Financial Information

Tuition and Fees 2011-2012
Financial Responsibility
Graduate Student Services Emergency Funds
Tuition Waivers
Payment
Graduate Assistantships
Graduate Scholarships
Financial Aid Programs
Student Accounts’ Policy on the Reduction of Charges
Title IV Refund Policy: Term Withdrawal, Financial Aid and Tuition Reduction Eligibility
Federal Office of the Ombudsman
Verification
Default
Rights and Responsibilities of Recipients
Enrollment Status Verification

Tuition and Fees 2011-2012

* The Greater Rochester Collaborative Master of Social Work Program is offered jointly by Nazareth College of Rochester and the State University of New York College at Brockport. Therefore, the tuition reflects the costs of the private and public higher education sectors. Tuition for the MSW Program is $603 per credit hour for the 2011-2012 academic year.

The Physical Therapy program requires full-time attendance, and the tuition is $15,546 per semester for fall and spring coursework. In addition, students are required to complete summer coursework, which is charged at $1036 per credit hour. Graduate Year I students take 13 credit hours in the summer, Year II students take 6 credit hours in the summer, and Year III students take 12 credit hours in the summer. Therefore, total Graduate Year I tuition (including summer, fall, and spring terms) is $44,560 for the 2011-2012 academic year. Additional course fees apply.

Read more about Payment options. Please also refer to the Student Accounts’ website for additional information: www.naz.edu/dept/studentaccounts/.

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Financial Responsibility

All students are responsible for any college debts they have incurred, including library fees, parking fines, tuition charges and related fees. If a college debt must be referred to outside sources for collection, the student will be responsible for paying additional collection costs including, but not limited to, attorney fees and disbursements.

Note: Nazareth College reserves the right to withhold grades, transcripts, diplomas or re-registration in those instances where financial obligations are not fulfilled.

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Graduate Student Services Emergency Funds

During graduate study, exceptional circumstances may arise which restrict the ability of individual graduate students to continue studies without timely assistance. The Graduate Student Services Emergency Funds may provide a resource for short-term assistance. For further information, including guidelines and application forms, please contact the Office of Graduate Student Services at (585) 389-2815. Request form can also be obtained by visiting www.naz.edu/graduate-student-services under “Forms.”

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Tuition Waivers

A waiver of graduate and undergraduate tuition is offered to professionals in the field under whose supervision Nazareth student teachers, speech-language pathology clinicians, and art therapy clinicians are placed. The waiver remains valid for six consecutive registration periods following the semester in which the service is rendered. Summer session is considered a regular registration period. Active waivers need to be presented at the time of registration in order to be applied to the current student bill. See also Tuition Waiver Acceptance Policy in the Academic Policies and Procedures section of the catalog.

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Payment

All financial obligations are paid in Student Accounts at the time of registration or in advance of the beginning of classes each semester. The final balance on your bill (after Financial Aid has been subtracted) is payable by cash, check, MasterCard, VISA, or Discover. Make checks payable to Nazareth College. Credit card payment can be made by following the link Pay Tuition Online found on the left margin of the Student Accounts’ website. Students who do not return their student bill by the due date are subject to de-registration. There is a $105 re-registration fee. Registration is not considered to be valid until financial obligations have been met.

Student Accounts has the following tuition payment options in place:

• Student Accounts’ Deferral - If you are unable to pay your entire balance by the due date on your bill, we offer a Student Accounts’ Deferral to creditworthy students. Send half of your balance due (after deducting Financial Aid/AMS/TMS/Scholarships) along with your signed tuition bill. We will mail you a promissory note for the remaining balance which will be due six weeks into the Fall/Spring Semester (three weeks for Summer Semesters). Your financial obligations will not be met until the promissory note is signed and returned to Student Accounts. Interest on this deferral accrues from the due date on your bill and is calculated at 1% per month.

