Student assessments provide approximately 70% of the annual income required to support Centre College's operating budget. Other funding is provided by endowment income, corporate, foundation, and government grants, and by contributions from alumni and friends of the College.
Comprehensive Fee and Other Charges
The 2023-2024 comprehensive fee is $63,290.00 and includes a double room and choice of meal plans. Students choosing to live at home with parent(s) will be given a room credit and, if they wish, a meal plan credit. Other students granted permission to live off-campus will receive a room credit only, as they are required to participate in a meal plan.
There is a non-refundable surcharge for long-term residential study abroad programs, and an additional charge for CentreTerm study abroad opportunities.
During the course of the year additional charges may be assessed for various miscellaneous items such as library fines, parking fines, health service fees, and room damages. Monthly e-statements will be sent to the student’s e-mail address indicating any additional charges assessed in the prior month, which are due upon receipt of the statement. Paper statements will also be sent to the student’s permanent address every other month to the permanent address on file. Additionally, there are course fees assessed for applied music courses and certain art courses, as well as the student initiated $20 annual green fee.
A single room occupancy charge is assessed for any academic term that a student does not have a roommate unless the Dean of Student Life or Director of Student Life and Housing informs the Finance Office that an exception should be made. The charge is $1,275.00 for each fourteen-week term.
Payment Plans
Term Plan – The net charges for the Fall Term are due in full by August 14, 2023. The Spring Term net charges are due in full by December 21, 2023. There is a fee if payment is made using a credit or debit card.
Monthly Plan – This plan offers a 5 or 4 month payment option for the fall and/or spring terms. This program is interest free with the fall first payment due on July 15 or August 1 and the spring first payment is due on December 15 or January 1. Monthly payments are made online through Centre ePayment. There is an enrollment fee of $35.00 each term and enrollment is required to participate in a monthly plan. A payment plan is automatically cancelled if two payments are missed.
Refunds
If a student withdraws from the College, a refund/reduction of charges will be made based on the following schedule for the respective fourteen-week terms:
Fall Term
Aug. 28-Sept. 3: 80% Refund
Sept. 4-10: 60% Refund
Sept. 11-17: 40% Refund
Sept. 18-24: 20% Refund
Sept. 25 and after: 0% Refund
Spring Term
Feb. 1-6: 80% Refund
Feb. 7-13: 60% Refund
Feb. 14-20: 40% Refund
Feb. 21-27: 20% Refund
Feb 28 and after: 0% Refund
Institutional and Kentucky financial aid credits may be adjusted as a result of any decrease in charges based on the above table due to withdrawal from the College. If a student violates the terms and conditions of the student housing contract or other College regulations, and such violation results in disciplinary action which includes some form of suspension or expulsion, this refund policy does not apply and the student will be held liable for the full charges for that term. Recipients of federal and state financial aid are subject to the federal “Return of Title IV Funds” policy, which mandates how funds are to be refunded. A copy of this policy is available in the Finance Office.
Return of Federal Title IV Funds
Federal regulations require each educational institution to have a written policy for the refund and repayment of federal aid received by students who withdraw during a term for which payment has been received. Although federal financial assistance is posted to the student's account at the start of each term, these funds are earned as the student completes the term. If a student withdraws from Centre during the term, the amount of federal financial assistance earned up to that point is determined by a specific formula. Aid is earned proportionally to the duration of attendance. For example, a student who has attended 20 percent of the term has earned 20 percent of their Title IV aid. These policies are effective only if the student completely terminates enrollment (i.e. cancels their registration, withdraws, or is dismissed) or stops attending classes before completing more than 60 percent of the enrollment period. No Title IV funds are required to be returned if the student remains enrolled for more than 60 percent of the term. The date of withdrawal is determined by the completion and submission of the Official Withdrawal Form to the Registrar’s Office or the last date of academic activity as determined by the college if a student unofficially withdraws by ceasing to attend all courses.
Return of Title IV Funds Policy
The amount of Title IV aid that a student must repay is determined via the Federal Formula for Return of Title IV Funds as specified in Section 484B of the Higher Education Act. This law also specified the order of return of the Title IV funds to the programs from which they were awarded. Regulations determine the order funds need to be returned with loans (unsubsidized direct loans, subsidized direct loans, parent PLUS loans) before grants (Pell Grants, FSEOG Grants, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants).
