Business Office

(Click here to view the Business Office website)

Fees, Tuition and Other Expenses

Required Deposits

Housing Deposit for New Residential Students

All students under 23 years of age and not residing with their immediate families are required to live in the residence halls. Upon notice of acceptance, new residential students should submit a housing application accompanied by a payment of $300, of which $200 is a room damage deposit, $100 is a START (Students Together for Advising, Registration, and Transition) orientation fee. This deposit and fee are refundable if a student cancels before May 1 prior to fall semester or four months prior to any other semester for which the student has applied. The $200 room damage deposit paid by residential students will be applied to their accounts at the end of their last semester. If a credit balance results, a refund will be issued. The College reserves the right to assess students for any damage to property. Returning students are given priority in housing assignments. Students applying for housing are invited to indicate a preference of residence halls and roommates.

Deposit for New Commuting Students

Upon acceptance, new commuting students should submit a payment of $200, consisting of a $100 commuter deposit and a $100 START orientation fee. This deposit and fee are refundable if a student cancels before May 1 prior to the fall semester or four months prior to any other semester for which a student has applied.

Tuition Deposit for Pre-Registration of Returning Students

Students will not be allowed to pre-register until all accounts are settled in the Business Office. Returning students pre-registering for the fall semester are required to pay a tuition deposit of $200. The tuition deposit is due the last week of February. This deposit is refundable if requested by May 1^st.

Tuition, Room & Meals

Tuition

Students are charged the same rate for 12 to 18 semester hours. An additional fee will be charged for hours taken in excess of 18 hours per semester. Students who enroll for fewer than 12 semester hours will be charged at the less-than-full-time rate on a per-credit-hour basis. All accounts must be paid in full before a student will be allowed to register or reserve housing for the next semester. Contact the Business Office for more information.

Housing and Meal Charges

Housing and meal charges for the next academic year are announced each spring. A list of all charges is available on the College web site. Private rooms are available upon request as space permits, on a first come, first served basis. Contact the Residence Life Office for more information.

Special Fees

¹ Additional charges will apply for summer session.
²  Subject to change depending on cost to the College.
³ Currently enrolled students are provided free transcripts. No transcripts will be released until all accounts are settled with the Business Office. Students who are no longer enrolled will pay $7 per transcript. Transcripts will not be released until all accounts are settled with the Business Office.

⁴ The Young Harris College identification card (YHC One Card) is the sole property of Young Harris College. The YHC One Card is used to access certain campus buildings, including a student’s residence hall and room, as well as act as a meal/debit card in the Campus Restaurant and elsewhere. Students are required to carry and upon the request of College personnel, including residence hall and library staff members, to exhibit their YHC One Card. Students who falsify information on their YHC One Card are subject to disciplinary action. Under no circumstance should a student allow anyone else to use his/her YHC One Card. If for any reason, the YHC One Card is lost or stolen, a fee of $30 will be required in order to replace the card. 

⁵ Returning students pre-registering for fall semester are required to pay a tuition deposit of $200. The tuition deposit is due one week prior to fall pre-registration. This deposit is refundable if requested by May 1. 

Account Information 

Payment of Semester Charges

Student account information can be viewed online through YHC Self-Service. Account information will be available one week after registration for each semester. Bills may be paid through YHC Self-Service by automatic bank payment, debit/credit card (3% convenience fee will be applied), or in the YHC Business Office during regular office hours.

Failure to access your billing information is not an acceptable excuse for not meeting a payment deadline.

Young Harris College requests payment IN FULL for charges owed for the semester according to the following deadlines:

• For Fall Semester: July 31
• For Spring Semester: December 9
• For Summer Session: One week prior to beginning of classes

The initial billing statement will include:

• Tuition
• Room and Board - (charges apply to resident students only)   
• Student Fee
• Parking Permit Fee
• SGA Green Fee

Appeal process for dispute of charges:

Within 30 days of the initial billing date, a written appeal must be submitted to the Business Office. The appeal will be researched and responded to within 30 days of receipt in accordance with federal truth in lending guidelines. Collection activity will be suspended during the appeal process.

The following forms of payment are accepted:  

• Online with Automatic Bank Payment
• Online Credit/Debit Card (3% convenience fee added) 
• Cash
• Personal Check 
• Money order

Payment options include:

• Payment in Full by payment deadline
• Monthly Payment Plan - provided by Nelnet Business Solutions

Young Harris College offers an opportunity to participate in a payment plan through an external provider. The payment plan allows students to budget expenses over a period of time. Payments may be made by automatic bank draft or debit/credit card. Details about the payment plan will be provided by the Business Office. Payment plan schedules are as follows:

Target Dates to Enroll By:

Fall 2016 Payment Plans available on April 26, 2016.

Spring 2017 Payment Plan available after the close of registration.

Students who choose to participate in the payment plan are responsible for paying an enrollment fee. If a credit card is used, a convenience fee is charged in addition to the enrollment fee. Students are not permitted to attend classes until satisfactory financial arrangements are made with the Business Office.

Past Due Accounts

Failure to pay all balances due for any semester will result in a STOP being placed on the student account. Students with a STOP on their account will be restricted from registering for classes in future semesters. Transcripts and diplomas will not be released until the account is paid in full.

Delinquent accounts may be referred to a commercial collection agency and may be reported to a national credit bureau. All costs, expenses, and fees incurred by the College in collecting or attempting to collect a past due account are the responsibility of the student.

To resolve any past due accounts, please call the Business Office at (706) 379-5223.

Transcripts

An official transcript will not be processed until all accounts are settled in the Business Office. 

Textbooks

The College provides books for courses taught on campus.  Books are included in the tuition rate.  If a book is not returned or is in damaged and/or unusable condition, a book replacement fee will be assessed.

