Financial Information

Tuition And Fees

Cost of tuition and fees for each graduate program can be obtained from the Spring Arbor University Business Office or on the SAU website at https://www.arbor.edu/admissions/graduate/graduate-tuition-aid/ . Fees for special materials may be required for some courses. All fees are nonrefundable. In addition to tuition and fees, each course will require textbooks and other materials. Tuition and fee changes are published annually at the website listed above.

Spring Arbor University reserves the right to adjust tuition, books, and fees at any time without prior notice. If any additional fees or costs must be ascribed, they will be explained at the time the fees or costs go into effect.

Payments

Student account balances are due seven days prior to the beginning of the semester. Students can view a copy of their most recent statement by logging in to MySAU. They are located on the “Students” tab under “Finances.”

Unpaid Student Accounts

Students who are delinquent in the settlement of any of their accounts with the University or who have not made arrangements with an approved payment plan forfeit all University privileges including, but not limited to, room and board, class attendance and access to the SAU network and other resources. Students whose accounts are not paid in full are not permitted to register for a new semester. Diplomas will not be issued until all financial obligations have been cleared. Partial transcripts may be released to students with unpaid balances in compliance with federal regulations.

A monthly service charge will be added to any unpaid balance in the student account.

Failure to meet financial obligations may result in the referral of the delinquent account to an outside agency for collection of the total amount due plus all collection costs, if applicable.

Tuition Refunds for Withdrawal

Tuition refunds for properly authorized withdrawals from the University shall be based upon the following refund schedule:

*Classes with duration of less than 14 days will be refunded on a prorated basis.

Registration changes may result in additional charges based on the applied tuition refund schedule. Students should contact the Business Office and Financial Aid to determine the financial ramifications before making registration changes.

Withdrawal Refund Appeals

If a withdrawing student is convinced the withdrawal is the result of circumstances warranting exceptions from published rebate policies and does not believe the request for exception made in writing to the Business Office has been satisfactorily considered, a petition may be submitted to the Office of Records and Registration within 60 days of the withdrawal date. The Office of Records and Registration will consider the withdrawal appeal, and in consultation with appropriate institutional representatives, will grant or deny the written appeal within 30 days of the date the request is received. The decision of the registrar is final.

Financial Aid

Financial aid may be available to students if appropriate criteria are met. Loans for full-time or part-time students may be requested from the federal government. Students should work with appropriate staff and the Financial Aid office. Early filing of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to meet specific deadlines is encouraged. Satisfactory academic progress must be met in order for students to receive federal financial aid (Title IV).

Financial Aid Refunds

If a financial aid refund is due to the student and the student received financial aid from federal student loans, part of the refund must be returned. Proportionate amounts of the total refund will be returned to the government by the University to the respective programs in the following order:

1. Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loans;
2. Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan;
3. Federal Graduate PLUS Loan.

The remaining refund will be given to the student when all incurred costs at Spring Arbor University have been paid.

Enrollment Status For Financial Aid

• Enrollment in at least 6 graduate credit hours during any semester is considered full-time.
• Enrollment in at least 3 graduate credit hours during any semester is considered half-time.

Loans from the federal government are available for students who are enrolled at least half-time and who have been accepted in a degree program. Students should contact the Financial Aid office for assistance.

More information about financial aid can be found on the SAU website at this link: https://www.arbor.edu/admissions/financial-aid/

Veteran Benefits

Veteran benefits are coordinated through the Office of Registration and Records in cooperation with the Financial Aid office. All questions concerning benefit eligibility and payment should be directed to the VA at 1-888-442-4551. Veterans apply for veterans’ educational benefits online through the Veterans Benefits Administration (VA) online application (VONAPP) at www.gibill.va.gov. The student may call the VA if they have questions regarding the application at 1-888-442-4551.