• Employee Sponsored Tuition Plan (ESTP) - Employee Reimbursement Policy - Eligible students are now able to defer tuition payment beyond the end of the semester based on their employer’s planned tuition reimbursement. Students can obtain an application for payment deferment from the Student Accounts’ website. This form needs to be filled out by both the student and employer and submitted to Student Accounts, along with any charges that are not covered by the employer, one week prior to the start of the semester. It is also the students’ responsibility to provide Student Accounts with a copy of their employer’s tuition reimbursement policy on company letterhead each semester. Students must provide a Visa, MasterCard, or Discover number on the ESTP application. This authorizes Student Accounts to charge any unpaid balance to your credit card should payment not be received by the date indicated on the deferral. A late fee of $50 will be assessed if full payment is not received by the due dates indicated on the ESTP deferral or if a credit card cannot be processed.

• TuitionPay and Tuition Management Systems - Nazareth is happy to offer two payment plan options for paying your semester expenses interest free in monthly installments.  The TuitionPay monthly payment plan offered through Sallie Mae is one option.  A second option is with Tuition Management Systems, a division of KeyBank. In a plan offered to graduate students (full and part-time), students are able to pay one semester’s education expenses interest free over a period of four months with an enrollment fee of $35. The deadline for enrollment is the first day of the semester.  Neither TuitionPay or TMS is offered as a summer payment option. For further information about TuitionPay please call Sallie Mae at 1-800-635-0120 or visit their website at http://www.tuitionpay.salliemae.com.  For information about Tuition Management Systems please call 1-800-722-4867 or visit their website: http://www.afford.com

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Graduate Assistantships

A number of graduate assistantships in the areas of research, administrative support, and special projects are available each term to both full and part-time graduate students. Maximum remuneration for an assistantship is a three-credit waiver (at the general credit tuition rate) to be applied to a graduate course during the term in which the work of the assistantship is being done. Only one assistantship (three-credit) per graduate student is allowed each semester. Students must be formally admitted to a graduate program to be eligible for an assistantship. Please refer to the Nazareth website www.naz.edu/graduate-student-services under “Graduate Assistantships.” For further information contact Graduate Student Services at (585) 389-2815, or by e-mail at gradservices@naz.edu

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Graduate Scholarships

The following scholarships are awarded by academic departments with graduate programs each year, some as a result of written competition. Announcements of the annual competitions and applications, if applicable, are available from individual academic departments.  

• Magdalena Callahan Scholarship- awarded annually to a student in a Graduate Literacy Education program
• Josephine F. Haire Family Scholarship - awarded annually to a student in a Graduate Inclusive Education program
• Rochester Guild for Special Children Scholarship - awarded annually to a student in a Graduate Inclusive Education program
• Horovitz Scholarship - awarded annually to a student in the Art Therapy program
• Dr. Catherine Quenin Scholarship - awarded to a student in Communications Sciences and Disorders with a specialty in deafness
• Deborah Ann Bartimo Silva Scholarship - awarded to a student in Communications Sciences and Disorders

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Financial Aid Programs

Qualified graduate students who wish to be considered for financial aid should file the proper forms in the Financial Aid Office in advance of program deadlines. (Students requesting Federal financial assistance, including Federal Direct Stafford Loans and Federal Direct GradPLUS Loans, must enroll for at least 6 graduate credit hours each semester for which they seek aid.)

Prospective applicants are responsible for familiarizing themselves with procedures for obtaining financial assistance and for notifying the Financial Aid Office of changes in status, name, and address. All students seeking financial assistance should file the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), at least 6 weeks in advance of the time period for which financial aid is sought. Eligibility for the Federal Perkins Loan and Federal Work Study Programs requires that the FAFSA be filed no later than April 15th of the before the start of the academic year in which assistance is sought.

Students whose FAFSA is selected for federal verification have additional requirements, which they must fulfill in order to retain Federal Student Aid. (See Verification)

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available on the web at www.fafsa.gov for electronic filing.

Federal Teach Grant
The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant program provides grants of up to $4,000 per year. In exchange for receiving a TEACH grant, students must agree to teach in a designated high-need subject area in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families. Students must teach for at least four academic years within eight calendar years of completing the program of study. Failure to complete the service obligation results in all TEACH grant funds being converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, accruing interest from the initial date of disbursement and repayable directly to the federal government. For more information, contact the Office of Financial Aid.

