Expenses
The question of costs while attending the University is important to every student. It is difficult, however, to accurately estimate yearly expenditures; expenses vary according to the nature of the curriculum, the place of residence (whether in-state or out-of-state), and the student’s own habits and needs. It is possible to live simply and to participate in the life of the student community on a modest budget. The best help the University can offer the student in budget planning is to provide available figures for expenses.
Health service and admission to athletic events are available to any currently enrolled student. The payment of the appropriate fees will permit any combination of graduate and undergraduate courses to be taken that may be required or approved. Charges for all coursework will be assessed by student level. The University reserves the right to correct errors in student fee assessments and charges which are discovered subsequent to initial billings and fee statements.
All fees are for the academic year and are subject to change by action of the Board of Trustees. The new fee amounts will be published each year when approved by the Board of Trustees (usually around July 1).
Registration Fees
Information on fees and deadlines can be found on the Bursar’s website: www.mtsu.edu/tuition.
Late Registration
Students who complete registration (including the payment of fees) during the late registration period will be charged a $100 late fee.
Matriculation Fee for Incompletes
If a student receives a grade of Incomplete (I), he or she need not reregister or pay fees for the course every semester until the course is completed. Such students should work only with the course instructor to complete grade requirements.
Returned Checks
Acknowledged bank errors excepted, a $30 service charge will be assessed for each returned check (including web check payments). The University will decline to accept checks from any student who has checks returned by the bank more than once or if any check returned is not paid within ten (10) working days. A $100 late registration fee may be assessed for any returned check given in payment of registration fees and class schedule is subject to be deleted for nonpayment of fees.
Automobiles
All privately owned or operated vehicles for use on the campus must be registered annually with Parking and Transportation Services and must display an official registration permit. For more information or clarification, please refer to Traffic and Parking Regulations, available in the Parking and Transportation Services Office.
Auditing Charges
An auditor is one who enrolls and participates in a course without expectation of receiving academic credit. The same registration procedure is followed and the same fees charged as for courses taken for credit. An audited course is not applicable to any degree or certification program.
Persons 60 years of age or older or disabled persons suffering from a permanent total disability which totally incapacitates such persons from working at an occupation which results in an income (T.C.A., Section 49-7-113) who are domiciled in Tennessee may audit courses at any state-supported college or university without paying tuition charges. (Note: The student must pay an application fee and special course fees.) Registration under this program is on a space-available basis; therefore, students cannot priority register. Class selection should be processed no earlier than four weeks prior to the start of term or part-of-term (see Registration Guide for date of registration). Students who priority register or receive a closed class override prior to the published registration date will be required to select another class. Proof of age or disability must be provided.
65-Year-Old/Disabled Credit Student
Persons 65 years of age or older or disabled persons suffering from a permanent total disability which totally incapacitates such persons from working at an occupation which results in an income (T.C.A., Section 49-7-113) who are domiciled in Tennessee may register for classes for credit by paying a service fee not to exceed $70 per semester. (Note: This fee includes maintenance fees, student activity fees, technology access fees, and registration fees; it does not preclude an application, late fee, change-of-course fee, parking fee, special course fee, etc.) Registration under this program is on a space-available basis; therefore, students cannot priority register. Class selection should be processed no earlier than four weeks prior to the start of term or part-of-term (see Registration Guide for date of registration). Students who priority register or receive a closed class override prior to the published registration date will be required to select another class. No late fee is charged. An application fee is required. In addition, the applicant must be eligible for admission and submit proof of age or disability.
Additional Charges
The University reserves the right to increase the charges listed herein or to add new ones whenever such increases or additions are found to be necessary.
Debts
An important part of every student’s educational experience is learning to manage money and to responsibly discharge financial obligations incurred. With this in mind, MTSU expects students to promptly pay all University bills and accounts when due.
Failure to meet financial obligations will result in a student not being allowed to preregister, register, or receive transcripts, grade reports, or diplomas. In addition, any unpaid accounts are subject to be turned over to a collection agency which will adversely affect your credit rating.
Installment Payment Plan
Students who want to use the Installment Payment Plan must sign up for the payment plan and pay the down payment online via PipelineMT. If a student is eligible, there will be an option in the bill payment system to request a Installment Payment Plan. Students who wish to pay by mail must view the down payment amount online by selecting the option to view the payment plan installments. Students may also sign up for the plan and pay the down payment at the Business Office cashier windows.
