Financial Information

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Tuition and Fees

Tuition

Other Expenses:

Tuition charges do not include books, supplies, or personal expenses.

Financial Policies

Settlement of Accounts

All students are responsible to pay in full all tuition and fees and/or have an approved payment schedule before financial registration is complete. The University accepts payments by check, cash, eCheck, or credit card. Credit card and eCheck payments can be made online at pay.cairn.edu. A 2% convenience fee applies for credit card payments. If tuition reimbursement is available, it is the student’s responsibility to notify his/her employer. Tuition payment plans are currently available through Nelnet Campus Commerce (see below).

Any student account that has to be forwarded for outside collection assistance because of an outstanding balance will be assessed with collection costs and fees. The student will then be responsible for the full balance of his or her account, including all collection costs and fees.

Nelnet Campus Commerce

This outside organization provides a convenient monthly payment plan for Cairn students. Students enroll in a payment plan each semester for a fee of $25, with no additional interest or fees. For more information about Nelnet Campus Commerce, call the Student Financial Services office at 215.702.4201 or log onto https://mycollegepaymentplan.com/cugp/.

Withdrawal Refund Policies

University Refund Policy

Students who officially withdraw from the University are entitled to an adjustment on their semester bill as listed below. The preferred procedure is to complete the University Withdrawal Form and submit it to the Student Financial Services office. However, an oral statement of intent to withdraw from the University made to the Registrar’s Office will also be considered official. Students receiving Title IV loans must also complete an exit interview in the Student Financial Services office. The official date of withdrawal shall be the date established by the Registrar’s Office as the last date of attendance. Merely ceasing from class attendance does not constitute official withdrawal. No refund is made unless the University withdrawal is official.

Reduction of Aid on University Withdrawal

When a student withdraws from the University prior to completion of a semester, aid from federal and state governments and the University will be reduced or returned according to the stipulations of each individual aid program. Calculations will be made following the student’s completion of the withdrawal process. Aid from private and other sources will be governed by the conditions specified by the donors.

Return of Federal Funds Upon Withdrawal

A “Return of Title IV Funds Calculation” will be done for students who are federal aid recipients upon withdrawal from the University during the first 60% of a semester. Federal aid programs included are the Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Direct (Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and PLUS) Loans, TEACH Grants, and Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants. Federal aid funds are considered “earned” based on the percentage of the semester actually completed by the student. This percentage is calculated by dividing the number of days in the semester (excluding breaks of five days or longer) into the number of days the student completed prior to the withdrawal (excluding breaks of five days or longer). The date of withdrawal will be the last date of documented attendance.

If a student received less assistance than the amount that the student earned, the student may be able to receive those additional funds as a Post Withdrawal Disbursement. If the student received more federal aid funds than the student earned, the excess funds must be returned by the university and/or the student. The student will be informed of the results of the calculation via the student’s university email account including any amount required to be returned by the student. Funds required to be returned by the university will be returned within 45 days of the date that the university determines the student withdrew.

The unearned portion of federal student aid funds will be returned to the appropriate aid programs. The funds are returned in the following order:

• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans
• Federal Direct Subsidized Loans
• Federal Direct PLUS Loans
• Federal Pell Grants
• Federal SEOG Grants
• TEACH Grants
• Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants

Until a student has passed the 60 percent point of an enrollment period, only a portion of the student’s aid has been earned. A student who remains enrolled beyond the 60 percent point is considered to have earned all awarded federal student aid for the enrollment period and no funds need be returned.

Information about how to initiate the process of Withdrawal from the University may be found in the Academic Information section of the University catalog or contact the Office of Student Life.

Students withdrawing from classes are responsible for paying any balance due after the required return of federal student aid funds and other adjustments to other financial aid or tuitions and fees.

Students who stop attending all classes without officially withdrawing will be subject to a return of federal student aid funds at the end of the semester based on the last documented date of attendance as determined by the University.

For more information about this calculation, contact the Financial Aid Office.

