Tuition & Fees

2021-2022 Tuition Rates

The graduate tuition charges for students are as follows:

2021–2022 Standard Fees

All Graduate students must pay the following fees:

Students auditing classes pay regular tuition and fees.

*Nonrefundable unless a course is cancelled by the university.

**For Online degree and certificate programs, including the M.Ed. programs in Special Education and Middle School Education, and the MS or Graduate Certificate in Forensic Nursing programs, please add an online program fee of $58 per credit.

Online Accelerated Programs

The Online Accelerated Programs are billed at a flat rate.  The breakdown of Tuition and Fees can be found online under the Tuition and Fees page for GCE.

The Online Accelerated rates are: the MBA Program is $417.00 per credit; M.Ed. Programs in Educational Leadership Management, (Non-Licensure) and in Curriculum and Teaching (Non-licensure) will be charged a flat rate of $372.00 per credit, and the Online Accelerated RN to BS in Nursing Program will be charged a flat rate of $311.00 per credit.

The bill due dates for our Online Accelerated Programs can be found online on the Tuition and Fees page of GCE.  

Payment Options

Payment for tuition and fees must be made online at the time of registration. All major credit cards are accepted online along with payment from your ACH checking or savings account. Students may also choose to sign up for our monthly payment plan at the time of registration. The payment plan will reflect on the account as pending money. Please visit the student accounts website to sign up.

For our online accelerated programs, payment is due the Thursday prior to the start of the semester. The monthly payment plan is not available for those students enrolled in the online accelerated programs. Any payment that becomes past due immediately jeopardizes the student’s enrollment. Until debts are cleared, a student is not permitted to register for a subsequent semester or be issued academic transcripts or other official statements unless otherwise mandated by law. Any outstanding debt may be assigned to a collection agency and costs associated with the collection of this debt are the responsibility of the student.  Student Accounts and its agencies may communicate with the student via email, cell phones, text messaging, or robo calls.

Please note: All returned checks require a $30 returned check fee to cover charges by financial institutions. Students who do not respond to notification to rectify their account will have their account placed on hold and will be placed in the collection process.

Tuition Waivers and Vouchers

Some tuition waivers and/or vouchers may be used as partial payment for course(s) taken through Graduate and Continuing Education. The appropriate original eligibility form with all required signatures must be presented at the time of registration. It is important that students check with their own human resource department to determine eligibility. Not all tuition waivers apply to non-state funded programs such as those offered through Graduate and Continuing Education.

Tuition waivers, remissions, and vouchers do not apply to non-credit Lifelong Learning courses, capstones, conferences, teleconferences, independent studies, directed studies, internship, practica, fieldwork, LECAP, selected distance learning courses, courses by arrangement or professional development seminars and lectures offered through the Office of Graduate and Continuing Education.

Unpaid Charges

Any charge incurred through registration is required to be paid by the specified due date. In the event that charges are not paid, students may be administratively withdrawn, sent to a collection agency or state intercept and will be responsible for any additional fees.

If a student receives Title IV aid and has unpaid charges owed to the college, the university may automatically credit the refund to the student’s account up to the amount owed by the student.

Veterans

To be eligible for Massachusetts State Veteran Tuition Waivers, students must:

• Be matriculated in either an undergraduate degree or certificate program, through the Admissions Office, at least 10 days prior to the beginning of a semester.
• Be a permanent legal resident of Massachusetts for at least one year.
• Provide documentation of eligibility when applying: DD214 etc.; Vietnam Veteran; Service between Feb. 1, 1955, and May 7, 1975; Persian Gulf War; Aug. 2, 1990 – Undetermined, Southwest Asia Service Medal, National Defense Medal and Armed Forces. Expeditionary Service Medal constitutes war time service in the Persian Gulf War. Limit 130 credits.
• No refunds or changes in status will be made upon late submission of a veterans papers. All veterans are required to pay fees, regardless of tuition exemptions. For veteran information, please consult the Office of the Registrar at (978) 665-3929.
• Not all tuition waivers apply to non-state funded programs, such as those offered through Graduate and Continuing Education or the Center for Professional Studies.

Refund Policy

Course Drops and Withdrawals

Course drop or withdrawal is initiated when a student either drops/withdraws from a course using Web4 Self Service, or does so by contacting the Registrar’s Office. The date of the drop/withdrawal determines the amount of refund due to the student.

Refunds

Refunds are determined by the number of hours classes have met, or by time elapsed in online/hybrid courses, not by the number of hours the student has actually attended or participated. All refunds are issued by E-refund, regardless of payment method. In the event that a class is cancelled by the university, a full refund of tuition and fees is granted. Students are required to set up an E-refund account online through their Web4 account. Refunds will be direct-deposited ino the bank account set up by the student. Class meeting is defined as 2.5 hours. The registration fee is not refundable.

Note: Independent and directed studies, internship, fieldwork, and practica are also considered to be special scheduling courses.

Winter (3-week session):

Summer (5-week) and Accelerated (6-8 week) sessions:

 Fall/Spring (15-week sessions):

Special-Scheduled or Institute-Scheduled Courses

If a course is canceled by the university, a student receives a full refund of tuition and fees.

Refunds for Federal Financial Aid

Please refer to the Federal Title IV Policy section which appears in this catalog.

Students Over 60 Years of Age

Students over the age of 60 may enroll in classes tuition-free, but are responsible for all fees, provided seating is available after the registration of tuition paying students. Students must meet the following criteria to be eligible:

• Massachusetts resident for at least one year prior to the start of the academic year and maintain such residency throughout the entire period of eligibility
• U.S. Citizen or Eligible Non-Citizen
• Enrolled in a undergraduate degree or certificate program (100% Online Programs excluded)
• Not in default of any federal or state loan for attendance at any institution or owe a refund for any previous student financial aid received

Health Insurance

All matriculated graduate students registering for 4.5 credits or more must be enrolled in a student health insurance plan offered by the university or in a private health insurance program with comparable coverage. To waive or enroll visit www.universityhealthplans.com. Students must:

A. Complete a waiver online each fall semester, by the bill due date, if they are covered by adequate insurance other than that offered by the university, OR

B. Enroll online, by the bill due date, for the student health insurance plan (if no waiver is submitted). For benefit information, visit www.universityhealthplans.com
Please note: students who do not waive the coverage will be charged for the university insurance plan and will be automatically enrolled in the plan by the deadline.

C. International students are required to enroll in the health insurance offered by the university. Insurance may be waived if a student is enrolled in a comparable insurance, approved by the dean of students.

Public Disclosure

Fitchburg State University has copies of its most recent audited financial statement available in the Finance Office.

The schedule of fees, tuition, methods of payment and refund policies are those in effect at the time of publication. They are subject to change without notice.