Delinquent Account Policies

Resident students may request permission to change to a commuter status if they meet certain eligibility criteria. Students desiring such a change should contact the Residence Life Office. If resident students receive permission to move off campus before the first day of class they will receive a 100% refund of their room and board charges. If a resident student moves off campus after the first week of classes, the University retains 100% of room and board.

Resident Student Housing and Common Area Damage Billing

Residence hall and common area damages will be assessed to students’ accounts as charges are incurred. Damage charges are furnished by the Residence Life Office. The student is responsible for making payment of all damages. Questions regarding damage charges should be directed to the Residence Life Office.

ID Cards

The charge for replacement ID cards is $25.00 per card. Replacement cards are obtained in the Security Office.

Meal Cards

All resident students will be required to show their ID cards at each meal. The student ID card will be encoded at the beginning of the semester with the proper meal plan. Information regarding meal plans can be found on the Room and Board information page online at https://www.vwu.edu/enrollment-aid/financial-aid/room-and-board.php

Personal Property

Although the University will attempt to safeguard the personal property of employees, students, and guests, VWU cannot assume responsibility for such property. The University urges everyone who may bring personal property to the campus to review his/her home insurance policy to ensure adequate protection.

Campus Mail

The Office of Finance and Administration coordinates the campus mail system. Students receiving packages or mail will be notified via email to pick up these items in the Duplication and Postal Services Center located in the Scribner University Store between the hours of 10:00am and 4:00pm, Monday through Friday.

Payment Plans and Payment Arrangements

If full payment cannot be made, VWU offers Payment Plans on a per-semester basis through our partner, Touchnet via MyBeacon (https://www.vwu.edu/mybeacon). Note that there are deadlines for enrollment and that the plans begin in advance of the start of the semester. VWU offers a five installment payment plan with and enrollment deadline of July 10th for the fall semester and December 10th for the spring semester. We encourage students and families who wish to take advantage of the five installment payment plan to estimate their payments for the semester based on published costs. Payment arrangements are available through the Office of Finance and Administration.

Collections

Students who fail to pay any outstanding balances in full due and owing Virginia Wesleyan University by the scheduled due date and fail to make acceptable payment arrangements to bring their accounts current, VWU may refer the delinquent account to a collection agency. If VWU refers the account balance to a third party for collection, a collection fee of up to 33.1/3% of the debt will be assess and will be due in full at the time of the referral to the third party. The third party may be a debt collection company or an attorney. If an attorney, students shall also be responsible for any court cost of attorneys’ fees associated with pursuing the collection of the debt. There is a 10 day waiting period for the release of a transcript of credits or a diploma after an account is paid in full through a collection agency.

Financial Aid Policy for Students Who Withdraw from or Stop Attending Classes

The Financial Aid Office is required by federal statute to recalculate federal Title IV financial aid eligibility for students who withdraw, drop out, are dismissed, or take a leave of absence prior to completing 60% of a payment period or term. If a student leaves the institution prior to completing 60% of a payment period or term, the Financial Aid Office recalculates eligibility for Title IV funds. Recalculation is based on the percentage of earned aid using the following

Federal Return of Title IV funds formula: (*) Percentage of payment period or term completed = the number of days completed up to the withdrawal date divided by the total days in the payment period or term. (Any break of five days or more is not counted as part of the days in the term.) This percentage is also the percentage of earned aid. Funds are returned to the appropriate federal program based on the percentage of unearned aid using the following formula: Aid to be returned = (100% of the aid that could be disbursed minus the percentage of earned aid) multiplied by the total amount of aid that could have been disbursed during the payment period or term. If a student earned less aid than was disbursed, the institution would be required to return a portion of the funds, and the student would be required to return a portion of the funds.

When Title IV funds are returned, the student borrower may owe a balance to the institution, which must be paid within 30 days of withdrawing from the University. If a student earned more aid than was disbursed to him/her, the institution would owe the student a post-withdrawal disbursement, which must be paid within 120 days of the student’s withdrawal. The institution must return the amount of Title IV funds for which it is responsible no later than 45 days after the date of the determination of the date of the student’s withdrawal.