Refund Policies

Refunds from Overpayment on Student Accounts

If financial aid exceeds assessed charges, refund checks will be disbursed approximately 7-8 weeks after the semester begins. Refund checks will be mailed to the student’s permanent home address.

Withdrawal and Refund

A student is considered in attendance and is responsible for any tuition balances due until he or she has formally notified the College in person of their withdrawal. Refunds are made to the student on the basis of the date he/she has formally notified the College of their withdrawal. Students who formally withdraw from the College before the official start of the semester will not be liable for tuition or fees.

Institutional Refund Policy

If a student withdraws from the College, refunds for tuition charges for each semester will be made according to the following schedule:
    Within the 1st week of class:    75% Adjustment
    Within the 2nd week of class:   25% Adjustment
    Within the 3rd week of class:    10% Adjustment
    After the 3rd week of class:       No Adjustment

Charges are prorated on a weekly basis from the first scheduled class period until actual withdrawal. Withdrawals made any time during the week are prorated to the Monday following the week of withdrawal. Any portion of a week is charged as a full week. There are no refunds for temporary absences, for labs, special fees, or courses dropped after the drop/add period or for charges to any student suspended for disciplinary reasons. Refund of institutional aid is calculated on the same basis as tuition (stated above). In no case will institutional aid generate a refund greater than the amount of funds already received from the student. No refund for any deposit or charge is given to a student dismissed for disciplinary reasons. Withdrawal can affect student financial aid and create a balance due. Failure to pay any balances due for any semester will result in a STOP or HOLD being placed on the student account. Students with a STOP or HOLD on their account will be restricted from registering for classes in future semesters. Transcripts and diplomas will not be released until the account is paid in full. Uncollectible balances are subject to be turned over to a commercial collection agency and may be reported to a national credit bureau. All costs, expenses, and fees incurred by the College in collecting or attempting to collect a past due account are the responsibility of the student.

To resolve any past due accounts, please call the Business Office at (706) 379-5223. 

Housing and Meals Refund Policy

Refunds for meal charges are prorated to the Monday following the withdrawal date. In no case will institutional aid generate a refund greater than the amount of funds already received. No refund is given for housing. No refund for meal charges will be given to any student dismissed for disciplinary reasons.

Return of Title IV Funds Policy

This policy applies to students who officially or unofficially withdraw from the College during an academic semester and have Title IV federal financial aid funds as part of their financial aid package. For definitions of “official” and “unofficial” withdrawals see the Academics Section of the YHC Catalog. The term “Title IV Funds” includes the following programs: Federal Direct loans (Subsidized Stafford, Unsubsidized Stafford, and Parent PLUS loans), Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), and Federal Work-Study.

Date of the withdrawal will be determined by the Registrar. In case of an unofficial withdrawal, the last date of attendance will be set at the midpoint of the semester or the last documented date of attendance (whichever is later). The College has a policy to identify unofficial withdrawals with the cooperation of the following departments: Vice President for Academic Affairs Office, Registrar’s Office, Business Office, Financial Aid Office, and Student Development Office. If an unofficial withdrawal is not determined during the academic semester, an audit of students with failing grades at the end of each semester will be done by the Financial Aid Office.

The Return of Title IV Fund policy assumes that students earn aid based on the period of time they remain enrolled and attending classes. During the first 60% of the semester, students earn Title IV funds in direct proportion to the length of time they remain enrolled and attend class. Students who attend class beyond the 60% point earn all aid for the semester. The percentage of the semester in which students remain enrolled is derived by dividing the number of days the student attended by the number of calendar days in the semester, excluding breaks of at least five calendar days. When a student withdraws from the College, whether officially or unofficially, unearned Title IV funds, with the exception of Federal Work-Study, will be returned to the applicable Federal Aid Program and the student’s account will be charged. Unearned aid is the amount of disbursed Title IV aid that exceeds the amount of Title IV aid earned by the student.

Once a determination of a withdrawal is made by the College, the Financial Aid Office will calculate the return of Title IV funds according to Federal regulations and will promptly notify the withdrawn student in writing if there are any changes in financial aid funds. The Financial Aid Office will request the Business Office make any refund payment due to the appropriate federal program and the student account will be charged. If the student withdraws during the post-withdrawal period, the Financial Aid Office will recalculate aid in accordance with the federal regulations and a new award letter will be issued to the student. For post-withdrawal disbursements of loan funds, the Financial Aid Office will provide the student/parent the opportunity to cancel all/part of the loan. In accordance with federal regulations, return of funds is allocated in the following order: Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, Subsidized Stafford Loan, Plus Loan, Federal Pell Grant, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG).

Further details for the calculation of the return of Title IV funds are available upon request from the Financial Aid Office or the Business Office.

Reductions in Course Load

A reduction in credit hours at any time during the semester may cause a reduction in financial aid, which, in turn, may cause the student to have an outstanding balance due to the College. Disbursed aid might be reduced if an adjusted cost of attendance results in an aid award that exceeds financial need and/or cost of attendance for the term. Eligibility for awarded aid that has not been disbursed at the time of the reduction in course load will be reevaluated and paid according to the level of enrollment at the time the funds are to be disbursed. For example, a student must be enrolled at least half-time at the point of a federal Stafford loan disbursement. Another example is a student must be enrolled full-time (at least 12 hours) on the Georgia Tuition Equalization Grant/H.O.P.E. deadline date. This date is posted in the Guide to Student Life. Please note that a reduction in credit hours can occur if a student fails a short term class which is a prerequisite for their next short term class.

Students who reduce course load should consult with the Financial Aid Office regarding their eligibility for financial aid awards.