Institutional Fees and Refunds

Semester Tuition and Fees

The following provides cost details for the 2024-2025 academic year.

General Information

Fees listed in this catalog are subject to change without notice. The College, in conjunction with the Tennessee Board of Regents, reserves the right to add, delete, or change fees for admission to the College or for services rendered by the College at any time without prior notice to the public.

Since each semester is a separate unit of operation, assessment and payment of expenses occur each semester. Registration is not complete until all fees have been paid (which means all checks have cleared the bank), and no student may be admitted to classes without having met his or her financial obligations. The Business Office on the Columbia campus or the administrative office at any of the College's campus locations will accept payment by cash, check, MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover Card. There is a $30 non-refundable charge for any returned check given to the College. No student may enroll, graduate, or receive a transcript until all accounts are settled. The term "account" includes any indebtedness to the College.

To help meet educational expenses each semester, Columbia State is pleased to offer automatic payment plans. It is not a loan, therefore, there is no debt, and no interest or finance charges are assessed except for a $25 nonrefundable enrollment fee. No credit check is required. Visit Columbia State's Business Office webpage for further information

The College issues student identification (ID) card to all students at no charge. This ID card is required of students for identification, computer lab use, checking out library materials and some bookstore purchases. Additionally, it allows a student to attend all College activities open to the student body at no charge or at student rates.

Expenses

Registration Fees - Tennessee Residents

Tuition and required fees are determined annually by the Tennessee Board of Regents and charge on a per-semester-hour basis.

Exceptions:

1. Certain statutory fee exceptions exist for dependents and spouses of military personnel who were killed, died as a direct result of injuries received, or were officially reported as being either a prisoner of war or missing in action while serving honorably as a member of the United States armed forces during a qualifying period of armed conflict. Contact the Financial Aid Office to verify eligibility.
2. Persons who are totally disabled, persons 65 years of age or older, and persons reaching 65 during the semester who are domiciled in Tennessee are eligible to enroll in courses for credit at a reduced rate; however, all other special and incidental fees apply.
3. Totally disabled persons and persons 60 years of age or older who are domiciled in Tennessee are eligible to enroll in courses, subject to space available, as audit students without payment of tuition, or general access fees. These students must contact the Records Office to register and can register only after the due date of Tuition/Fee Payment (see "Important Dates ").
4. Maximum fees do not apply to special offerings between terms, concentrated courses during a term, and summer term courses.

Audit Students

Students enrolling in regular college classes on an audit basis are required to pay the same fees as those enrolling for credit, except those 60 years of age or older and/or totally disabled persons as noted above.

For purposes of 2 and 3 above, a totally disabled person is defined as a person "suffering from a permanent total disability which totally incapacitates such person from working at an occupation which brings him/her an income." State law establishes this definition and neither Tennessee Board of Regents or the College can modify the definition. Persons who believe they qualify under this definition should contact the College's coordinator of disability services.

Non-residents of Tennessee - Residency Classification

Residency decisions comply with the Tennessee Board of Regents Policy No. 3:05:01:00 entitled Regulations for Classifying Students in In-State and Out-of-State for the Purposes of Paying College or University Fees and Tuition and for Admission Purposes. Students are classified as in-state or out-of-state for the purpose of assessing fees and tuition based on regulations established by the Tennessee Board of Regents. Contact admissions or enrollment services for a copy of the policy and residency application.

The Tennessee Eligibility Verification for Entitlement Act (EVEA) [TCA§4-58-101 seq.] requires public institutions of higher education to verify that persons seeking a "state benefit" are either a "United States Citizen" or "lawfully present" in the United States.

The term "state benefit" includes in-state tuition, lottery Scholarship, academic scholarship, common market, or any other form of tuition assistance or wavier funded with state- appropriated dollars. State benefit does not include tuition assistance funded privately, such as a scholarship from the institution's foundation or a privately endowed scholarship.

For more information on this act or documentation needed to verify "state benefit" eligibility, please contact the Admissions Office.  The Admissions Office processes residency classification request, and residency classification is determined by the Chief Enrollment Services Officer or designee.  The Vice President for Student Affairs holds responsibility for processing residency classification appeals.

Returned Checks (Tuition, fees, etc.)