A copy of the Certificate of Eligibility (COE) will be mailed to the student by the VA. The COE is required before the student can be certified for benefits by the certification officer in the Office of Registration and Records. Any student receiving veteran benefits is subject to all academic policies of Spring Arbor University as outlined in this catalog and student handbooks. Students eligible to receive benefits from the Veterans Benefits Administration should make certain that all records are correct before the beginning of each term of attendance. In order for a student receiving benefits to remain in good standing, the following items should be noted:

1. Benefits will not be paid for courses that are not graded A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F or P. In addition, a course cannot be audited and counted toward benefit hours. Any incomplete grade must be converted to a regular grade within six weeks.
2. Courses for which the student registers must be applicable to program and degree requirements. Extra non-required courses taken beyond the 120 hours needed to graduate will not be certified for benefits. Up to 12 hours beyond the 120 can be certified only if they are required, and if the student has not previously taken courses that did not apply toward the student’s program. The addition of an extra major or program requiring more than 120 total hours cannot be certified without the student securing approval for a change of program from the Veterans Administration.
3. A student accumulating more than 12 hours of failing grades (“F”) will lose further benefits.
4. The Office of Registration and Records maintains all veteran records, including degree requirements, courses taken and grades. Grades are posted to the student’s record at the end of each academic session. The University catalog lists all degree requirements. Each student’s progress is monitored by the Office of Registration and Records.
5. Credit for previous training may be granted based upon academic evaluation of records.
6. Academic Probation: If a student receiving veteran benefits falls below a 2.00 cumulative GPA in any semester, that student is placed on academic probation according to the Veterans Benefits Administration. The student is permitted two consecutive semesters on this status. If the student fails to raise the cumulative GPA to 2.00 or above at the close of the second semester, that student will no longer be entitled to veteran benefits.
7. Spring Arbor University is a Christian university dedicated to fostering academic, social and spiritual growth for students. While enrolled as active participants in the Spring Arbor University community, students are expected to govern their lives in harmony with its regulations, both on and off campus. The student handbook fully outlines standards of conduct, which reflect the ideals of the Spring Arbor University Concept. Because of connotations or associations that do not contribute to the Spring Arbor University Concept, using alcoholic beverages, illegal non-prescription drugs, or tobacco is prohibited.

Rate of Enrollment for Veteran Benefits

A non-traditional semester calendar, which is used by Spring Arbor University graduate programs, is structured in a way that allows for shorter, accelerated courses to be taken one after another. Calculations for the rate of enrollment in courses designed for this calendar are as follows. Students enrolled in a 3-credit hour class that runs seven to eight weeks is considered full-time, whereas a 2-credit hour class is half-time, and a 1-credit hour class is less than half-time. Students enrolled in a class that runs longer in the calendar and is 6 credit hours are considered full-time, whereas a 3-credit hour class is half-time, and a class with fewer than 3 credit hours is less than half-time. These calculations are not used for any other financial aid or enrollment reports.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal regulations require Spring Arbor University to establish specific standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) that students must meet to maintain eligibility for federal Title IV student financial assistance programs.

SAP Requirements for Graduate Students

All current students, regardless of catalog year:

All courses attempted at SAU and transfer credits that count toward a student’s degree are counted as credits attempted regardless of the grade assigned for the completion ratio and total time-frame calculations. Only courses with final grades issued and considered passing are counted as credits earned. All credits for repeated courses are counted as attempted credits and if passed as earned credits. If a course is repeated, the highest grade for the course will be used in the GPA calculation. Incomplete courses are counted as attempted credits, but not as earned credits. Note: transfer grades are not incorporated into the calculation of Spring Arbor University cumulative GPA.

Frequency of Review

SAP will be reviewed at the end of each term. Students not meeting SAP requirements at the end of a term will be placed on Financial Aid Warning. Students on Financial Aid Warning who are still not meeting SAP requirements at the end of the term for which they were placed on Warning status, will be ineligible for additional financial aid.

Students determined to be ineligible for financial aid will receive a letter notifying them of the loss of eligibility along with an explanation of how they can appeal the loss of eligibility.

Regaining Eligibility

Students who have been dismissed from federal financial aid programs due to having failed to make satisfactory academic progress must take courses without the benefit of federal financial aid until such time as they are meeting the standards of SAP. Students being re-admitted to the institution will be reinstated at the same satisfactory progress level that he/she was at the point of leaving Spring Arbor University.

SAP Appeals

Students, who have lost eligibility, may appeal based on the death of a relative, an injury or illness of the student, or other special circumstances. Appeals must be submitted in writing and must state why the student failed to make satisfactory academic progress, and what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow the student to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress at the next evaluation. Appeals must be signed by the student.

Signed appeals should be addressed to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee and faxed to the Financial Aid Office at 517-750-5555 or may be mailed to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee, Financial Aid Office, Spring Arbor University, 106 E. Main Street, Spring Arbor, MI 49283.