I. Tuition and Fees General Requirements
Tuition and fees shall be charged in accordance with state statutes and according to schedules established by the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges (“State Board”) and/or the College’s Board of Trustees (“Board”). The State Board establishes a general and uniform semester tuition rate for curriculum students. The State Board establishes both a North Carolina resident rate and a nonresident rate. Whether a student is a resident for tuition purposes shall be established in accordance with N.C.G.S. § 116-143.1 and -143.3 (for purposes of Armed Forces personnel and their dependents). For more information concerning residency requirements, see Tuition Residency Requirements Policy. The rate for auditing a course is the same as taking the course for credit.
II. Tuition and Registration Fee Waivers
The North Carolina General Assembly and the State Board have promulgated statutes and administrative regulations dealing with authorized groups of students with respect to tuition and registration fee waivers. For information concerning tuition and registration waivers, see N.C.G.S. §§ 115B-1, 115D-5, 1E SBCCC 800.2 and the North Carolina Community Colleges Tuition and Registration Fee Waiver Reference Guide (http://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/sites/default/files/numbered-memos/cc15-038.pdf).
To obtain a tuition and registration fee waiver, individuals must establish proof of eligibility as a member of an authorized group. To be eligible for a tuition or registration fee waiver, trainees enrolled in Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) courses must obtain a letter of sponsorship from a state, county, or municipal law enforcement agency prior to enrollment and uphold the terms of the sponsorship until completion of the BLET course. The College must maintain documentation of the sponsorship on file. The College shall not grant tuition and registration fee waivers to students enrolled in self-supporting courses. The College shall charge the student the self-supporting fee or use institutional funds to pay for the self-supporting fee on the student’s behalf.
Annually, the President shall report to the State Board the amount of tuition and registration fees waived by the College on behalf of individuals who are members of authorized groups.
III. Local Fees
- Authorization
Pursuant to 1E SBCC 700.1, the Board adopts the following local fees. The College shall deposit receipts derived from local fees in an unrestricted institutional account. The College will only use the local fee receipts for the purposes for which the local fee was approved. The President shall annually report all required local fees to the State Board.
- Local Fee Waiver
The following groups are exempt from the Student Activity Fee and the College Access and Parking Fee: Continuing Education Programs; Personal Enrichment; Job Training Classes; Adult Basic Education; High School Equivalency, English Language Acquisitions; Compensatory Education and Family Literacy classes.
In addition to Student Activity Fee and College Access and Parking Fee, the following groups are also exempt from the Instructional Technology Fee: College and Career Readiness; Human Resources Development; and Emergency Services Training courses.
All students will be required to pay applicable Specific Fees and Other Fees.
- Authorized Local Fees
- Student Activity Fee
Pursuant to 1E SBCCC 700.2, the Board establishes a Student Activity Fee as follows: $3.25 per credit hour up to a maximum of $32.50 per semester (fall and spring) for all curriculum students.
The Student Activity Fee receipts shall be used for the permissible activities and expenses listed in 1E SBCCC 700.2(b) (1-(2).
- Instructional Technology Fee
Pursuant to 1E SBCCC 700.3, the Board establishes an Instructional Technology Fee as follows: $1 per credit hour per semester for curriculum students; for non-curriculum students where the fee is not otherwise waived, $1 for 1-24 hours; $2 for 25-50 hours; and $3 for 51+ hours.
The Instructional Technology Fee receipts shall be used to support the costs of procuring, maintaining and operating instructional technology used primarily for instructional purposes and specialized instruction equipment necessary for hands-on instruction.
- College Access and Parking (“CAP”) Fee
Pursuant to 1E SBCCC 700.4, the Board establishes a CAP Fee at a rate of $5 annually for all students. The CAP Fee receipts shall only be used to support costs of acquiring, constructing and maintaining the College’s parking facilities, parking enforcement and security of College property.
- Required Specific Fees
Pursuant to 1E SBCCC 700.5, specific fees will be charged to students for select courses to cover academic costs for consumable goods or services that are specifically required for that course. Such academic costs include, but are not limited to: tools, uniforms, insurance, certification/licensure fees, e-text, labs and other consumable supplies. The specific fee rate must be based on the estimated cost of providing the goods or service.
The Board hereby delegates to the President the authority to approve all specific fees under $300 per course. Any specific fees over $300 per course must be approved in advance by the Board. A list of all approved specific fees will be maintained in the College’s business office and the President shall provide an annual report to the Board regarding such specific fees.
- Other Fees
Pursuant to 1E SBCCC 700.6, other fees will be charged to students to support costs of goods or services provided by the College that are not required for enrollment. Examples include but are not limited to: student health and other insurance fees; graduation fees; transcript fees; optional assessment fees; library/equipment replacement fees and fees to participate in a specific event or activity.
The Board hereby delegates to the President the authority to approve all specific fees under $300 per course. Any specific fees over $300 per course must be approved in advance by the Board. A list of all approved specific fees will be maintained in the College’s business office and the President shall provide an annual report to the Board regarding such specific fees.
- Excess Receipts
The fees collected under subsection 4 and 5 above, receipts shall be used for the purpose for which they are charged. If the receipts exceed expenditures for the purpose for which they are charged, The College shall use excess receipts to support the costs of either instruction, student support services, student financial aid (e.g. scholarships, grants, and loans), student refunds, student activities, curriculum development, professional development, promotional giveaway items, instructional equipment, and capital improvements and acquisition of real property.
Excess receipts shall not be used for any of the following purposes: supplemental compensation or benefits of any personnel, administrative costs, entertainment expenses, and fundraising expenses.
IV. Tuition and Fee Deferment
All students, after registering for courses for the specific term, must pay or establish a payment plan through a provider approved by the College on or before a specific date prescribed by the College that is on or before the first date of the course section. Students applying for financial aid that completed their application before the established deadline, and appear to be eligible for assistance, will be allowed to remain in their courses until their financial aid is processed. Students that did not apply for financial aid prior to the established deadline may establish a payment plan.
- Students wanting to enroll but lacking funds to pay tuition and fees must meet one of three criteria to defer their payment beyond the payment deadline set by the registrar’s office:
- Must have applied for financial aid by the application deadline set by the financial aid office and, through preliminary review, appear to qualify for assistance;
- Must provide (or have their sponsor provide) documentation in writing from a valid third-party agency that the student may be sponsored by the third- party agency once a final review is complete; or
- Must enroll in a payment plan to satisfy the outstanding balance through a third-party provider contracted by the College. All balances must be paid before the last day of the semester.
- Students who have not completed all requirements by the financial aid office, not supplied a final authorization from their third-party agency or who fail to pay the balance owed by the end of the semester will be subject to the following restrictions until payment in full has been received or until assistance is granted to satisfy the account balance:
- Grades for the term shall be withheld;
- Transcripts shall not be released;
- Registration for future terms shall not be permitted; and
- Permission to participate in graduation shall be denied.
- Students with outstanding balances shall be notified by a Statement of Account showing the account balance and the nature of the charges and shall be dealt with pursuant to Debt Collection Policy.
Approved by the Board of Trustees, November 13, 2023
Legal Reference: N.C.G.S. §§ 115B-1 et al., 115D-5, -39, 116-143.1 and -143.3; 1E SBCCC 700.1 - 700.6, 800.2; NC Community College Tuition and Registration Fee Waiver Reference Guide - 10/22/18 Edition (https://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/sites/default/files/basic-pages/workforce-continuing-education/cc18-053_tuition_and_registration_fee_waiver_reference_guide.pdf)
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