Tuition and Financial Aid

General Tuition Information

If you have any questions about your bill or how to access your electronic bill, please contact the Student Accounts Office via phone 508-421-3801 or email saccounts@clarku.edu. The Student Accounts Office fax number is 508-793-7500. Clark University accepts payment in cash, checks, and online via ACH or credit card. To make an ACH check payment you will need to enter your bank’s routing (ABA) number and your checking account number. The amount of your payment will then be withdrawn from your checking account. There is no fee for paying with the ACH option. There will be a 2.75% service fee for credit card payments. Major credit cards accepted through this gateway are MasterCard, VISA, American Express, and Discover. International students may pay using wire transfer through our business partner, peerTransfer.  Please visit peerTransfer’s webpage for more information. Please contact Student Accounts if you have any questions.

You may not be able to begin classes or participate in add/drop until your bill is paid, so be sure your payment is prompt.  A $50 (undergraduate students) or $100 (graduate students) late fee, as well as 1% interest per month, may be assessed to all accounts not paid by the bill due date.  Inquiries regarding late payment fees may be resolved after the account has been settled. Late fee disputes can be reviewed only if a written petition has been received. The petition should include the student’s name and ID number, the term the late fee was charged, and the circumstances to be reviewed. Your request can be emailed to your Student Account Counselor.

Tuition and Other Charges for Academic Year 2014 - 2015

Normal Program and Course Load Variance 

Undergraduate Students 

A normal full-time academic program is eight course units per year, four course units per semester.  Students may elect to vary this pattern by taking three course units during any semester.  A course load of three units per semester is considered full-time and is billed accordingly. Juniors and seniors who have received College Board permission may choose to take up to five and a half (5.5) course units in a semester at no additional charge. Any courses approved by College Board beyond 5.5 course units will carry an additional cost.  All students must complete a minimum of seven full-time semesters to meet degree requirements.  Students may enroll in two course units per summer through COPACE at an additional cost. Seniors in their last semester are expected to take the necessary number of units (up to 5.5) for their degree. Full-time first-year or transfer students in their first semester at Clark University must enroll in a four-unit program. Students re-entering the University or returning from leaves of absence, also must enroll in a four-unit program during their first semester.

Financial Aid Information 

The Office of Financial Assistance provides guidance to all students who need assistance financing their Clark education.

General Information 

Financial aid is allocated on the basis of financial need and academic performance. The Office of Financial Assistance assesses each student’s financial circumstances and need through a uniform analysis of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for federal and state funds, and the PROFILE Form for institutional funds. When required, adjustments are made in accordance with University policies and procedures. The assessment takes into account family income and assets, age of parents, financial commitments to other dependents and members of the family, and other appropriate circumstances.

The University expects that a student’s resources for education will come first from family and his/her own savings and earnings. The University will make an effort to assist students in obtaining the difference between the total cost and expected family resources based on University policy, available resources and alternative financing options.  No student should fail to apply for admission to Clark University because of the inability of his/her family to pay total educational costs.

Student Employment 

Student employment opportunities at Clark are coordinated by the Office of Financial Assistance. At the beginning of each semester, the on-line job directory is updated with a listing of available on-campus jobs. It is important to note that an offer of Federal Work Study as part of a student’s financial-aid package is not a guarantee of that amount, but rather an opportunity for potential earnings. Students receive paychecks for actual hours worked, which can be used for personal expenses, books and supplies, or saved for future bill charges. The Office of Financial Assistance also maintains a list of on- and off-campus jobs available to students not receiving federal work-study awards.

Independent Sources of Aid 

All applicants for financial aid are urged to pursue independent sources of financial aid. Scholarships are often awarded to graduating seniors by high schools and/or private scholarship agencies in students’ local communities. Additional information usually is available in guidance offices or online at www.fastweb.com.

Any assistance received from outside sources other than Clark University must be reported to the Office of Financial Assistance on the Award Acceptance Agreement form or in writing to the Office of Financial Assistance. These awards may affect your Clark financial-aid package.

