Tuition and Fees 2020-21

Tuition and fees are payable in accordance with the Schedule of Payments set forth below, unless a monthly payment plan has been approved by the Bursar. Checks and money orders should be made payable to Five Towns College. The privileges of the College are not available to the students until completion of registration and the payment of all fees and tuition. College policy does not permit a student to register for a subsequent semester if the student is in arrears for a prior semester. The Board of Trustees of the College reserves the right to make changes in fees, tuition, curriculum, and regulations and to charge for additional services whenever such action is deemed advisable.

Application Fee

A non-refundable fee of $35 is required at the time of application to process either an undergraduate or graduate application. This fee is waived if the online application is submitted.

Full-time Tuition

Undergraduate students taking 12 or more credits are full-time.

Graduate (Master’s degrees) students taking 12 or more credits are full-time.

Doctoral students taking 9 or more credits are full-time.

Part-time Students and Extra Credits

Doctoral degree program students taking less than 9 credits are part-time.

Part-time students and full-time students taking extra credits above that which is published in the Recommended Sequence of Content for each program will be charged per credit for each registered credit or extra credit.

College Fee Per Semester

Tuition Rate Guarantee

Five Towns College guarantees that the price of tuition will not be increased for any student who matriculates into a degree program, and who maintains continuous registration without interruption for up to eight consecutive semesters of study, except if they have interrupted their studies pursuant to an approved Leave of Absence. Students who do not successfully complete at least 30 credits per year with a GPA of at least 2.0 will be subject to the tuition rate applicable to the most recent entering class of students. The  duration of this Tuition Rate Guarantee will be prorated to the expected date of graduation for transfer students as determined by the College Registrar at the time of initial enrollment at Five Towns College. Tuition Rate Guarantee does not apply to any fees, including residence hall room and board charges, nor does it apply to summer or J-Term sessions when tuition is typically reduced. Tuition Rate Guarantee requires that each student register and re-register on time for each successive semester. Students who register during the Late Registration period forfeit the Tuition Rate Guarantee, unless they do so with the permission of the College Provost. Additional late registration fees also apply.

Tuition Deposit

After an acceptance letter from the FTC Office of Admissions is received, applicants should submit the required enrollment deposit as soon as reasonably possible. The required deposit is $200.00 and is refundable until May 1st for the Fall semester or until January 1st for the Spring semester. The tuition deposit is applied towards the tuition balance. After May 1st, the deposit is nonrefundable. 

Housing Deposit

A housing deposit of $150.00 is required for new students seeking to live on-campus. This deposit is refundable until May 1st for the Fall semester and January 1st for the Spring semester. After either May 1st or January 1st, the deposit is nonrefundable.

Schedule of Payments

Fall tuition balances are due on or before June 1st. Spring tuition payments are due on or before January 5th. Students are required to pay their tuition and fees balance in full by these deadlines. The College will defer payment for those amounts covered by a final Five Towns College Estimated Financial Aid Award Letter and/or an approved NelNet Monthly Payment Plan.

Monthly Payment Plan

Students may elect to pay all or part of their tuition and fees account using the College’s approved NelNet Payment Plan. Text and email notifications let students and their authorized representatives know in advance when their bills will ready to view, and an embedded link takes them directly to the login page to schedule payments using an ACH electronic funds wire transfer. Users can make full or partial online and in-person payments, set-up payment plans, and /or manage third party access.

Students may sign up for the payment plan for one semester. Students who sign up to make between 2 and 6 payments for one semester are charged a late fee of $50 for the plan.

Student Activity Fee

This $65 fee per semester is administered by the College and its Student Government Association, for student activities and other campus events.

Credit Cards

MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express are accepted for payment of tuition and fees. Students can make credit/debit card payments in the Office of the Bursar and via the Student Portal.

students who choose to pay for tuition and fees using a credit/debit card will be charged a $50 service fee for each transaction, to defray the charges imposed by credit card companies. The service fee will be waived for payments of student balances of $1,000 and less.

Students are encouraged to utilize alternative payment methods which do not have a convenience fee. These include payments by personal check, money order, ACH/wire transfer, or cash.

Returned Check Fee

Students whose checks are returned by their bank will be subject to $35.00 reprocessing fee and will be required to make all subsequent payments by cash or certified check.

Student Medical Insurance

Due to the availability of medical insurance through the Affordable Care Act, Five Towns College does not provide medical insurance to students as of the Fall 2017 semester. All resident students are required to provide proof of medical insurance coverage prior to moving into a residence hall. International students are advised to consult with the Foreign Student Advisor prior to arriving in the United States, to determine whether or not their insurance plan will be acceptable in the local medical marketplace and to the College.

Late Registration Fee

Matriculated students are provided with a date by which they must re-register for the next academic term. Students who do not register on time will be assessed a Late Registration Fee of $100. Students who re-register late are deemed to have forfeited their Tuition Rate Guarantee. Re-register on-time!

