a term of enrollment in an institution of higher education, except that if the veteran was killed while serving on active military duty or has been declared to be missing in action or a prisoner of war, only the spouse or dependent seeking residency status shall be required to have established domicile in accordance with this division.
5. A student who, while a resident of this state for state subsidy and tuition surcharge purposes, graduated from high school in this state or completed the final year of instruction at home as authorized under section 3321.04 of the Revised Code, if the person enrolls in an institution of higher education and establishes domicile in this state, regardless of the student’s residence prior to that enrollment.
6. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): On June 15, 2012 the Secretary of Homeland Security announced that certain students who came to the United States as children and meet several guidelines may request, through a formal process, consideration of deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal. Only individuals who can prove through verifiable documentation that they meet these guidelines are eligible to be considered for deferred action. Determinations will be made on a case-by-case basis under the guidelines. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has a variety of useful resources about DACA on their website https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/consideration-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca.
7. A veteran student with service-connected disabilities utilizing chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment.

Specific Exceptions and Circumstances

1. A person who is living and is gainfully employed on a full-time or part-time and self-sustaining basis in Ohio and who is pursuing a part-time program of instruction at an institution of higher education shall be considered a resident of Ohio for these purposes.
2. A person who enters and currently remains upon active duty status in the United States military service while a resident of Ohio for all other legal purposes and his or her dependents shall be considered residents of Ohio for these purposes as long as Ohio remains the state of such person’s domicile.
3. A person on active duty status in the United States military service who is stationed and resides in Ohio and his or her dependents shall be considered residents of Ohio for these purposes.
4. A person who is transferred by his employer beyond the territorial limits of the fifty states of the United States and the District of Columbia while a resident of Ohio for all other legal purposes and his or her dependents shall be considered a resident of Ohio for these purposes as long as Ohio remains the state of such person’s domicile and as long as such person has fulfilled his or her tax liability to the state of Ohio for at least the tax year preceding enrollment.
5. A person who has been employed as a migrant worker in the state of Ohio and his or her dependents shall be considered a resident for these purposes provided such person has worked in Ohio at least four months during each of the three years preceding the proposed enrollment.
6. A person who was considered a resident under this rule at the time the person started a community service position as defined under this rule, and his or her spouse and dependents, shall be considered as residents of Ohio while in service and upon completion of service in the community service position.
7. A person who returns to the state of Ohio due to marital hardship, takes or has taken legal steps to end a marriage, and reestablishes financial dependence upon a parent or legal guardian (receives greater than 50 percent of his or her support from the parent or legal guardian), and his or her dependents shall be considered residents of Ohio.
8. A person who is a member of the Ohio National Guard and who is domiciled in Ohio, and his or her spouse and dependents, shall be considered residents of Ohio while the person is in Ohio National Guard service.

Procedures

A dependent person classified as a resident of Ohio for these purposes and who is enrolled in an institution of higher education when his or her parents or legal guardian removes their residency from the state of Ohio shall continue to be considered a resident during continuous full-time enrollment and until his or her completion of any one academic degree program.

1. In considering residency, removal of the student or the student’s parents or legal guardian from Ohio shall not, during a period of twelve months following such removal, constitute relinquishment of Ohio residency status otherwise established under paragraph 1 or 2 of this rule.
2. For students who qualify for residency status under paragraph 3 (of Ohio Residency), residency status is lost immediately if the employed person upon whom resident student status was based accepts employment and establishes domicile outside Ohio less than twelve months after accepting employment and establishing domicile in Ohio.
3. Any person once classified as a nonresident, upon the completion of twelve consecutive months of residency, must apply to NSCC for reclassification as a resident of Ohio for these purposes if such person in fact wants to be reclassified as a resident. Should such person present clear and convincing proof that no part of his or her financial support is or in the preceding twelve consecutive months has been provided directly or indirectly by persons or entities who are not residents of Ohio for all other legal purposes, such person shall be reclassified as a resident.
4. Any reclassification of a person who was once classified as a nonresident for these purposes shall have prospective application only from the date of such reclassification.
5. Any institution of higher education charged with reporting student enrollment to the Ohio Board of Regents for state subsidy purposes and assessing the tuition surcharge shall provide individual students with a fair and adequate opportunity to present proof of his or her Ohio residency for the purposes of this rule. Such an institution may require the submission of affidavits and other documentary evidence which it may deem necessary to a full and complete determination under this rule.

