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Understanding Your Bill

Your bill is composed of a variety of charges. Understanding each charge is an important step in your financial planning. 

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 Tuition

Tuition is billed at a fixed amount per semester and assumes full-time enrollment. Tuition includes enrollment in 12 to 20 credits each semester. Students should plan on completing 16 credits per semester to stay on track to graduate in 4 years. If a student chooses to enroll in more than 20 credits, additional charges will apply.

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 Comprehensive Fee

The comprehensive fee covers all aspects of enrolling as a new student and also includes the mandatory summer McDaniel Local orientation program, tuition, and the first on-campus January term session. This fee also includes student activities, laundry, use of our fitness facilities, each student’s on-campus print allowance, technology infrastructure and more.

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 Room Charge

In order to help students become integrated into our campus community, freshman, sophomores, and junior students are required to live on campus unless they live with their family in the local area, are married, or are over age 25. Freshman students are typically assigned a double room in a traditional residence hall. More diverse housing options, including independent apartment-style housing, are available to sophomores, juniors and seniors. The billed room charge is for one semester of oncampus housing.

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 Board Charge

The board charge reflects the cost of the students selected meal plan for one semester. New students select their meal plan of choice through their online Housing and Roommate Matching Survey. Additional Meal Plan information can be found on our dining information page. 

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 Security Deposit

The security deposit is assessed one-time to students living on campus and will only be used for fees incurred by the student (for example, housing damage fees). Security deposit balances will be refunded to the student upon graduation or upon separation from on-campus housing.

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 Health Insurance

Student health is important to us! McDaniel College requires that all students have health insurance coverage. All students are billed for health insurance coverage for the academic year in the first semester bill. Plan details are available at wellfleetstudent.com. Have your own health coverage? No problem! If you already have health insurance, you can waive the health insurance provided to you. 

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 Course Fees

Some courses contain additional fees for materials, field trips, or other course specific expenses. Course fees may not be present on the initial bill. If you add or change classes, these fees may be added or removed. You can adjust your class schedule within the first two weeks of the semester. Please review your account statement online in September and make payment for any course fees that have been applied.

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 Pending Financial Aid

If you have completed your online financial aid checklist through our Financial Aid Self-Service portal, the total of your accepted financial aid awards will be subtracted from your fall charges leaving you with the anticipated balance due. In addition, if you have applied for a private student loan, a parent PLUS loan or have received and notified us of any outside scholarship awards, those should be reflected in your pending financial aid as well.

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 Outside Scholarships

We encourage students to actively seek out and apply for outside scholarships as a way to reduce college expenses. You will need to report any outside scholarships received to the Financial Aid Office by submitting a copy of your scholarship award documents. Please note that many scholarships send funds in the fall but require that those funds be divided equally between the fall and spring semester. We recommend that you review the payment details of any scholarships received carefully in order to plan your payments.

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 Overpayment of Student Account (Credit Balance)

It may happen that financial aid postings may exceed the cost of tuition, room and board. If this occurs, a credit balance will appear on the billing statement. Credit balances are returned to the student in the form of a physical check. Refund checks are processed starting the second Friday of the semester and will be placed in student mailboxes. Credit balances resulting from Federal PLUS loans will be delivered to you or your parent as was designated in the loan application.

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 Book Advances

If your student account is overpaid and a credit balance is reflected on your student account, you may apply those excess funds towards the purchase of books in the McDaniel College campus bookstore.

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 Plan for Additional Expenses

While the majority of your college expense are included in your bill, there are some expenses that are not included but should be planned for. Typical expenses not included in your bill are the cost to purchase your books and related class materials each semester, transportation expenses (car registration fees, flights if the student does not live near campus, gas, etc.), and personal expenses (from coffee to new sneakers for your kinesiology activity course). We recommend that you include $1,000 to $1,500 per semester in your financial planning for unbilled expenses.

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Submit Health Insurance Waiver ALL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE

If you have your own comparable health insurance coverage, waiving the McDaniel health insurance is easy! The deadline to complete the waiver is June 10. Students who have not waived McDaniel’s insurance will be enrolled and will see this charge reflected on their bill.

If you wish to waive your health insurance, you will need to complete the following steps. Please have your personal insurance coverage card in front of you as you will be asked to enter information that is included on the card.

Step 1: Go to wellfleetstudent.com (site opens early June.)

Step 2: Follow the prompts to waive the insurance coverage.

Step 3: After completing the steps, print the confirmation page for your records.

Important things to know about your bill:

  • Payment for the fall semester is due on or before July 15.
  • Only the first semester bill is mailed home. Future bills will be available online only.
  • The deadline to complete the health insurance waiver is June 10. We recommend completing the process as early as possible so your bill is accurate.
  • Please note that your financial aid will be listed on your bill as pending because you have not started the semester yet. Once classes begin, your financial aid will be paid (disbursed) to your student account and appear as a credit on your bill.
  • To register for classes, you must agree to pay in a timely manner all financial obligations to McDaniel College which are incurred during the entire term of enrollment, in accordance with the published policies of McDaniel College. This agreement covers payment of tuition, any room and board expenses incurred, and any fees, fines or charges.
  • Failure to pay will result in additional charges and penalties.

Missing Something? No Pending Financial Aid

If no pending financial aid appears on your bill or something is missing, it typically means that you have not completed all the steps on your financial aid checklist. Visit Financial Aid Self-Service to view your checklist and complete any missing steps. You may also contact your admissions counselor at any time to check the status of your financial aid and next steps.