Refunds are allocated in the following order:

● Federal Direct Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loans (other than PLUS loans) ● Federal Direct Subsidized Direct Stafford Loans ● Federal Direct PLUS Loans ● Federal Pell Grants for which a return of funds is required ● Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants for which a return of funds is required ● Other Title IV assistance for which a return of funds is required (e.g., TEACH).

Return of Military Tuition Assistance (TA)

Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded.

To comply with the Department of Defense policy, Virginia Wesleyan University will return any unearned TA funds on a prorated basis through at least the 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending. These funds are returned to the military service branch. Instances when a Service member stops attending due to a military service obligation, VWU will work with the affected Service member to identify solutions that will not result in student debt for the returned portion.

Withdrawing or dropping courses prior to the start of classes, 100% of TA is returned to the military service branch.

▪ 15-week Course Withdraw submitted, the 60% of course is completed at 9 weeks ▪ 12-week Course Withdraw submitted, the 60% of course completed at 7.2 weeks ▪ 7.5-week Course Withdraw submitted, the 60% of course completed at 4.5 weeks

This institution is approved to offer GI Bill® educational benefits by the Virginia State Approving Agency. Based on the Veterans Benefits and Transaction Act of 2018, due to the delayed disbursement of funding from the Veterans Administration (VA), students using VA benefits Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill or Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation benefits will not be: ● Prevented from enrolling in the current semester ● Assessed a late fees or penalties, on funding covered by benefits ● Required to secure alternative or additional funding for the amount their benefit covers ● Denied access to any school resources (i.e. library, computer labs, Learning Center, etc.) that are available to other students that have paid their accounts.

Virginia Wesleyan University does require students using Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill or Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation benefits to:

● Produce the VA’s Certificate of Eligibility by the first day of class to the VWU Certifying Official, located in the

Financial Aid Office (Godwin Hall, first floor) ● Produce a VWU VA Registration Form and copy of their current schedule by the first day of class to the VWU

Certifying Official ● Ensure that any current fees or prior balances, that are not covered by their VA Benefit, to be paid in full by the first day of classes

Financial Aid Implications for Students Who Withdraw from or Stop Attending Classes

The Financial Aid Office is required by federal statute to recalculate federal Title IV financial aid eligibility for students who withdraw, drop out, are dismissed, or take a leave of absence prior to completing 60% of a payment period or term.

If a student leaves the institution prior to completing 60% of a payment period or term, the Financial Aid Office recalculates eligibility for Title IV funds. Recalculation is based on the percentage of earned aid using the following Federal Return of Title IV funds formula: Percentage of payment period or term completed = the number of days completed up to the withdrawal date divided by the total days in the payment period or term. (Any break of five days or more is not counted as part of the days in the term.) This percentage is also the percentage of earned aid.

Funds are returned to appropriate federal program based on the percentage of unearned aid using the following formula: Aid to be returned = (100% of the aid that could be disbursed minus the percentage of earned aid) multiplied by the total amount of aid that could have been disbursed during the payment period or term.

If a student earned less aid than was disbursed, the institution would be required to return a portion of the funds, and the student would be required to return a portion of the funds. When Title IV funds are returned, the student borrower may owe a balance to the institution, which must be paid within 30 days of withdrawing from the University.

If a student earned more aid than was disbursed to him/her, the institution would owe the student a post-withdrawal disbursement, which must be paid within 120 days of the student’s withdrawal.

The institution must return the amount of Title IV funds for which it is responsible no later than 45 days after the date of the determination of the date of the student’s withdrawal.

Refunds are allocated in the following order:

● Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loans (other than PLUS loans) ● Subsidized Direct Stafford Loans ● Federal Perkins Loans ● Direct PLUS Loans ● Federal Pell Grants for which a return of funds is required ● Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants for which a return of funds is required ● Other Title IV assistance for which a return of funds is required (e.g., TEACH).

Financial Aid

Virginia Wesleyan believes that no student should be denied the opportunity to attend because of limited financial resources. The Financial Aid staff is available to counsel with students and their families regarding financial assistance.

Students who demonstrate financial need may qualify for grants, low-interest loans, and the Work & Learn Program. To be considered for these types of financial aid, students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is available online at www.studentaid.gov. Financial aid is granted on an annual basis, and each student’s need is re-evaluated each year. First preference is given to applicants who meet the March 1 priority filing deadline.