Federal Direct - Subsidized Stafford Loan Program
These federal student loans are available through the U.S. Department of Education for matriculated graduate students and formally accepted Access Program students who are enrolled in 6 credit hours or more each semester. To initiate application, a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) should be completed listing Nazareth College (002779). Students sign a Master Promissory Note (e-MPN) which covers all Federal Direct Stafford Loan borrowing for a period of up to ten years. This can be done electronically on the web at www.studentloans.gov. Select “Complete new e-MPN” and use your FAFSA PIN to authenticate your identity. Once an e-MPN is signed and on file, the student will not have to sign another promissory note while in attendance at Nazareth College. Loans are certified by the Financial Aid Office once the FAFSA has been received. Students receive disclosure notices from the federal processor after a loan has been certified by the Financial Aid Office, and they receive notification from the Student Accounts Office once funds have been credited to their student account. Students may reduce the amount of the loan requested, with no penalty, by requesting that the Financial Aid Office return any unwanted funds once the funds have been credited to their account. It is each student’s responsibility to monitor their own borrowing while at Nazareth College.

Maximum borrowing under this program is $8,500 per academic year (two semesters), not to exceed the student’s cost of education. The allowable cost of attendance includes a modest living allowance for the student. Any request for review of living expense allowance must be made in writing and be accompanied by documentation as needed by the financial aid staff. Not all categories of financial obligation can be considered under this review. For matriculated graduate students, total undergraduate and graduate borrowing of subsidized loans cannot exceed $65,500.

Students not matriculated but working toward a certificate in education (Access Program) are also eligible to borrow. Maximum academic year (two semesters) borrowing for these students is $5,500. Students conditionally accepted to a graduate program who need to complete prerequisite undergraduate courses before being eligible for graduate course registration may borrow up to $5,500 for the one academic year prior to attaining graduate matriculation. These students are restricted to undergraduate maximum subsidized Stafford borrowing of $23,000 and unsubsidized borrowing of $23,000 for a total maximum of $46,000. All applicants must file a FAFSA in order to borrow. Those who do not qualify by demonstrating need for all of the Federal Stafford Loan they request up to the allowable maximum, may now receive an unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan. Students who borrow on an unsubsidized basis are responsible for the interest on this loan even while they are enrolled.

Beginning July 1, 2011, Federal Direct Stafford Loans carry a fixed interest rate of 3.4%. Variable interest rates or fixed interest of 6.8% continues to apply to previous loans depending on when the loan was disbursed. Federal Direct Stafford Loan borrowers are entitled to a one-time grace period such that repayment begins six months after they are no longer enrolled at least half-time. Minimum repayments are now $50 per month and may extend up to 10 years. A 0.5% origination fee is charged. Annual loans (two semester request) are disbursed on a per semester basis. New legislation permits colleges with low student loan default rates (such as Nazareth) to disburse one semester loans at the beginning of the semester.

New borrowers after October 1, 1998 who have been employed as teachers for five consecutive school years may qualify for partial Stafford Loan forgiveness provided that they: are not in student loan default; teach in a school that qualifies for Perkins Loan cancellation; and teach in a subject area relevant to their major (secondary level) or have demonstrated elementary curriculum teaching skills. For further details visit www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov/tc.

Additional Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
Matriculated graduate students who have already requested Federal Direct Stafford Loan borrowing of $8,500 for the year in any subsidized/unsubsidized combination may request up to an additional $12,000 in unsubsidized Stafford Loan if total costs of attendance permit. Students restricted to $5,500 in subsidized Stafford Loan may request only $5,000 per year in additional unsubsidized Stafford Loan. Students in the Access Program or taking prerequisite courses must be independent by federal standards in order to borrow the additional $7,000 in unsubsidized loans. These students are restricted to undergraduate maximum subsidized Stafford borrowing of $23,000 and unsubsidized borrowing of $23,000 for a total maximum of $46,000. For matriculated graduate students, total graduate and undergraduate borrowing in any combination of subsidized/unsubsidized Stafford Loans may not exceed $138,500.

Federal Direct GRAD PLUS
This program of unsubsidized federal loans, previously limited to the parents of undergraduate students, is now available to graduate students at an interest rate of 7.9%. Applicants may not have an adverse credit history and are required to file the FAFSA and have applied for the maximum subsidized and unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan for which they are eligible. GRAD PLUS loan may then fulfill any recognized cost of attendance not met by any other resource. A GRAD PLUS master promissory note, separate from Stafford MPN, is required. For regulatory details and application procedures visit the Financial Aid Office web site or contact the Financial Aid Office directly.