McDaniel College Financial Aid Director Kemia Himon assists Financial Aid Specialist Aza Smith

Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) A Family Discussion

As a college student, your McDaniel records (including your academic and financial records) belong to you. This means that McDaniel College staff are legally required to have your written permission before we can disclose details of your academic and financial accounts with others (including parents or guardians). If you would like to authorize us to share your education records with parents or others, you must complete the Release of Student Information Form. 

Complete your FERPA form

Additional Charges and Penalties

  • Unpaid accounts are subject to a late fee. The fee will be $25 or 1% per month of the unpaid balance, whichever is greater.
  • If payment is not made or arranged prior to the start of classes, or payment plans are defaulted during the semester, your class registration may be cancelled.
  • Failure to pay will prevent release of diploma, graduation, registration and/or release of transcripts and McDaniel College will use all legal avenues available to pursue delinquent payments, including the cost of collection efforts (within the guidelines of Maryland State Law).
  • Payment plans contracted through Tuition Management Systems are subject to enrollment fees and late payment fees.
  • A $30 returned check fee will be charged for each item returned from a bank regardless of the reason it was returned. If an electronic check is returned any and all applicable check fees will be added per the agreement signed by the student/parent/guardian/spouse or proxy at the time the payment was submitted. Checks returned because of stopped payment, account closed or “refer to maker” cannot be redeposited. The amount of the check plus any applicable fees will be due immediately and payable by the student. Returned check items must be paid by cash, cashier’s check or credit card. Students who have had three or more checks returned unpaid for any reason will no longer be able to submit payment via personal check regardless of whose account the check is drawn on.

Refund Policies & Disclosures

Withdraw/Refund Policy

Undergraduate Refunds

The College must make financial commitments to its faculty, staff, and service contractors on an annual basis. It is assumed a student will not withdraw from the College during a semester. Should withdrawal become necessary because of prolonged illness or similar unusual circumstance, the following refund policy will prevail. I understand that I am registering for educational courses at McDaniel College (“College”) and that I am fully responsible for the cost and expense of all tuition, fees, housing, meal plans and other related educational expenses associated with my enrollment and status as a student at the College (“educational expenses”). I further understand that payment for any amounts due for these educational expenses must be made by the deadline that is published at http://catalog.mcdaniel.edu/ and selecting “Tuition, Fees, and Financial Policies” for the semesters/terms that I am enrolled. Should I incur any expenses for items not set forth therein, payment is due at the time they are incurred, or I am otherwise informed they are due. Any payments not made by these deadlines will be considered an unpaid balance on my account.

Tuition, Room and Board Withdrawal Refund Policy

Fall & Spring Semesters
(for 2022-2023 the academic semester)		 Summer Session
  • First week = 80%
  • Second week = 60%
  • Third week = 40%
  • Fourth week = 20%
  • After fourth week = No Refund or discounts
  • Less than 3 days = 80%
  • Between 3 and 4 days = 60%
  • Between 5 and 6 Days = 40
  • Between 7 and 8 Days = 20%
  • Over 8 Days = No Refund or Discounts

Effective Date of Withdrawal

The effective date of withdrawal is the date upon receipt of the Withdrawal Form in the Office of Academic Affairs. Students receiving financial aid may have a portion of their original award returned to the program as required by federal regulation and the McDaniel College refund policy, thus creating a balance due to the College. If the result is a credit balance, the credit balance will be mailed to the billing address within 3 weeks of the withdrawal date. Please review the financial aid brochure for more information.

Credit Balances

It may happen that financial aid postings may exceed the cost of tuition, room and board. If this occurs, a credit balance will appear on the billing statement. Refunds are automatically processed starting the second Friday of each semester. Student refunds will be placed in the student CAMPUS MAIL. PLUS loan refunds will be mailed as designated per the PLUS loan application. If you would like to use a portion of the credit towards books we can transfer up to $600 to your McDaniel 1Card. Please stop by the Bursar’s Office to authorize that transfer.

Federal Title IV Aid Refunds

FEDERAL TITLE IV aid includes programs such as Pell grants, SEOG grants, Perkins Loans, Subsidized Loans, and Unsubsidized Loans. Federal regulations require McDaniel College to use these funds to pay for your tuition, mandatory fees, room and meals that we charge. Your bill or account may also include other charges on it, such as parking, McDaniel 1card, library fines etc. Federal regulations allow the college to use Title IV funds to pay for these other charges only if you authorize the college to do so. The authorization form is available on the Bursar’s home page on the portal.

Force Majeure

I understand that there may be instances beyond the control of McDaniel College that result in a modification or cancelation of classes and/or closure of the college. Such instances may include, but are not limited to: (a) acts of God; (b) flood, fire, earthquake or explosion; (c) war, invasion, hostilities (whether war is declared or not), terrorist threats or acts, riot, or other civil unrest; (d) actions, embargoes or blockades in effect on or after the date of this Agreement; (e) action by any Governmental Authority; (f) national or regional emergency; (g) strikes, labor stoppages, or industrial disturbances; and (h) epidemic or pandemic (each a "Force Majeure Event").

I understand and agree that the Tuition, Room and Board Withdrawal Refund Policy above will not be offered in the case of modification or cancelation of classes and/or closure of McDaniel College resulting from a Force Majeure Event, and hereby waive any and all claims against McDaniel College arising out of or related to the modification or cancelation of classes and/or closure of McDaniel College that arise out of or relate to a Force Majeure Event. However, in the event of a campus closure, the college will provide a pro-rata refund of the board plan.

McDaniel College
2 College Hill
Westminster, MD, 21157
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