1098-T Form

The 1098-T tax form is a Tuition Statement provided by Five Towns College to all eligible students who pay qualified tuition and related expenses (QTRE) during the calendar year, January 1 through December 31. The 1098-T tax form also includes the total dollar amount the eligible student received in scholarships and grants.  By enrolling at Five Towns College, students give their consent to receive their 1098-T forms electronically and are provided with access to their current and previous year 1098-T forms via the Five Towns College Student Portal. Students may elect to opt out of this electronic distribution process by notifying the Five Towns College Vice President of Finance and Administration of such election in writing. Students who opt out will receive a hardcopy 1098-T via U.S. Mail instead. More information regarding the 1098-T form may be found at www.irs.gov.

Refund Policy

Refunds are made solely at the discretion of the College for conditions beyond the student’s control such as military service, serious personal illness, or other emergencies acceptable to the Committee on Refunds.

All requests must be accompanied by appropriate documentation.

Refunds will be based on the date of receipt of written notification of withdrawal. Nonattendance in a course does not constitute an official withdrawal. Students are responsible for payment for all tuition and fees until an official withdrawal is presented to the Registrar.

• Withdrawal from the College on or before the end of the Add/Drop week— 100% of tuition and fees less an administrative fee of $100.
• Withdrawal from the College during the second week of classes — 60% of tuition and fees less an administrative fee of $100.
• Withdrawal from the College during the third week of classes — 40% of tuition and fees less an administrative fee of $100.
• Withdrawal from the College during the fourth week of classes — 20% of tuition and fees less an administrative fee of $100.

After the completion of the fourth week of classes, there will be no refunds granted.

The application fee is non-refundable.

Late Payment Fee

Students are required to pay their tuition and fees by published deadlines. Unpaid balances of student accounts are subject to a monthly Late Payment Fee of $50.00 per month. Unpaid balances after the term ends are subject to a monthly 1% interest charge.

Assumption of Risk and Waiver of Liability

By enrolling as a student or accepting employment or voluntarily continuing to be employed at Five Towns College for the Fall 2020 semester and beyond, students, faculty and staff expressly and affirmatively agree that Five Towns College cannot ensure their safety from contracting COVID-19 or any other communicable disease. They further agree that they have fully read and understand the College’s Plan for Reopening, and even then, acknowledge that the College cannot ensure that every member of its community will strictly adhere to the Plan.  By proceeding to enroll or to continue in an employment relationship with the College, they assume the risk that this entails and waive any liability against the Five Towns College, Five Towns College Real Property Trust, and its employees, agents, and assigns. The only liability to students shall be for the refund or adjustment of tuition and fees as set forth herein. Further, the award of a final grade, and in the case of a passing score and the award of college credit, shall be deemed conclusive evidence that the College has substantially performed its obligations. Similarly, the award of a failing grade shall not be construed against the institution.

Adjustments to Tuition and Fees in the event of a Force Majeure

In the event such a situation occurs the following Refund/Adjustment for Tuition and Fees Policy shall apply:

i. Tuition and Course Fees

The College’s published Refund Schedule as published in its College Catalog applies only to situations where a student chooses to voluntarily withdraw from the College during the Refund Period. Students should be aware of this policy.

Should the College transition a course, some courses, or every course to any of the learning modalities it utilizes for any reason or at any time during the semester, there shall be no refund or adjustment to the tuition or course fees, provided that the course instruction is completed on-time or at any time before the end of the next standard period of enrollment - academic semester.  In the event a course is placed on hiatus and is not completed by that time, students shall have the option of receiving a pro rata credit reflecting that percentage of the course that was left incomplete, or they may re-register for the same course or a similar course that satisfies the same degree requirements in a subsequent semester without additional tuition or course fees.

ii. Room Charges

Residence Hall Room Fees are established based on the College’s annual budget and are not based on the number of weeks in a particular semester.  Room charges are not increased when semesters are longer than expected nor are they reduced when the semester is shorter than anticipated.  There will be no adjustment to Room Fees charges when a semester runs its published length.  If, however, the College is required or finds it prudent to shut-down before eight weeks of the semester have elapsed, Room Fee charges shall be adjusted on a pro rata basis if the regular Refund period has expired. Adjustments shall be provided in the form of a credit towards Room Charges for the next semester when the College opens, except for graduating students who shall receive a refund. If there is an early shut-down during or after the eighth week of the semester, however, the College will be deemed to have substantially completed the semester housing agreement and there will be no adjustment or additional credit for Room Charges for that term.

iii. Meal Plan

Meal Plan fees are established based on the actual number of days students are scheduled for occupancy. Any unused portion of a meal plan shall be adjusted accordingly in the event of an early shut-down of the Residence Halls, and applied as a credit to the student’s Meal Plan account for the next semester when the College opens, except for graduating students who shall receive a refund.

iv. All other Fees

No other fees shall be adjusted as result of an early shut-down and transition to online/remote learning due to the coronavirus, the National Health Emergency or any another Force Majeure.