Clark’s policy for these adjustments is as follows:

For assistance based on the student’s merit or academic achievement, unmet institutional need will be filled first. Any remaining assistance will reduce loan, then work-study. If there is additional remaining assistance, it will reduce Clark funds, dollar for dollar.

Private grants/scholarships not based on merit or academic achievement (state or federal grants or tuition subsidies based on parents’ employment) will reduce Clark funds, dollar for dollar.

All Clark assistance, both merit and need-based, is applied to the cost of tuition only. If you receive funding from an additional resource exceeding the cost of tuition, your Clark award will be adjusted accordingly.   

An important source of federal financial aid is offered in the form of Federal Pell Grants. These grants, which vary in amounts, are available to certain students who demonstrate financial need according to federal methodology.

Federal Direct Stafford Loans are available to all students, regardless of need. Students may borrow up to $3,500 their freshman year, $4,500 sophomore year and $5,500 the junior and senior years of an undergraduate program. Students may borrow up to $20,500 per year of a graduate program. The subsidized version is limited to students who demonstrate financial need according to federal methodology. The interest rate is variable. No payments are due, or accrue interest, until after graduation or until a student is enrolled less than half time. It may be deferred for continued education. The unsubsidized version offers some of the same terms and conditions; however, interest begins to accrue during the in-school period.  Interest rates on both the Subsidized and Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loan are variable and are capped at 8.25% for undergraduate students and 8.5% for graduate students. The interest rate is set for each academic year by July 1.

Loan Deferment
Only students enrolled on at least a half-time basis are eligible for student deferment status on college loans. Nonresident graduate students on a half-time basis are limited to two years of student deferment status.

Other Benefits 

Veteran’s benefits may be available for service veterans and children of deceased or disabled veterans. Eligibility can be determined by contacting the local Veteran’s Administration Office.

Rehabilitation assistance may be available for students who qualify for educational benefits. Information concerning rehabilitation services can be obtained at the State Rehabilitation Office.

Aid Awarded by Clark University 

Financial aid is awarded one academic year at a time.  You must re-apply for need-based assistance each year.  Clark University does make a commitment to entering students to maintain the level of support awarded during the first year in each subsequent year at Clark, as long as they continue to demonstrate financial need, continue to meet the standards of satisfactory academic progress, have filed all necessary application materials by the required deadlines and have not exceeded program limitations of financial aid, and as long as federal and state funding to Clark’s Office of Financial Assistance continues at the same level. Additionally, changes in family circumstances, such as number of family members in the household and number of siblings enrolled at the undergraduate level in college on at least a half-time basis will affect financial need and eligibility for aid.  Although any Clark student may apply for aid as an upperclassman, funding is guaranteed only to those students who received aid their first year at Clark and have met the above requirements. Students are limited to eight semesters of Clark aid unless otherwise approved by the director based on a student appeal. 

Assistance at Clark is packaged in the form of scholarship, loan, grant and/or employment from the following sources:

• Traina, Presidential and Achievement and Jonas Clark Scholarships-awarded to incoming students based on specific academic criteria, all recipients of these scholarships are selected on the basis of information provided in the application for admission. All scholarships are renewable if a student meets certain academic criteria while at Clark University.
• Clark University Grant - awarded to students who demonstrate financial need and meet the eligibility requirements set by the Office of Financial Assistance. This need-base grant program is funded by the University through the support of annual gifts and other sources of revenue. 
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants-one of the federal-aid programs available to students demonstrating exceptional financial need. Priority is given to Federal Pell Grant eligible students.
• State Scholarships and Grants - awarded directly by the student’s state of residence to eligible full-time students pursuing a bachelor’s degree.   In most cases, students are notified directly by their state program regarding eligibility. 
• Federal Perkins Loans-Loans made under this program are awarded based on financial need and carry a fixed 5 percent interest rate. Payment of principal and accrual of interest is deferred until after graduation or until a student is enrolled less than half time.  Continued support of this program is contingent upon the repayments of previous recipients.
• Federal Work Study-This work program gives eligible students the opportunity to work during the school year to earn money for personal expenses, travel, books and supplies; and over the summer towards the following school year’s educational expenses. Federal Work Study is awarded to a student based on demonstrated need.