Consolidation and Deferments
Students who have borrowed under any single or combination of federal student loan programs are eligible for a Federal Consolidation Loan which may extend repayment beyond 10 years at an interest rate which is the weighted average of the underlying loans rounded to the nearest higher 1/8 of one percent capped at 8.25%.

Student borrowers are eligible for a variety of loan deferments, for example, enrollment at half-time or greater, or forbearance for unemployment or economic hardship. Under forbearance, students are responsible for loan interest. Contact the Financial Aid Office or your lender for details and information about documentation required for eligibility or visit www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov.

Federal Perkins Loans
Federal Perkins Loans enable matriculated graduate students to meet part of their cost of attendance through low interest borrowing. Because funds under this program are limited, the college normally restricts student eligibility to a maximum of $1,500 per year with preference for those who have had undergraduate loans under this program. Students sign a Perkins Master Promissory Note which covers all Perkins borrowing at Nazareth College for a period of up to ten years. The first time you are awarded a Perkins Loan the Financial Aid Office will notify you of signing procedures. Dual disbursements are made to the student’s account: the fall semester half within three business days of when the master promissory note is signed; the spring half at the first day of class for that semester. Students seeking a Federal Perkins Loan should write to the director stating this request. Federal Perkins Loans carry a 5% fixed interest rate beginning nine months after the student is no longer attending at least half-time and are repayable within 10 years. Maximum borrowing is a total of $40,000 for all undergraduate and graduate education. Borrowers of Federal Perkins Loans are entitled to deferments of repayment for periods ranging from nine months to three years: for service in the Armed Forces; for volunteerism (Peace Corps, VISTA, ACTION); for temporary total disability; for financial hardship; for pregnancy/adoption; for qualified internships. Cancellation of portions of Federal Perkins Loan debt is available: for teaching in designated low income schools; for teaching handicapped children and teaching in Head Start programs; for military service; for volunteer service; for serving as a law enforcement or corrections officer; because of death or permanent total disability.

Federal Work Study Program
Graduate students whose financial aid application demonstrates need may be certified for the Federal Work Study Program. Students seeking Federal Work Study should make this request to the Office of Financial Aid. Students awarded Federal Work Study priority as part of their financial aid receive preference for placement in on-campus jobs or in the college’s Partners For Learning/Serving programs of community service. It is the student’s own responsibility to follow through with placement procedure and be a willing worker. Awards normally correspond to employment of 10 hours per week or less during the academic year at a wage of $7.94 per hour. Students are paid by direct deposit every two weeks for hours worked. Because they receive direct payment, FWS wages do not credit the student’s term bill.

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Student Accounts’ Policy on the Reduction of Charges

(Fall and Spring Semesters Only)
Students who withdraw completely from the college because of prolonged illness or other serious reasons beyond their control are granted reductions of tuition and room and board as follows (the amount of any reduction will be calculated from the day on which the notice of withdrawal, together with a request for a reduction is submitted in writing to the Office of Graduate Student Services).

Tuition: Withdrawal within the first week of classes, 100% reduction; within the second week, 90% reduction; within the third week, 80%; within the fourth week, 50%; within the fifth and sixth weeks, 25%; after the sixth week of the term, no reduction.
Board: Reduction based on a pro rata basis.
Room: Reduction based on a pro rata basis during the first week. Same as tuition after first week.

There is no reduction in tuition, room and board, or fees in the case of late entrance, absence, suspension, expulsion or dismissal. Bookstore vouchers are non-refundable. Financial aid will be adjusted accordingly. Refunds will be processed by the original method of payment.