Return of Service Member Tuition Assistance (TA) Funds Upon Withdrawal

If a Service member withdraws before the first day of the semester, 100 percent of the student’s TA will be returned. A Service member is considered to have earned all of his/her TA if he/she has attended more than 60 percent of the course. The University will return any unearned TA funds on a proportional basis through at least the 60 percent portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned to the DOD based upon when a student stopped attending. In instances when a Service member stopped attending due to a military service obligation, the University will work with the affected Service member to identify solutions that will not result in a student debt for the returned portions.

Consumer Information

Individuals who desire to review any consumer information required by federal regulations may contact the Office of Financial Aid.

Course Withdrawal/Refund Policy

Refund from course withdrawal applies only when the withdrawal is official. Refunds for tuition are made in accordance with the refund policy schedule. The date of official course withdrawal is the student’s last date of attendance in the course. Notification of course load adjustment is given to the Student Financial Services office by the Registrar’s Office and refunds are applied to the student’s account in accordance with the policy stated above. Financial aid may be adjusted for students who withdraw from any course during the semester.

Financial Aid

Scholarships and Grants

Graduate students may be eligible for a graduate need-based grant from the University. In addition to the FAFSA, students must complete a Graduate Need-Based Grant Application annually to be considered. The application can be obtained from the Office of Financial Aid or online. For a graduate student beginning in the fall semester the Graduate Need-Based Grant application deadline is August 1st; for the spring, the deadline is November 15th; and for summer, the deadline is April 15th. For more information on these and other scholarships or discounts (e.g., Master of Divinity, Christian School Educators discount), contact Graduate Admissions at 1.800.617.4723. There are no federal or state grant programs for Cairn graduate students.

Student Loans

Students may apply for a loan through the Federal Direct Loan Program. The FAFSA must be completed for the Direct Loan to be awarded. For more information and assistance, contact the Office of Financial Aid at 877.726.2445 or 215.702.4245 or email finaid@cairn.edu.

Service Member, National Guard, and Veterans Benefits

Students may use Service Member Tuition Assistance, National Guard, or Veterans Benefits at Cairn University, including through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

For VA educational benefit recipients, beginning August 1, 2019, for any student eligible for Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill^® or Chapter 31 Vocational-Rehabilitation benefits, even if the VA has not yet sent the funds, the University will not:

• prevent the student from enrolling,
• assess a late penalty fee,
• require the securing alternative or additional funding, or
• deny access to any school resource (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) that are available to other students that have paid.

GI Bill^® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

Eligible students planning to use VA educational benefits are required to submit to the Financial Aid Office:

• the VA’s Certificate of Eligibility or Statement of Benefits by the first day of class or earlier, if possible.
• a written request to be certified prior to each semester.

Cairn will readmit a Service member with the same academic status as when he/she last attended Cairn. The Service member should provide written notice when he/she is withdrawing to complete a Service connected duty and also provide notice when he/she returns to Cairn after his/her Service connected duty. (FSA Handbook Vol. 2-70). The Service member will then enroll in the next classes available in his/her program of study.

Students should contact the Financial Aid Office concerning Service and National Guard Member programs and reach out to their Education Services Officer.

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal Regulation 34 CFR 668.34 requires postsecondary institutions receiving federal student aid funds under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a policy for determining whether an eligible student is making satisfactory academic progress (SAP) in his or her education program to receive federal aid.

The Cairn University Financial Aid staff monitors the academic progress of all students with an annual review occurring at the end of each spring semester.

Financial aid satisfactory academic progress (SAP) includes both qualitative standards and quantitative standards, which are detailed in this policy. This policy governs a student’s eligibility to receive federal student aid funds and any other student aid sources that base eligibility on federal or institutional financial aid SAP standards.

All students must meet the qualitative and quantitative standards for financial aid SAP, regardless of enrollment status.

