Tuition and Fees Refund Policy
A student enrolled at Sam Houston State University may receive financial refund of tuition and fees as outlined in the following schedules.
Refunds and credits from one department will be applied to any other outstanding balances in other departments. Any remaining refund will be distributed per the student’s Bearkat OneCard preferences. The University may refund tuition and fees paid by a sponsor, donor, or scholarship to the source rather than directly to the student if the funds were made available to the University.
Refund policies were established by the applicable federal regulations dealing with first semester financial aid students and by Senate Bill No. 604 of the 65th Legislature adopted by the Board of Regents, The Texas State University System, in August of 1977.
Dropping Courses
A student who submits a request to drop one or more courses in any given semester or summer session but remains enrolled in at least one course may be eligible for refunds. The refund schedule for dropping courses follows.
Fall and Spring Semesters |
|
| First 12 class days | 100% |
| After 12th class day | none |
Summer Sessions |
|
First 4 class days |
100% |
After 4th class day |
none |
NOTE: Class days are university class days, not the number of days an individual class meets. Class days are to be counted from the first class meeting of on-campus daytime courses as indicated in the Academic Calendar.
Resignations/Withdrawals
A student who officially withdraws from all courses at Sam Houston State University in a given semester or summer session may be eligible for a refund of tuition and the specified fees, based upon the courses in which the student is enrolled on the official date of withdrawal. Refunds are made in accordance with the following schedules.
State Statutory Refund Schedule of Tuition and Fees
Fall and Spring Semesters Refund Schedule |
|
| Before the 1st class day | 100% (Less $15 Matriculation Fee) |
| 1st class day through 5th class day | 80% |
| 6th class day through 10th class day | 70% |
| 11th class day through 15th class day | 50% |
| 16th class day through 20th class day | 25% |
| Thereafter | No refund |
Summer Sessions Refund Schedule |
|
| Before the 1st class day | 100% (Less $15 Matriculation Fee) |
| 1st class day through 3rd class day | 80% |
| 4th class day through 6th class day | 50% |
| Thereafter | No refund |
NOTE: Class days are University class days, not the number of days an individual class meets. Class days are to be counted from the first class meeting of on-campus daytime courses as indicated in the Academic Calendar.
The previous schedule assumes that all fees have been paid in full. A different schedule applies to the installment payment plan participants, the primary difference in the schedule being the requirement for the University to compute the refund based on the assumption that the full amount of tuition and fees has been collected. Therefore, it is possible and probable, that a student in the installment plan could owe more in tuition and fees than already collected by the University. These extra amounts, if any, would be due and payable before the student would be allowed to resign from the University.
Students who receive Title IV aid and resign on or before completing 60% of the semester will be required to repay the percentage of unearned financial aid according to the federal “Return to Title IV Aid” formula derived from the 1998 Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
Repayments are to be returned to lenders and/or program accounts in the following statutorily specified order provided the student has received funds through the program:
1. Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan
2. Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan
3. Federal Perkins Loans
4. Federal PLUS Loans
5. Other federal, state, private or institutional sources of aid
6. The student
Student Financial Aid
The Office of Financial Aid at Sam Houston State University is available to assist students in achieving educational goals even when personal or family finances are limited. While the student is primarily responsible for financing an education, the University recognizes its role in making a maximum effort to acquire additional funds for qualified students through a variety of aid programs.
Detailed information on all assistance programs, eligibility requirements, student budgets, priority dates, and the method of aid processing is available online at www.shsu.edu/fao/. Additionally, a student may request the information by inquiring in person at the Estill Bldg., Room 201, or by writing to the Office of Student Financial Aid, Sam Houston State University, Box 2328, Huntsville, TX 77341-2328, or by phoning (936) 294-1774.
Specified financial aid programs which the University Financial Aid Office administers are as follows:
- Grants
Texas Public Educational Grant (TPEG)
Texas Public Education Leverage Educational Assistance Partnership Grant (LEAP)
- Employment
Federal College Work Study Program
Texas College Work Study Program
- Loans
Federal Stafford Student Loan Programs
Federal Graduate PLUS Loan
Federal Perkins Loan
College Access Loan (CAL) - Only for Texas residents and students paying state tuition.
Short-term Loans for Books (STL)
Emergency Tuition and Fees Loan (ETFL)
Scholarships
SHSU scholarship recipients are not selected by the Financial Aid Office (FAO). However, all scholarship awards, SHSU and/or outside donor awards, must be coordinated by the FAO in order to assure compliance with state and federal regulations.
Veterans Assistance Office
The veteran assistance staff in the Registrar’s Office can assist in the processing of claims for the Montgomery G I Bill (MGIB), Chapter 30 — Veteran Status, Chapter 31— Vocational Rehabilitation and Chapter 1606 — Reservist. Students who were Texas residents at the time of their entry into active duty and who have exhausted their MGIB educational benefits should inquire about eligibility for benefits under the Texas Hazlewood Act. Telephone: (936) 294-1046; In person: Estill Building, Room 331; Website: www.shsu.edu/~reg_www/veterans.html.
Graduate Assistantships
Graduate programs offer a limited number of graduate assistantships. Full-time assistantships require a 20-hour per week workload. Students earning an assistantship receive a monthly stipend and other benefits, which may include qualifying for in-state tuition. For additional information about the availability of assistantships, please contact the appropriate graduate program coordinator. See Employment of Graduate Assistants, Academic Policy Statement 890303 at www.shsu.edu/~vaf_www/aps/890303.html.
Academic Common Market
Sixteen southern states including Texas participate in the Academic Common Market, an interstate agreement for sharing uncommon academic programs. Residents of these states who are accepted for admission into selected out-of-state programs can enroll on an in-state tuition basis. There are two requirements:
1. Acceptance in a program to which your state has made arrangements to send its students;
2. Proof that the student is a legal resident of that state.