Documentation of full-time employment and domicile shall include the following documents:

1. A sworn statement from the employer or the employer’s representative on the letterhead of the employer or the employer’s representative certifying that the parent or spouse of the student is employed full-time in Ohio.
2. A copy of the lease which the parent or spouse is the lessee and occupant of rented residential property in the state; a copy of the closing statement on residential and real property located in Ohio of which the parent or spouse is the owner and occupant; or if the parent or spouse is not the lessee or owner of the residence in which he or she has established domicile, a letter from the owner of the residence certifying that the parent or spouse resides at that residence.

Additional criteria which may be considered in determining residency for these purposes may include, but are not limited to the following:

1. If a person is subject to tax liability under section 5747.02 of the Ohio Revised Code;
2. If a person qualifies to vote in Ohio;
3. If a person is eligible to receive state welfare benefits;
4. If a person has an Ohio driver’s license and/or motor vehicle registration.

Criteria evidencing lack of residency:

1. If a person is a resident of or intends to be a resident of another state or nation for the purpose of tax liability, voting, receipt of welfare benefits, or student loan benefits (if the student qualified for that loan program by being a resident of that state or nation);
2. If a person is a resident or intends to be a resident of another state or nation for any purpose other than tax liability, voting, or receipt of public assistance.

Residency application forms for in-state tuition are available online or in the Registrar’s Office. The completed application requesting a change of out-of-state status, including all required documentation, must be received by the Registrar by the end of the third week of classes for the semester in question. The Registrar will review the application within five working days from the date of receipt to determine the candidate’s residency status. The Registrar will notify, in writing, the student applicant within ten working days of the final determination of the request.

The applicant should plan to pay all fees, even if they believe their application will be approved. Provided that residency requirements were met prior to the first day of the semester, fees will be refunded back to the beginning of the semester in question once a final determination has been made.

Indiana Reciprocity Agreement

Under the tuition reciprocity agreement with the Ohio Department of Higher Education and Indiana Commission for Higher Education, Northwest State Community College accepts at Ohio resident tuition rates for any Indiana resident of Adams, Allen, Blackford, Clark, DeKalb, Dearborn, Decatur, Delaware, Fayette, Flood, Franklin, Harrison, Henry, Jay, Jefferson, Jennings, Noble, Ohio, Randolph, Ripley, Rush, Scott, Steuben, Switzerland, Union, Wayne, Washington and Wells counties. Applicants must submit an application to receive resident tuition rates, enroll at NSCC and meet requirements for admissions. They must submit documentation to the Registrar’s Office. Forms submitted after the first date of the term will not be considered for that semester. Once enrolled, the student must maintain satisfactory academic performance.

Selective Service Registration

Federal law requires that males having reached the eligible age of eighteen must register with the Selective Service System. Failure to provide proof of Selective Service registration will result in an additional out-of-state surcharge for all future terms. This surcharge will be waived only if proof of a Selective Service registration is received prior to the beginning of the semester. In addition, grades and transcripts will not be released without proof of registration, and financial aid eligibility may also be affected. Registration for a Selective Service number can be completed in one of two ways:

1. Applications are available at any post office. Complete the necessary forms and follow the procedures as outlined on the application.
2. Register online at www.sss.gov. In many cases, the selective service number will be received instantly, instead of the 90 days it takes to complete the mail-in application procedure.

After applying for a number, eligible students should fill out a verification form in the Registrar’s Office, and as soon as they receive their selective service number, submit it to the Registrar’s Office for final documentation.