Scope

Satisfactory academic progress (SAP) is measured during all periods of a student’s enrollment at Cairn, including periods in which the student is not receiving financial aid. Federal student aid programs subject to this policy include the following programs:

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
• Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant Program (TEACH)
• Iraq/Afghanistan Service Grant
• Direct Subsidized Loan
• Direct Unsubsidized Loan
• Direct PLUS Loan (Parent PLUS and Grad PLUS)
• Federal Work-Study (FWS)

University aid is also subject to this policy as a minimum academic standard for all university financial aid. Some university aid may apply additional standards when determining eligibility such as minimum cumulative GPA required for Admission Grants, Merit Scholarships, and Honors Scholarships for undergraduate students.

A state agency awarding state aid may establish its own academic standards. Students should consult their state awarding agencies for more information.

Definitions

Appeal: A process by which a student who is not meeting one or more financial aid satisfactory academic progress standards requests that the Financial Aid Office reconsider his or her eligibility to receive financial aid subject to this policy.

Financial Aid Probation: A probationary status assigned to a student who failed to make financial aid satisfactory academic progress, has successfully appealed, and has had his or her eligibility for student aid, as identified in this policy, reinstated.

Financial Aid Progress: A status assigned to a student who is meeting all satisfactory academic progress standards as detailed in this policy.

Financial Aid Suspension: A status assigned to a student who is not meeting one or more standards for financial aid satisfactory academic progress.

Maximum Timeframe: A period of time that is 150% of the published length of the academic program in which the student, for financial aid purposes, is expected to complete his or her academic program as specified in this policy.

Pace of Completion: The ratio, expressed as a percentage, of successfully completed (earned) credits divided by attempted credits. The minimum completion rate to continue receiving financial aid at Cairn is 67%. Percentages are not rounded.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards

Qualitative Standard

Grade Point Average (GPA)

Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA as defined below at each evaluation to be making financial aid SAP.

Graduate students: minimum GPA is based on the student’s program.

• All Business and Divinity programs require a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50
• All Counseling and Education programs require a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00

Quantitative Standards

Maximum Timeframe Standard - undergraduate students only

Students must complete their program within a maximum timeframe based on credits attempted for their primary academic program. All attempted credits by the student count for SAP purposes.

The maximum timeframe is calculated by multiplying the minimum credits required for the academic program by 150% to determine the maximum number of attempted credits.

Maximum Timeframe = Minimum credits required for academic program x 150%

For example, a student pursuing a bachelor’s degree that requires 120 credits has a maximum timeframe of 180 credits.

Once the maximum timeframe is reached, or the Financial Aid Office determines that it is not mathematically possible for the student to complete the academic program within the maximum timeframe, the student is considered ineligible for financial aid and will be assigned the status of financial aid suspension.

Attempted credits are counted for all terms (e.g., semesters or other terms) and include transfer credits, credits for courses taken during a semester from which a student has withdrawn, and credits for which the student did not receive financial aid.

Pace of Completion Standard

Students must maintain a pace of completion of at least 67%. This pace of completion should ensure that students will complete their academic programs within the maximum timeframe described above. Percentages are not rounded, and students who fail to meet the pace of completion risk losing eligibility for student financial aid.

Pace of Completion % = (Cumulative credits successfully completed ÷ Cumulative credits attempted)

The information below details when a credit is counted as successfully completed (i.e., credit earned) or as attempted (i.e., credit attempted).

Earned credits, Attempted credits, Incompletes, Withdrawals, Repeats, Remedial, and Transfer Credits

Credits Earned

For purposes of this policy, credits in which a student earns a grade of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, or S are considered “earned” credits, and are counted as both “attempted” and “earned” in the Pace calculation.

Credits Attempted

In conjunction with and in addition to the academic policy listed in the University catalog, credits earned and credits with grading marks F, NR, and INC (Incomplete) will be considered in both the quantitative (percent completion) and qualitative (GPA) analysis when completed according to the provisions in the University catalog. When an incomplete grade changes to another grade notation, that change will be picked up in the next SAP review.