Although all charges are due and payable in full at the beginning of each term, students in good financial standing at MTSU may defer payment of up to 75 percent of their registration, housing, and freshman meal plan fees for the Fall and Spring semesters. The Installment Payment Plan is not available for Summer terms.
To be eligible for the Installment Payment Plan, each participant must make a minimum down payment of 25 percent of the registration fees, residence hall rent, and freshman meal plan costs. The balance due must be $400 or more after all discounts, waivers, financial aid, and other credits are applied. A student who fails to make timely payments in a previous term will be denied the right to participate in the Installment Payment Plan in future enrollment periods. Any student who makes payment with a check which is subsequently returned will be denied participation in the Installment Payment Plan in all future terms.
The amount deferred will be payable in three monthly installments. For the Fall term, installment payments are due on or before September 30, October 31, and November 30. For the Spring term, installment payments are due on or before February 28, March 31, and April 30. The University is not obligated to send reminder notices before the payment is due. Participants in this plan must apply all discounts, waivers, credits, and financial aid (including student loans) toward payment of registration fees before a deferment will be considered. Financial aid and other credits received after the initial payment will be applied to the remaining balance, and future amounts due will be recomputed. No refunds can be made until all fees are paid in full. Students will not be withdrawn for failure to pay the second, third, or fourth payments.
Each participant will be charged a $50 nonrefundable service fee each term to defray administrative costs. This fee is payable along with the 25 percent down payment on or before the registration fee payment deadline. An additional late payment charge of $25 will be assessed for each installment not paid on or before the due date and each 30-day period past the last installment up to a maximum of $100. Withdrawals from classes will not alter the remaining balance due except to the extent that any refund may be applied. Students who make payments with checks that are returned will be charged a $30 return check service fee as well as any applicable late fees.
If a payment is not received in the Business Office by the scheduled payment due date, the University will withhold all services from the student-including grades, transcripts, and future registration-until the fees have been paid in full including any assessed late fees.
All existing rules and policies pertaining to returned checks, refunds, withdrawals, dropped classes, and collection costs are applicable to the Installment Payment Plan.
Payment of the minimum amount due on the Installment Payment Plan finalizes registration. The class schedule will not be dropped. It is not necessary to also confirm on PipelineMT. The Installment Payment Plan service fee, late fee, and minimum amount are subject to change in future terms.
Additional fees for classes, dorms, or meal plans added after initial registration payment or confirmation must be paid by the late registration fee payment deadline. If students are eligible for the Installment Payment Plan, any unpaid fees after this date will be processed as a deferred payment. The $50 Installment Payment Plan service charge and any applicable $25 late payment fees will be charged.
Students who are not eligible for the payment plan will be subject to withdrawal from all classes or from the dorm for nonpayment or subject to service charges and late payment fees.
For more information and detailed instructions on how to sign up for the Installment Payment Plan, check online at www.mtsu.edu/tuition/payment-plan.php. Questions regarding the Installment Payment Plan should be directed to the MT One Stop at (615) 898-2111.
Service members, veterans, and dependents of veterans who are eligible beneficiaries of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs educational benefits or other governmentally funded educational assistance, subject to the conditions and guidelines set forth in Tennessee Code Annotated 49-7-104 as amended, may elect, upon formal application, to defer payment of required tuition and fees until the student’s monetary benefits have been received or until the final day of the term for which the deferment has been requested. Application for the deferment must be made no later than 14 days after the beginning of the term, and the amount of the deferment shall not exceed the total monetary benefits to be received for the term. Students who have been granted deferments are expected to make timely payments on their outstanding tuition and fees balance once educational benefits are being delivered, and eligibility for such deferment shall terminate if the student fails to abide by any applicable rule or regulation or to act in good faith in making timely payments. This notice is published pursuant to Public Chapter 279, Acts of 2003, effective July 1, 2003.
Veterans’ Benefits and Transition Act of 2018
Effective August 1, 2019, the State-approving agency, or the Secretary when acting in the role of the State-approving agency, shall disapprove a course of education provided by an educational institution that has in effect a policy that is inconsistent with the areas below:
- Any covered individual is permitted to attend or participate in the course of education during the period beginning on the date on which the individual provides to the educational institution a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under chapter 31 or 33 (a “certificate of eligibility” can also include a “Statement of Benefits” obtained from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) website-eBenefits, or a VAF 28-1905 form for chapter 31 authorization purposes) and ending on the earlier of the following dates:
- The date on which payment from VA is made to the institution.
