Financial Information - SGCS

Tuition costs through Olivet’s School of Graduate and Continuing Studies vary by program and are subject to change at the beginning of each fiscal year. Program and individual course financial obligation information is presented during information meetings and/or at registration. A schedule of payments and analysis of fee structures, along with due dates, is outlined in the materials provided by the Student Financial Services team. Students are expected to meet these obligations according to the schedule.

Single Course Registration Policy - SGCS

Single Course Registration (SCR) requests should be made to the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies no later than two weeks before the course start date.

Payment for the course must be received according to the terms of the student’s payment plan schedule.  Students taking a single course who are not enrolled in a degree-seeking program are not eligible to use federal or state financial aid.

Students must clear any student account holds before being allowed to register for additional coursework. Please go to the Olivet Portal at https://my.olivet.edu to view the status of your student account. These policies are strictly enforced.

Financial Aid - SGCS

Students are responsible for completing all necessary application forms for financial aid and for following the appropriate procedures in seeking aid. Securing financial aid may take time, and students may be advised to delay the start of their program until aid is secured.

Application for financial aid must be made for each academic year. This generally requires students to complete financial aid paperwork two to four times during their program.

Financial assistance may not be immediately available for students who intend to take courses outside their program’s required curriculum. The Student Financial Services team should be contacted prior to registering for such courses.

If you have any questions regarding financial aid, please contact Student Financial Services at 815-939-5245 or StudentFinance@olivet.edu.

Payment - SGCS

Payment methods for programs in the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies vary by program. Most of the programs offer three payment options: Total Package Payment (at the program’s start), Payment with Financial Aid, and the Monthly Payment Plan. Students should contact their Student Financial Services team for specific information on paying for their program.

Students should pay special attention to the program’s delinquency policy. Any student becoming delinquent through failure to make payment or proper arrangements may be administratively withdrawn until such matters are satisfactorily settled. There is a $20 charge for any returned checks due to insufficient funds or a declined credit card and a $10 fee for ACHE payments returned due to invalid banking information.

A transcription fee of $50 per credit-hour is charged for Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) credit. All assessed credit fees are due 30 days from the invoice date.

Student accounts must be paid in full to be eligible for the transfer of credits, participation in Commencement ceremonies, and degree conferral. Students who qualify for August graduation must be current with financial obligations and in good standing in order to participate in the May Commencement ceremonies.

Refund Policy - SGCS

1. Application, registration, general, lab, graduation, and other special fees are not refundable, with the exception of the ABSN program.  The fees charged in the ABSN program are refunded according to the refund policy in letter “b” below. Tuition is refunded according to the following policy:
   1. For courses 8 weeks in length or less:
      1. No class sessions attended:  Full tuition refund
      2. Attend one class session:  Full tuition refund and $50 cancellation fee.  All but $50 refund:  Written notification of withdrawal prior to the second class session of a course.  Failure to provide official notification directly to the Office of Admissions and Student Services will result in administrative withdrawal.  Students are then charged full tuition, plus fees.
      3. Attend two or more class sessions:  No refund.
      4. **To receive tuition refund, the University must have written notification of withdrawal.
   2. For courses 9 weeks in length or more:
      First week - 100 percent
      Second week - 90 percent
      Third week - 75 percent
      Fourth week - 50 percent
      Fifth week - 25 percent
      Sixth week - none
2. The Student Financial Services Office makes the determination of refunds when an official notice of withdrawal is received by the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies.
3. Students who begin class without full admission status and who are subsequently denied admission are eligible for a refund in accordance with the above refund schedule.

Withdrawal - SGCS

When a student withdraws (or is withdrawn) from the program prior to the completion of a term, federal and state financial aid must be repaid to the appropriate program(s) as mandated by regulations published by the U.S. Department of Education.

The effective date of any withdrawal or course drop for refund of federal student financial aid refund/repayment calculation purposes is the date the student last participated in class.  Student financial aid will be refunded to federal programs in the following order:  Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loan, Federal Subsidized Direct Loan, and Federal Grants.