In conjunction with and in addition to the academic policy listed in the University catalog, the grading marks of NC, NP, W, WP, and WF are not considered as successfully completing the course(s) attempted; therefore, the SAP analysis will consider the attempt of these courses in the quantitative (percent completion) analysis but not in the qualitative (GPA) analysis.

Withdrawals

Credits for courses taken during a semester from which a student has withdrawn count as attempted, but do not count as earned. The student’s GPA is not affected by credits from which a student has withdrawn. This is the same for course withdrawals due to a university withdrawal.

Course Repeats

Repeated courses are always included in the cumulative credits attempted and maximum timeframe calculation. When a course is repeated, only the highest grade earned will be used to calculate the student’s GPA.

Remedial Courses

Remedial courses are treated the same as non-remedial courses in the evaluation of GPA, pace, and maximum timeframe.

Transfer Credits

Transfer credits earned at another school and accepted by Cairn count as both attempted and earned. The student’s GPA is not affected by credits that have been transferred to Cairn from another institution.

Grade Changes

When a grade is changed, a student’s SAP status must be immediately reevaluated (except for changes in valid incomplete grades as noted above). A student must contact the Financial Aid Office after the grade change is posted to his or her academic record to request that the SAP status be reevaluated.

Monitoring for Financial Aid SAP

The following evaluations occur in accordance with the federal regulation:

• All students are monitored annually at the end of the spring semester when the grade reporting deadline has passed.
• Students not meeting one or more SAP standards are monitored at the end of every semester to determine if they are now meeting all standards.

Students who meet all financial aid SAP standards, and other applicable eligibility requirements, are eligible to receive financial aid. Students who are not meeting financial aid SAP standards, or for whom it is not mathematically possible to meet the standards in the maximum timeframe, will receive notification from the Financial Aid Office via their university email accounts of the impact on their aid eligibility.

Financial Aid Suspension

Financial aid suspension is the status assigned to students who fail to meet one or more standards of SAP. A student assigned the status of financial aid suspension is not eligible to receive financial aid subject to this policy.

Restoring Financial Aid Eligibility

Restoring aid without an appeal

Students who fail to meet the qualitative standards or the quantitative pace of completion standard can restore financial aid eligibility by meeting the minimum financial aid SAP standards required by this policy at the end of a future semester or other term. Students who exceed the maximum timeframe standard cannot restore eligibility without appealing to the Financial Aid Office for reinstatement consideration.

Appeals

Students assigned the status of financial aid suspension may appeal to the Financial Aid Office for reinstatement of their aid.

A student may file an appeal with the Financial Aid Office on the basis of the death of a relative, an injury or illness of the student, or other special circumstances. In the appeal, the student must explain why he or she failed to make financial aid SAP and what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow the student to demonstrate financial aid SAP at the next evaluation.

The Financial Aid Office will notify the student through the student’s university email account of the results of the Financial Aid SAP appeal. If an appeal is denied, the student is ineligible for financial aid subject to this policy. If an appeal is approved for a student who failed to meet the pace of completion standard or a qualitative standard, the student is assigned the status of financial aid probation. If an appeal is approved for a student who failed to meet the maximum timeframe standard, the student is assigned the status of financial aid progress and must complete his or her program within the extended maximum timeframe approved in the appeal.

Students whose appeals are denied after failing to meet the qualitative standards or the quantitative pace of completion standard can restore financial aid eligibility by meeting the minimum financial aid SAP standards required by this policy at the end of a future semester.

Students on financial aid probation must either meet the minimum SAP standards at the conclusion of the probationary semester to remain eligible for financial aid, or meet the conditions of the academic plan developed by the institution and the student to remain eligible for further financial aid. The academic plan is outlined in the email students receive from the Financial Aid Office when their SAP appeal is approved. Students are responsible for understanding and following the conditions set forth in the academic plan and are encouraged to seek assistance from an academic advisor and make use of the resources of the Academic Resource Center (ARC).