- 90 days after the date the institution certified tuition and fees following the receipt of the certificate of eligibility.
NOTE: A Covered Individual is any individual who is entitled to educational assistance under chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, or chapter 33, Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits.
- Educational institution will not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a covered individual borrow additional funds, on any covered individual because of the individual’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement funding from VA under chapter 31 or 33.
Veterans’ Dependents’ Post Secondary Education Assistance
Pursuant to T.C.A. § 49-7-102, certain statutory fee exceptions exist for dependents and spouses of military personnel killed, missing in action, or officially declared a prisoner of war while serving honorably as a member of the armed forces during a period of armed conflict. Contact the Daniels Center at (615) 904-8347, KUC 124, for more information.
Registration Confirmation
If fees are paid in full by financial aid, Federal Direct or PLUS loans, TELS (Lottery) scholarship, pre-paid tuition programs, Vocational or Veteran’s rehabilitation or other credits, students must complete the registration process by confirming that they will attend MTSU for the term. If balance is a credit or zero, they must Confirm Registration on PipelineMT by the fee payment deadline.
To confirm registration, students should
- log in to PipelineMT at www.mtsu.edu;
- Select Confirm Registration;
- select the term. Then click Submit. The account balance summary and account detail for the term will be displayed.
- click “Yes, I will attend during …” and wait for a confirmation number.
Students will be given a confirmation number and should write down the confirmation number and date as proof of confirmation. If in doubt, students should try the process again and the system will tell them if registration has been confirmed. The confirmation number will not be repeated. If the student does not receive a confirmation number and is instead taken to the bill payment system, aid is either not on the account or a balance is still due.
Please note: Reviewing the class schedule does not confirm registration; students MUST select the Confirm Registration option, then select the option “Yes, I attend during …” When this option is selected, the student will be given a confirmation number if the registration is confirmed. When a confirmation number is assigned, the system will hold classes. If registration is not confirmed before the fee payment deadline, the class schedule will be deleted from the computer. Financial aid refunds cannot be processed until confirmation is completed.
Check the online registration guide and www.mtsu.edu/tuition for detailed instructions, dates, and deadlines for each term.
All students who preregister and decide not to attend MTSU should access PipelineMT prior to the final fee payment date for the term to drop all classes from their records. If they decide not to attend MTSU after confirming, they must withdraw from the University.
NOTE: No refund of housing, registration, or other fees will be made to students who are dismissed or suspended.
Tuition, program services fees, and out-of-state tuition will be adjusted as follows:
- Courses cancelled by the University will receive a 100% reversal of tuition and fees.
- Students who preregister and drop classes or withdraw from all classes prior to the first day of class will receive a 100% reversal of tuition and fees. See the current online registration guide for fee adjustments and schedule adjustment dates.
- A full (100%) reversal of tuition and fees will be provided in case of a student’s death.
- Tuition, registration fees, materials and course fees, residence hall rent, and meal plans will be adjusted at the rates of 75 percent or 25 percent to students who officially withdraw from the University prior to the dates specified in the registration guide published each semester. The same fee adjustment schedule applies to students who drop below full-time to an hourly load. The calculation of tuition and fee adjustments for a complete withdrawal from the University is based on the percentage charge of all courses dropped for the term. There will only be an adjustment in fees if the new calculated charge is less than the original charge. Not all withdrawals will result in a refund or reduction in fees. The calculation of tuition and fee adjustments for dropped courses is based on the charge for currently enrolled hours plus a percentage charge of all courses dropped. There will only be a reduction in fees if the new calculated charge is less than the original charge. Not all dropped courses will result in a refund or reduction in fees.
Refunds due to fee adjustments will be processed beginning approximately two weeks after the end of each fee adjustment period. It takes several weeks to process all the refunds. The University will offset against proposed refunds any amount owed by the student to the University.
Drop/Withdrawal from class. Students who drop or withdraw from classes will have a balance due under the Installment Payment Plan. Fees are adjusted based on the drop or withdrawal date. The fee adjustment percentage is NOT applied to the amount of payment, but rather as a percentage adjustment of total fees. A refund would be issued to the student only if the newly adjusted amount of fees is less than the amount that has been paid by the student. Withdrawal from classes does not negate the student’s responsibility to pay the balance of fees after the semester has begun.
Additional information on tuition and fee adjustments can be found on the Bursar’s website: www.mtsu.edu/withdraw/fee-adjustment.php.
