Below you will find important information about the student’s rights and the university’s responsibilities under the Fair Credit Billing Act.

Written Notice in Case of Errors or Questions About a Bill

If a student thinks a bill is wrong, or if a student needs more information about a transaction on a bill, write the university on a separate piece of paper at:

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
700 Terrace Heights #8
Winona, MN 55987-1399

The university must hear from the student no later than 60 days after it sent the student the first bill on which the error or problem appeared. The student may telephone the university, but doing so will not preserve the student’s rights. In the letter, give the university the following information:

• The student’s name and account number
• The dollar amount of the suspected error
• A description of the error or an explanation of why the student believes there is an error. If the student needs more information, describe the item about which the student is unsure.

The Student’s Rights and the University’s Responsibilities after Receipt of Written Notice

The university must acknowledge the student’s letter within 30 days, unless it has corrected the error by then. Within 90 days, the university must either correct the error or explain why it believes the bill was correct.

After the university receives the student’s letter, it cannot try to collect any amount the student questions or report the student as delinquent. The university can continue to bill the student for the questioned amount, including finance charges. The student does not have to pay any questioned amount while the university is investigating, but the student is still obligated to pay the parts of the bill that are not in question. If the university finds that it made a mistake on the student’s bill, the student will not have to pay any finance charges related to any questioned amount.

If the university did not make a mistake, the student may have to pay finance charges, and the student will have to make up any missed payments on the questioned amount. In either case, the university will send the student a new statement of the amount that it thinks the student owes and the date it is due.

If the student fails to pay the amount that the university thinks the student owes, it may report the student as delinquent. However, if the university’s explanation does not satisfy the student and the student writes to the university within ten days stating that the student still refuses to pay, the university must tell anyone to whom it reported the student that the student has a question about the bill. The university must tell the student the name of anyone to whom it reported the student. The university must tell anyone to whom it reports the student that the matter has been settled when it finally is.

If the university does not follow these rules, it cannot collect the first $50 of the questioned amount, even if the bill was correct.

Tuition, fees, and room and board, will be refunded based on the following timeline:

Tuition

Students who do not notify the university of their intent to withdraw from a course will result in an unauthorized withdrawal from the course. Refunds will be issued on the following schedule with proper notice:

• 100 percent refundable through the end of the registration change period, as designated by the Registrar.
• 75 percent refundable through the end of the third week of the semester.
• 50 percent refundable through the end of the sixth week of the semester.
• No refund after the sixth week of the semester.

Special Course or Laboratory Fees

• 100 percent refundable through the end of the registration change period, as designated by the Registrar.
• No refund after the registration change period as designated by the Registrar.

Room

• Pro-rata refund (based on a 16-week semester) is calculated from the end of the week in which the student withdraws plus two additional weeks.
• No refund after the sixth week of occupancy.

Board

• Pro-rata refund (based on a 16-week semester) is calculated from the end of the week in which the student withdraws, plus two additional weeks.

Course Drop/Withdrawal Policy

The course drop period is the first seven calendar days of the semester or the first seven days of a course delivered in the first or second eight-week term. Courses may be dropped during this period with no financial penalty and will not appear on the student’s permanent record.

Changes in registration must be made online through the student portal or in writing by completing the course drop and withdrawal form. Tuition refunds for courses dropped are subject to the course drop/ withdrawal policy.

Students must formally drop or withdraw from a course for which they have registered, but do not plan to attend or complete. Failure to withdraw before the first 50% of the elapsed course time will result in a grade of WF.

Students who drop a course online through the designated drop period; will not be charged a drop fee and the course will be removed from the transcript.

Written requests to drop or withdraw from a course must be submitted through the course change/withdrawal form located on the Student Portal.

Written requests received once the drop period has ended will be charged a $30.00 drop fee per request and liability for payment will be incurred.

Tuition Refund

Tuition refund for courses are calculated based on the length of the course and the week the course withdrawal was requested. A week is defined as Monday through Sunday. A drop fee of $30 is charged during and beyond the second week of the course.

Courses 8 Weeks or Less

• During the first week of the class: 100%
• During the second week of the class: 50%
• During the third week of the class: None

Courses Greater than 8 Weeks in Length

• During the first week of the class: 100%
• During the second week of the class: 75%
• During the third week of the class: 50%
• During the fourth week of class: None

Withdrawals requested after the drop period ends and up to the first 50% of the course will result in the grade of W on the student’s transcript. Withdrawals requested after 50% of the scheduled course has been completed will result in a grade of WF (No Credit) on the student’s transcript.

Two Session Courses

Students must drop the course prior to the first date of class to receive a full refund. Withdrawals requested after the course has begun will result in no refund and a grade of WF (No Credit) on the transcript.

Tuition Refund Appeal for Extenuating Circumstances

Requests for a refund of all or a portion of tuition charges due to extenuating circumstances must be submitted within 90 calendar days after the semester ends. Requests must include a letter of explanation citing your situation and the reason why tuition should be refunded. Include reasons you were unable to follow the usual refund/drop procedures and attach third party documentation citing the circumstances. Documentation needs to sufficiently justify and address the extenuating situation. A response will be issued within 15 calendar days.

Should a refund be granted, a W (for withdrawal) will remain on your academic record for each course.

The university reserves the right to modify the terms and conditions of this policy prior to registration for any semester by sending a written notice to students at their last known billing address. Students are responsible for providing the business office with an accurate and current billing address, telephone numbers, and email address.

Students with balances on their accounts after the billing date of any month will receive a statement with the amount owed designated as the new balance. Payments are due on or before the 15th day of the following month. Payments, credits, or charges received or made after the billing date will be reflected on the next monthly statement.

Finance Charge on Late Payments

If the new balance shown on the monthly statement is paid before the 15th of the following month, no finance charge will accrue. If full payment is not made by the 15th, a finance charge is imposed on the adjusted balance of the account. The university will use a monthly periodic rate which corresponds to an annual percentage rate of 12 percent to compute the finance charge. The university calculates the finance charge by applying the periodic rate to the adjusted balance of the student’s account. The adjusted balance is calculated by taking the balance owed at the end of the previous billing cycle and subtracting any unpaid finance charges and payments or credits received during the present billing cycle. The student may pay the balance in full at any time.

Delinquent Accounts

Accounts are delinquent when the payment terms on a student’s account have not been met. When an account becomes past due, a past due notice will be generated on the student’s billing statement.

The university has the right to take steps to collect the balance owed including, but not limited to, prohibiting the student from registering for classes; withholding course credits, academic transcripts, and diplomas; remanding the student’s account to a collection agency; and taking legal action to collect the amount due. The university is authorized to release financial information to those concerned with collecting the balance owed. The student shall pay all costs incurred by the university in association with collecting monies owed. This may include collection agency fees, attorney fees, and court costs.

A $10 Late fee will apply if paid after the 21st of each month and will be added to all balances past due. A hold will be placed on your student account.

Holds on Accounts

If you have a hold on your account:

• Requests for transcripts will not be honored.
• Registration for the following term will not be allowed.
• If an undergraduate or transfer student makes little or no effort toward fulfilling the payment obligations, he or she may be suspended from extracurricular activities or from the university.

Checks Returned for Insufficient Funds

A service charge of $20.00 will be assessed against the student’s account for each check returned for insufficient funds.

Credit Card Processing Fees

A non-refundable fee of 2.85 percent of the total amount charged on the credit card will be applied to the transaction. The minimum service fee for card transactions over $20 and less than $106 will be $3. Debit cards are treated the same as credit cards and the fee will apply. No fee will be charge or ACH transactions.