The Columbia State Business Services Office will notify the student immediately upon receipt of returned or non-negotiable checks. The student will have 10 days to redeem returned checks.

Students are not officially registered until all tuition and fees, including any and all assessed fees outstanding from prior enrollment, are paid.

In the event of a returned payment, the student will be required to pay: (1) the late registration fee and (2) the returned check fee. A student's registration is voided if payment of the required fees is not made within the allotted time.

e-Rate

1. The e-Rate is available to students who enroll at TBR institutions, who are classified as non-residents of Tennessee, and who are enrolled exclusively in online courses.
2. The e-Rate tuition is $88 per semester hour plus regular in state tuition.
3. To qualify for an e-Rate, students must
   1. meet all institution admission requirements, and
   2. be verified as an online out-of-state student enrolled exclusively in courses delivered by a procedure documented by the institution.
4. Out of state students enrolled in any type courses (on-ground, telecourse, distance education, etc.) other than online will not be eligible for the e-Rate specified in this guideline and will instead incur traditional non-resident fees and charges. Students who enroll in both online courses and other type courses and subsequently drop the other type courses will not then become eligible for the e-Rate.

Institutional Refunds

1. Tuition Refunds and Adjustments
   1. Refunds are 100% for courses canceled by the institution.
   2. Changes in courses involving the adding and dropping of equal numbers of student credit hours for the same term at the same time require no refund or assessment of additional tuition.
   3. The fee adjustment for withdrawals or drops during regular terms (fall and spring) is 75% from the first day of classes through the fourteenth calendar day of classes and then reduced to 25% for a period of time which extends 25% of the length of the term. There is no fee adjustment after the 25% period ends. Dropping or withdrawing from classes during either the 75% for the 25% fee adjustment period will result in a fee adjustment of assessed tuition based on the total credit hours of the student's final enrollment as described in item j. below.
   4. For summer sessions and other short terms, the 75% fee adjustment period and the 25% fee adjustment period will extend a length of time which is the same proportion of the term as the 75% and 25% periods are of the regular terms.
   5. All fee adjustment periods will be rounded to whole days and the date on which each fee adjustment period ends will be included in publications. In calculating the 75% period for other than the fall and spring and in calculating the 25% length of term in all cases, the number of calendar days during the term will be considered. When the calculation produces a fractional day, rounding will be up or down to the nearest whole day.
   6. A full refund (100%) is provided on behalf of a student whose death occurs during the term. Any indebtedness should be offset against the refund.
   7. A 100% refund will be provided for students who enroll under an advance registration system but who drop a course or courses prior to the beginning of the first day of class.
   8. A 100% refund will be provided to students who are compelled by the institution to withdraw when it is determined through institutional error they were academically ineligible for enrollment or were not properly admitted to enroll for the course(s) being dropped. The director of records must certify in writing that this provision is applicable in each case.
   9. When courses are included in a regular term's registration process for administrative convenience, but the course does not begin until later in the term, the 75% and 25% fee adjustment periods will be based on the particular course's beginning and ending dates. This provision does not apply to classes during the fall or spring terms which may meet only once per week. Those courses will follow the same refund dates as other regular courses for the term.
   10. The fee adjustment is calculated as the difference between (1) the cost of originally enrolled hours and (2) the per credit hour cost of the courses at final enrollment after adjustments have been applied for all courses dropped. Adjustments are calculated at the full per credit hour rate less the fee adjustment credit at the applicable fee adjustment percentage (regardless of the original number of hours enrolled) with total costs not to exceed full-time tuition. For students dropping courses resulting in a change from full-time status to part-time status, a fee adjustment in the tuition and fees will result only if the new calculated charges are less than the original charges. Not all drops/withdrawals will result in a fee adjustment.
2. Out-of-State Tuition Refunds and Fee Adjustments
   The fee adjustment provision for out-of-state tuition is the same as that for tuition. A 75% fee adjustment period and the 25% fee adjustment period will follow the same dates as the fee adjustment periods for tuition. When 100% of tuition fees are refunded, 100% of out-of-state tuition is also refunded. Calculation procedures are the same as those specified for tuition.

The president of the College has the authority to determine, on an individual basis, the applicability of the above refund procedures in instances of unusual circumstances.