Refunds of Housing Expenses
Residence Halls
Applications for residence halls and on-campus apartments must be accompanied by the required prepayment as outlined in the license agreement. Prepayment is a security of good faith that denotes the applicant’s serious intent to reside in on-campus housing. Prepayment fees are $350, $175 of which is applied toward Fall semester charges, and $175 of which is applied toward Spring semester charges. This prepayment is refundable prior to check-in according to the following schedule. All cancellations must be submitted in writing to the Housing and Residential Life Office. Prepayment amounts represent approximately 25 percent of the total semester fee and may vary from year to year. Students should contact Housing and Residential Life to verify specific changes.
Academic Year (Fall and Spring) Applications
| Date of Cancellation |
Refund Amount |
| By May 1 |
$175.00 |
| By June 1 |
$100.00 |
| By July 1 |
$ 50.00 |
| After July 1, but prior to the first check-in day in August |
$ 00.00 |
Spring Semester Only Applications
| Date of Cancellation |
Refund Amount |
| By October 15 |
$ 50.00 |
| After October 15, but prior to the first check-in day in January |
$ 00.00 |
Summer Housing
Details regarding application, fees, and refunds for summer assignment to residence halls and on-campus apartments may be obtained by contacting the Housing and Residential Life Office at (615) 898-2971.
Housing Fees
The refunds of residence hall fees after registration will be prorated on a weekly calendar basis when the student is forced to withdraw from the residence hall because of approved medical reasons confirmed in writing by a licensed physician.
Full refund will be made in the case of death. No refund will be made other than under the above conditions, except as specified in the Student Housing Agreement.
Direct Deposit of Financial Aid Credit Balance Refunds
Students receiving financial aid who expect to receive a refund must first be sure they have met all financial aid eligibility requirements, confirmed registration, have no holds, and completed all necessary paperwork.
All students must sign up for direct deposit online through PipelineMT. Online sign-up via e-Refund must be completed at least seven (7) days prior to the first day of classes to have the refunds available in accounts on the first day of classes.
Detailed instructions are available online at www.mtsu.edu/tuition/direct-deposit.php. It is critical that all information be entered correctly to avoid delay of refunds.
For students who choose not to sign up for direct deposit for financial aid refunds, a notice will be sent to the students’ email accounts when a check is available for pickup. Checks may not be available until the 14th day of the semester.
Financial Aid
The University offers financial aid assistance to eligible students through funding received from federal, state, institutional, foundation, and external sources. Generally, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.gov each year to be considered for financial aid. The FAFSA School Code for MTSU is 003510. For current information about financial aid, visit the MT One Stop website at www.mtsu.edu/one-stop.
A limited number of graduate assistantships and doctoral fellowships are available. An application form is available on the College of Graduate Studies website at www.mtsu.edu/graduate/forms.php. Filling out this form will inform a program of a student’s desire to obtain an assistantship or fellowship. Students are encouraged to reach out to their program directors to discuss these opportunities as well. An individual is expected to be in good standing, i.e. having met the requirements for admission to a graduate program and having a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 (3.25 for doctoral students) or more.
For international students serving as graduate teaching assistants, please note the following policy regarding the Required Competency in English, established pursuant to the Senate Joint Resolution 221 adopted by the 1984 General Assembly, the accreditation standards of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (4.4.1) and the Board of Trustees (Policy No. 301).
For individuals whose first language is not English, but are seeking to hold a graduate teaching assistantship, they must meet the minimum scores outlined in Policy which are
- a minimum score of 21 on the Speaking subscale of the iBT TOEFL for appointment where there is direct verbal interaction with students;
- a minimum score of 26 of the Speaking subscale of the iBT TOEFL for appointment where lectures are presented to the class or laboratory (a score of 25 may be assigned these duties on a probationary status for one semester);
- a minimum score of 6.5 on the Speaking subscale of the academic version of the IELTS test;
- a minimum score of 40 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) of the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK) for appointment where there is direct verbal interaction with students;
- a minimum score of 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) of the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK) for appointment where lectures are presented to the class or laboratory (a score of 45 may be assigned these duties on a probationary status for one semester).
Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) assigned instructional duties on a probationary status must be observed by a member of the department and a faculty member from another department to establish that they are successful in the performance of their teaching duties. Written verification of agreement among the two observers that the GTA is sufficiently fluent in English must be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies before the GTA may be assigned teaching duties in a subsequent term.
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