In order to officially withdraw from the university, the student must request a withdrawal from their advisor, or the Advising Team.  This process is important since a withdrawal from the university may require the students to return unused financial aid funds. The Advising Team can be reached at onlineadvising@olivet.edu or 877.4.OLIVET. 

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy - SGCS

A student will be evaluated at the end of each term to ensure the student is maintaining satisfactory academic progress towards earning the degree he/she is seeking.  Per the Department of Education requirements, satisfactory academic progress is measured on a qualitative and a quantitative basis. 

To meet the quantitative requirement for satisfactory academic progress, the student must successfully complete at least 67% of the courses he/she attempts on a cumulative basis.  This calculation includes all transfer credits.

To meet the qualitative requirement for satisfactory academic progress, the student must have a minimum cumulative GPA required for graduation from his/her program of study.  For graduation, Bachelor’s degree programs (except ABSN and BSN) require a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher, BSN and ABSN programs require a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher, and most graduate and doctoral programs require a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.  Please note, for ABSN students the following cumulative GPA scale applies:

Please see the Undergraduate & Graduate Programs - SGCS section for more information on GPA requirements for your program of study.  If a student repeats a course, the grade for the repeat will be included in the calculation of the student’s cumulative GPA.

In addition, a student will only be allowed to receive financial aid until they have attempted 150% of the credit hours required to graduate from the program.  For example, an undergraduate program requires 120 credit hours for graduation; therefore, a student can no longer receive financial aid if the number of credit hours he/she has attempted exceeds 180. 

If the student fails to meet one or more of these requirements, the student will be placed on “Warning” status and notified via letter and/or email.  The student will have the duration of one term to regain their satisfactory standing in the program of study.  If the student does not regain their satisfactory standing, they will be granted an “Unsatisfactory” status and will no longer be eligible to receive any federal, state or institutional financial aid until a satisfactory status has been regained.  A student will be notified via letter and/or email if the student is placed on “Unsatisfactory” status.

If a student with an “Unsatisfactory” status would like to submit an appeal, they may do so by writing a letter or sending an email to the Student Financial Services Office for review by the Satisfactory Academic Progress Committee. The letter must explain the extenuating circumstances the student feels prevented satisfactory academic progress, what steps the student has taken to remove those circumstances, and what has changed to allow the student to get back in good standing.  If an appeal is granted, the student will be placed on “Financial Aid Probation,” and may receive funding for one term. At the end of that term, if the student is not back in satisfactory academic standing, the student will not be eligible for any aid until they have regained satisfactory academic standing.

Please note: The Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements stated above may differ from the Academic Progression policies requirements.  Please see the Academic Policies - SGCS  section of the Catalog for more information.

Financial Aid and Academic Classification - SGCS

The undergraduate academic year is defined here as a measure of the academic work to be accomplished by the student. Federal law and regulations set minimum standards for the purpose of determining student financial aid awards. For students enrolled in the undergraduate degree-completion programs, an academic year is defined as the successful completion of 24 credit-hours, consisting of 48 weeks of instructional time within a 12-month period.  These programs are comprised of four, 12-week, non-standard terms each academic year.  Students taking at least 6 credit hours within a term are considered full-time.

Although most programs are completed within two calendar years, some extend slightly beyond that time frame.  Students should consult the Student Financial Services Office for details regarding their program.

A student’s eligibility for financial aid is affected by his or her classification. Undergraduate students transferring in less than 30 hours are classified as freshmen and less than 60 hours are classified as sophomores. The minimum classification for a sophomore is 30 hours, 60 hours for a junior, and 90 hours for a senior. It is the responsibility of the student to become aware of how this classification affects his or her financial aid situation. This is especially significant for students admitted with fewer than 60 hours.

Veterans Benefits - SGCS

To assist students who qualify for benefits from the Veteran’s Administration, Olivet has a counselor in the Student Financial Services Office who specializes in these programs. In addition, ONU is part of the federal Yellow Ribbon Program, which helps to fund the tuition for veterans in certain circumstances. Please contact your Veteran’s Affairs office to determine your benefit eligibility.  A Certificate of Eligibility from the VA office must be presented to your VA counselor at ONU before the School Certifying Official will submit any certification of eligible coursework to the VA.