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Federal Title IV Refund Policy: Term Withdrawal, Financial Aid and Tuition Reduction Eligibility

Students must notify the Office of Graduate Student Services in person, in writing, or by telephone of their intention to withdraw from an individual course, all classes for the semester, or the program. Reduction of tuition charges will be determined based on the date of last attendance as received and recorded in the Office of Graduate Student Services. Continued class attendance or academic contact after this date will cause this later date to be considered as the official withdrawal date. A subsequent change of mind will revert the term withdrawal to the original date. If no official notice is received and no other documentation of the dates is available, the mid point of the semester will be used as the term withdrawal date. Dates for determining reduction of tuition charges are published in semester bulletins and Student Accounts Office materials. Fees are not subject to reduction. Recipients of Federal student aid who withdraw from all classes in a semester (term withdrawal) earn eligibility for Federal student aid on a daily proportioned basis up until 60% of the semester has passed. All days during the semester (except for breaks of 5 days or more and their attendant weekends) are counted. If a student has not earned all of their Federal assistance, funds are returned to Federal programs in the following order: Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford loans, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loans, Perkins loans, Federal Direct PLUS loans, other Title IV assistance. Lenders are notified of the student’s term withdrawal date. Students are responsible for repaying remaining loan funds according to the terms of their promissory notes. Federal Work Study earnings are not required to be repaid. Federal grant repayments owed by the student are limited to 50% of the unearned grant received. Note: Because tuition charges continue to be assessed by the Student Accounts Office at a percentage rate higher than the rate at which Federal policy considers Title IV student aid to be earned, students may incur a sizeable uncovered debt to Nazareth when the College makes required repayment of unearned financial aid to its source. Gift assistance provided by Nazareth College continues to be credited in the same percentage as Student Accounts charges tuition.

Post withdrawal disbursements of Federal student aid for which the student may be eligible will be made first from grant sources, then from loans. Within 14 days of determination of term withdrawal, the college will notify the student in writing the amount and type of funds available for post withdrawal disbursement together with explanation of the option to accept or decline all or part of this aid. The student must advise the college of their decision within 14 days or the potential disbursement is forfeited. Students will not be eligible for a late disbursement of their loan if it is the second disbursement of the loan, e.g. a student borrows for fall and spring semesters, fall disbursement is received, student registers for spring but withdraws before disbursement is made. This student will not be eligible for the second disbursement of the loan.

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Federal Office of the Ombudsman

Borrowers who experience unresolved issues with their school, lender or guarantee agency may contact the federal Office of the Ombudsman at (202) 401-4498 in Washington, D.C. or toll-free at (877) 557-2575.

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Verification

Nazareth College participates in the Federal Quality Assurance Program. In addition to the College’s standard in-house activities aimed at assuring the accuracy of financial aid application information submitted by students, a required random sample of Federal student aid recipients is run each year. Students will be informed in writing if they are selected for verification together with details of what documentation they must supply. This information will include, but is not limited to, signed copies of Federal tax forms, W2’s, statements of household size and composition, and proof of matriculation and attendance if other family members are in college. The required information must be provided within 30 days if students are to be assured of retaining any need based federal student aid they have received for the current academic year.

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Default

Recipients of student aid of any description may not be in default on a student loan taken to attend any institution or owe a refund to a federal grant program at any institution or be in default of repayment of any other federally sponsored loan. Additional documentation from sources such as a previous lender or guarantee agency may be required to update records.

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Rights and Responsibilities of Recipients

Students seeking financial assistance are responsible for filing timely, valid applications for the programs under which they may request aid. Additional information regarding applications and all student financial aid rights and responsibilities may be obtained from the Financial Aid Office, Smyth Hall, Room 43.

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Enrollment Status Verification

Nazareth College participates in the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) located in Herndon, Virginia. Three times a semester (at the close of registration; after the last day to withdraw and receive a grade of W; and on the last class day of term) the college submits a computer file of students’ enrollment status to the Clearinghouse which, in turn, supplies verification of enrollment to all lending institutions and the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). All loan deferment forms are forwarded to the NSC. Nazareth College does not supply this information directly to lending institutions.

If a student has registered late and/or had a drop/add/withdrawal processed to the term registration, this information may not be reported to the Clearinghouse until the next submission. The Clearinghouse asks that if a student receives a collection letter, the student is to follow the procedures as outlined.

• Call the lending agency to see if a deferment form was received between the time the Clearinghouse supplied the information and the lending agency sent the collection letter.
• You may verify your enrollment status by accessing the Clearinghouse website: www.nslc.org. In the “Students” section, you may confirm your own status and verify that your lender is using the Clearinghouse to supply enrollment data.
• If an emergency exists, e.g. a student is being threatened with default, the Records Assistant (585/389-2803) may be able to intervene on the student’s behalf by faxing a verification of enrollment letter to the lending agency.

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