Satisfactory Academic Progress 

Students receiving federal, state and institutional financial assistance of any type (including parent loans and most private educational loans) are required to make “satisfactory academic progress” toward completion of their degrees. Satisfactory academic progress is defined by regulations of the U.S. Department of Education as “proceeding in a positive manner toward fulfilling degree requirements.” This is differentiated from “academic probation,” which refers to students whom the institution allows to continue to be enrolled under certain academic restrictions and guidelines.   

Full-time bachelor’s degree candidates must maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade-point average and complete five courses the first year; six courses the second; and seven courses each year thereafter. /Full-time undergraduate students have a maximum of six years to complete a four year degree program. These requirements are prorated for less than full-time students and students attending less than a full academic year. Evaluation of satisfactory academic progress is made each year, following two consecutive terms of enrollment.

Withdrawal from a course and courses not completed are counted in the number of courses attempted by the student.  When considering repeated courses, the highest grade for the repeated course is used when calculating cumulative GPA and repeated courses are also counted in the number of courses attempted by the student.  Transfer units accepted and counted towards earning a Clark University degree are counted in both the number of units attempted and earned.

Students who are not meeting the requirements of Satisfactory Academic Progress are no longer eligible for financial assistance, through federal, state or institutional funds.   Additionally a private educational loan cannot be certified if satisfactory academic progress is required for certification.

Students are notified in writing of their status and they do have the opportunity to appeal that status.  All appeals must be submitted in writing to the Director of Financial Assistance, stating the reason for appeal, citing specific circumstances, such as deal in the family or illness, which prevented the student from making Satisfactory Academic Progress.              

If it is determined they student should be able to meet the requirements by the end of the next semester, the student may be placed on probation for one semester, during which the student is still eligible to receive financial assistance.  If more than one semester is needed to meet the requirements, the student may be placed on probation with an academic plan.   In both cases the student’s academic record is reviewed at the end of the subsequent semester for progress.    

A student may appeal his/her ineligibility for financial assistance based on Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements only once.  

Students are limited to eight undergraduate semesters of institutional (Clark) financial aid, unless otherwise approved by the director. Appeals should be made in writing to the Director of Financial Assistance.

Return of Title IV Funds (federal and some state financial aid) 

Title IV fund rules assume that a student earns his or her aid based on the period of time he or she remained enrolled for the term. If a student withdraws from the University before completing a semester, unearned aid, other than work-study, must be returned to the U.S. Department of Education up until after the 60-percent point in the term. After the 60-percent point in the term, the student is considered to have earned all of his or her aid.

Return of Institutional Financial Aid 

Students are allowed to retain institutional financial aid (Clark grants and scholarships, including academic scholarships) at the same rate that the credit-to-tuition (refund) policy is calculated. That is to say, a student leaving or withdrawing in the first tenth of a semester has earned 10 percent of his or her institutional financial aid, students leaving or withdrawing in the first quarter are allowed to retain 50 percent of their financial aid, students withdrawing during the second quarter may retain 75 percent of their aid, and students leaving or withdrawing after the second quarter may retain 100 percent of their Clark financial aid.

Financial Assistance for International Students 

The Admissions and Financial Aid Committee provides financial assistance to a limited number of international students each year. Awards are based on both academic merit and financial need. Because the University is unable to provide funding to meet the needs of all international students, offers of admission will take into account a student’s ability to pay for the cost of attending the university. International scholarships are applicable to study while in residence at Clark and generally cannot be used to participate in off-campus study programs.