A repayment may be required when federal financial aid funds have been disbursed to a student in excess of the amount of federal aid the student earned during the term. The amount of Title IV aid earned is determined by multiplying the total Title IV aid (other than FWS) for which the student qualified by
the percentage of time during the term that the student was enrolled.
If less aid was disbursed than was earned, the student may receive a late disbursement for the difference. This is known as a post-withdrawal disbursement. Centre will notify students with post-withdrawal disbursement loan funds through a letter and get the student’s permission before disbursing loans funds. You may choose to accept or decline any portion of loan funds in a post-withdrawal disbursement. A post-withdrawal disbursement will automatically be considered against our comprehensive fee (tuition, fees, room and board) but you will have to give permission to Centre if you would like it used for any other institutional charges. If more aid was disbursed than was earned, the amount of Title IV aid that must be returned (i.e., that was unearned) is determined by subtracting the earned amount from the amount actually disbursed.
The responsibility for returning unearned aid is allocated between the College and the student according to the portion of disbursed aid that could have been used to cover College charges and the portion that could have been disbursed directly to the student once College charges were covered. Centre College will distribute the unearned aid back to the Title IV programs as specified by law. The student will be billed for the amount the student owes to the Title IV programs and any amount due to the College resulting from the return of Title IV funds used to cover College charges. A student will be notified by letter in addition to the bill if they are responsible for paying the Department back directly because they received a credit balance refund from TIV funds in the term they withdrew.
Return of Title IV funds will occur as soon as possible after official campus notification occurs of the official date of withdrawal and no later than 45 days after that notification.
Additional Financial Information
Student e-statements are emailed every month to the student’s Centre email address, and paper billing statements are mailed to the student at their permanent address every other month. If a campus or alternate billing address is required, a form containing such information must be completed by the student in the Registrar’s Office. Students can view their account statement on Centrenet, under the Finance Info tab.
Interest will accrue at the rate of 1.5% on the last business day of each month on the unpaid balance. This does not apply to students who are participating in the monthly payment plan. A student's account must be paid in full before any monies are accepted for the next year's CentreTerm trip deposits.
A student cannot receive official certifications, including transcripts and grades, from the College if he/she is delinquent with any financial obligation to the College. Additionally, a student will not be permitted to participate in any pre-registration activities if there are unpaid balances owed to the College. If an unpaid balance remains after the student has graduated or withdrawn, the student will be responsible for all attorney fees and other reasonable collection costs and charges necessary for the collection of the unpaid balance.
Normally, the comprehensive fee is assessed for all regular, degree-candidate students, including students permitted by the Associate Dean and the Dean of Student Life to drop to part-time status. (See the “Classification of Students” section under “Academic Regulations and Policies” for restrictions on part-time enrollment). An appropriate part-time tuition rate is assessed for part-time students (fewer than 12 credit hours in the long term) only under the following circumstances:
- For special students (non-degree candidates);
- For regular, degree candidates enrolled for a ninth long term or longer following eight long terms of full-time enrollment; and
- For non-traditional, degree candidates who cannot enroll full-time due to family or work obligations. For the purpose of this policy, “non-traditional” is defined as students 24 years or older not living on campus or with parents/guardians.
NOTE: Part-time students are ineligible for, or face restrictions on, certain types of financial aid and loans, including Centre aid and awards. Students should consult the Financial Aid Office before enrolling part-time.
Enrollment of readmitted students and of students returning from a leave of absence is subject to clearance from the Finance Office to make certain that the student has no outstanding financial obligations to the College. In addition, the payment of a $300 non-refundable deposit is to be made to the Finance Office.
Cash, personal checks, Visa, MasterCard and American Express cards are accepted in the Bookstore, the Finance Office, and online through Centre ePayment. There is a $25 charge for all returned checks and a 2.85% fee when using a credit or debit card in the Finance Office and on Centre ePayment. Personal checks up to $100 may be cashed at the Finance Office by showing a current student ID card. The cashier’s window is open from 8:30am – Noon and from 1:00pm - 4:00pm, Monday - Friday.
An elective health insurance plan is available through an independent company. For more information visit the Parsons Student Health Center web-page. All international students are required to participate in Lewer Health insurance charged once each term.
Students are responsible for the individual or family insurance coverage of personal belongings and automobiles brought to the campus. Centre College will not assume any liability for accidental loss or damage incurred.