Tuition Rates and Payment Policies

2021-2022 Tuition Rates

Other Charges (as applicable)

*Course Extension Tuition applies to EDUC 508E Integrative Project and culminating experience in the Master of Arts in Teaching. All tuition fees are subject to change without notice.

Students enrolled as graduate students pay graduate tuition for courses receiving graduate credit, and undergraduate tuition for courses receiving undergraduate credit. Charges vary depending on the combination of graduate and undergraduate courses.

Policies on Payments, Credits and Refunds

When an applicant is admitted to the graduate program, the student, the parents or the guardians accept the standard payment policy of Columbia College. Students incur financial liability when they complete and sign an official Columbia College course registration form or complete online registration. Full payment is due at that time. Liability is not dependent upon a student receiving a billing statement.

Educational expenses may include tuition, textbooks, lab charges and any miscellaneous fee related to the course(s). The personal payment portion of the student’s educational expenses (educational expenses less financial aid or assistance awarded) is due in full at the time of registration (for additional information concerning financial aid, please refer to the Financial Aid  section of the Graduate Catalog).

Refunds are processed weekly based on financial aid procedures or when a student has excess payments or financial aid. There are no expedited or emergency refunds.

California students can find California-specific refund information on the California   State Regulatory page.

Deferred Payment Plan

The personal payment portion of the student’s educational expenses (educational expenses less financial aid or assistance award) is due in full at the time of registration. (See the Financial Aid  section of the undergraduate catalog for detailed information).

If full payment is not possible, students are required to enroll in a deferred payment plan. The arrangement requires payment of a pre-determined installment of the personal payment portion at the time of registration (or a due date near the start of the session), with the remaining portion due by end of the session for which the student is registering. The student must be up-to-date on scheduled payments or have a zero balance when registering for a subsequent session even if the student is under a deferred payment plan from the previous session. Missed payment plan installments may result in assessment of late payment charges for each missed payment. The student commits to this when he or she checks the box signifying agreement to the deferred payment plan on the online registration form. Deferred payment plans are valid for only one semester and must be requested for each individual semester. 

Failure to Pay

Students are financially responsible for the payment of educational expenses that may be associated with courses for which they are enrolled. When a student fails to settle this responsibility, Columbia College may bar a student from enrollment in any course(s) in any subsequent session. The bar to enrollment will continue until the account has been paid in full.

Failure to comply with the payment policies of the college will result in further collection activity by an outside collection agency or attorney. When this action occurs, students are responsible for paying all collection expenses which can, in some cases, exceed 50% of the balance owed. Although every effort is made to contact a student prior to submission to a collection agency, Columbia College reserves the right to submit a student’s account for collection when the student fails to remit the personal payment portion of their account balance.

Degrees, diplomas, transcripts and letters of honorable separation are withheld from students who have not settled their financial obligations to the college. This includes all collection fees, attorney fees, and court costs when applicable.

Applying Federal Financial Aid

If the student has applied for and been awarded financial assistance, the aid, excluding college employment programs, is subtracted from the balance owed to determine the amount to be paid or deferred. Financial aid in the form of a Direct (subsidized and unsubsidized) Loan is considered on the deferred payment plan only if awarded by the Financial Aid Office.

Employer Tuition Assistance

Students who receive employer tuition assistance may have the costs of educational expenses paid by their employer through direct billing or through reimbursement. Students should check with their employer to determine which plan is appropriate for them.

1. Direct Billing: A student may register for classes and have tuition charges billed directly to their employer if a letter from the employer authorizing such an arrangement is provided to the student’s campus.
2. Reimbursement: A student attending under the employer reimbursement is required to follow the college’s standard payment policy and then receive reimbursement following the guidelines of the established employer.

Under either form of tuition assistance, students are responsible for any portion of their educational expenses that are not paid by their employers. Students whose employers have contingencies on their payment (such as attaining a certain grade) are required to pay as if they did not have employer tuition assistance and will be reimbursed after the employer makes payment.

Military Tuition Assistance (MTA)

Students receiving military tuition assistance (MTA) are required to present an approved MTA form at the time of registration. Students are personally responsible for any educational expenses not paid by the military and are required to follow the standard payment policy for their portion of educational expenses. Students may not register for a subsequent session if in arrears for payment of their personal share of fees for courses taken during the previous session. It is imperative that military students contact the appropriate educational services officer for guidance and assistance in completing MTA paperwork.

Veterans Educational Assistance

An individual who is currently serving or has served in our nation’s armed forces may be eligible for educational assistance from the Veterans Administration (VA). It is imperative that VA eligible students complete paperwork required to establish VA eligibility. VA students must present evidence of eligibility at the time of registration. The VA pays benefits directly to eligible individuals. Students are personally responsible for payment of their educational fees and are required to follow the standard payment policy of the college.

Special Education Tuition Reimbursement

Pending state funding, tuition reimbursement for Missouri students may be available from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for paraprofessionals and contracted certified teachers who qualify and take courses in the area of Mild/Moderate Cross Categorical Special Education. Additional information is available from the MAT Graduate Program Coordinator.

Attendance Policy for VA Students

Students using veterans’ benefits to attend Columbia College will have attendance monitored until the time the student drops, graduates, or completes the program. Unsatisfactory attendance will be reported to the DVA even if the VA student has completed the required number of hours to complete and no refund is due the student and/or refund sources. Therefore, the attendance policy (20% of the total program and/or being absent five [5] consecutive days) will apply throughout the student’s stay in school. All violations of the attendance policy will be reported to DVA on VA Form 22-1999b within 30 days at such time the student exceeds the allowed number of absences.

Dropping a Class

Financial liability is assessed at the completion of the drop period for each session. If students drop a class prior to the end of the drop period, no financial or academic liability is incurred. If students drop a class after the drop period, they are financially liable for the full amount of tuition.  Students who received books for dropped courses are required to return books to avoid book charges.

Students receiving financial assistance should be aware that their financial aid package could be affected should they elect to drop a course.

Withdrawal from College

After classes begin, tuition charges (if applicable) are determined by the following schedule, in the event that the student completes a total withdrawal from Columbia College:

For students who are recipients of federal Title IV student aid, refunds will be made in accordance with Federal Regulation 34 CFR 668.22. Please contact the Enrollment Service center for a current schedule.

Students receiving financial assistance should be aware that their financial aid package could be affected should they elect to withdraw from course(s).

Active Service

Columbia College recognizes that individuals serving in both National Guard and Reserve units may be in need of tuition refunds or credits if called to active service. Columbia College will assist students called to active military service with options regarding their registration in classes including, but not limited to, course work completion, tuition refunds or tuition credits.