Tuition and Fees
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Withdrawal and Refund of Financial Aid
Financial Aid Office
Applying for Stafford Loans
Veterans Benefits
Non-Payment
Graduate Assistantships

Tuition and Fees (2008-09 Academic Year)

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid (Stafford Loans)
Students receiving federal financial aid must make satisfactory academic progress towards completion of a certificate or degree if their aid is to be processed or continued. The general rule is that students must complete with passing grades at least 75 percent of the credits they attempt. All courses ever attempted at the university are considered when calculating satisfactory progress, even though the student may not have received aid for prior courses. The rate is calculated by dividing credits earned by credits attempted.

If, after completion of the second or subsequent semester of enrollment, a student receiving aid falls below the minimum rate of 75 percent satisfactory completion of courses, aid will be discontinued. Aid will be reinstated only after the student's completion rate is 75 percent or above and the student requests reinstatement in writing.

Students who believe that unusual circumstances have caused their failure to make satisfactory progress may petition in writing the Financial Aid Committee, which will make a decision about eligibility for additional aid.

The maximum period for which a student may receive any federal aid is 150 percent of the published length of an academic program.

Withdrawal and Refund of Financial Aid
Financial aid recipients who withdraw from all of their classes during a term will be subject to federal refund policies, which are different from the university's refund policy. The amount of aid earned is determined by a pro rata calculation, multiplying the percentage of the academic term the student has completed by the total amount of federal aid disbursed to the student. If the academic term is more than 60 percent complete, the student has earned 100 percent of the aid.

Veterans Benefits
Veterans who are eligible to receive education benefits should inform the university registrar, who serves as the veterans certifying official.

Registrar
Mount St. Mary's University
16300 Old Emmitsburg Road
Emmitsburg, MD 21727-7796
Phone: 301-447-5215
Email: registrar@msmary.edu

Non-Payment
Students who are delinquent in paying their account will be removed from pre-registered courses until such time as their account is settled. In such cases, students are at risk of losing a seat in class should enrollment reach capacity. It is the student's responsibility to make sure his or her account is up-to-date and all financial obligations have been met.

Upon non-payment, Mount St. Mary's University may declare any remaining balance due and payable. In the event a student account is referred to an attorney for collection through legal proceedings or otherwise, the student will be responsible to pay reasonable collection costs and fees, attorney's fees, court costs, and other related costs to Mount St. Mary's University. Default interest shall accrue at the rate of one and one-half percent (1.5%) per month (18%APR) from the date of default until the date of payment, and shall be the rate of interest applicable in any judgement. A transcript release hold will be applied to the student record. Transcripts will not be released until the debt is paid in full.

Graduate Assistantships
A limited number of graduate assistantships are awarded annually. Graduate assistants normally work 15 hours per week throughout the year (July 1 to June 30) or 20 hours per week during the academic year (August to May) in addition to being students. In return for the aforementioned work, the student is compensated with a stipend and tuition remission for up to seven graduate courses per year.

Qualified graduate students with excellent academic credentials are encouraged to apply before March 1. To be eligible for an assistantship, all admission criteria must be satisfied and the student must be accepted into the graduate program.

Students may apply directly to each graduate program office to be considered for positions within that office. Other campus offices, including the Office of Academic Affairs, Division of Continuing Studies, Education (Grad & Non-Trad.), Education (NCATE), Institutional Research, Learning Services, MBA/BAE, MBA (Lab)/BAE, Intercultural Development, Residence Life, and Dean of Students often award assistantships each year. Students are encouraged to apply directly to those departments in which they are interested in working.