Mar 19, 2024  
Rensselaer Catalog 2017-2018 
    
Rensselaer Catalog 2017-2018 [Archived Catalog]

Tuition and Fees


Click on a link to be taken to the entry below.


Each month, students will receive a courtesy email sent to their Rensselaer email address indicating the eBill logon link and the availability of that month’s bill. Other individuals designated by the student will also receive a similar email indicating the link and the availability of the bill. Bills covering the charges of any term are emailed before the start of the term and are payable no later than the date specified, approximately one month before classes start. A student’s registration is not complete until he or she has paid or arranged for payment of all charges. Academic credit, degrees, grade reports, diplomas, and transcripts are not granted to students who have not fulfilled all financial obligations to the Institute. If special arrangements for payment are necessary, they should be made through the Bursar’s Office.

It is the students’ and parents’ joint responsibility to ensure that timely and accurate applications are made for financial aid, scholarships, and loans. In the event Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute grants credit for these or any other payment source, and payment is not received from that source, the Institute will expect payment from the student and/or parent. Should a student or parent fail to pay any amounts due Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in accordance with the terms of this catalog, the Institute may at its option increase the amounts due by any attorneys’ fees, collection agency fees, or any other costs or charges incurred in the collection of any amount not paid when due.

No fees or payments will be refunded other than tuition and room and board charges as outlined below. Rensselaer subscribes to the Policy Guidelines for Refund of Student Charges as issued by the Office on Self-Regulation Initiatives Program of the American Council on Education.

Questions regarding assessment of fees, purpose, and payment should be directed to the Bursar’s Office.

Monthly Installment Plan As an alternative to paying relatively large amounts twice a year, Rensselaer offers a monthly payment plan. The plan permits academic year charges for tuition, fees, residence, and board to be paid in 10, nine, or eight equal installments. There is a $60.00 per year service charge for use of the Monthly Installment Plan.

Applications to participate in the plan and additional information regarding the plan are normally mailed to prospective and returning students in mid-April. Enrollment can be completed online from the Bursar webpage under Payment Options by clicking on Tuition Payment Plan.

Late Payment and Unpaid Balances Any balances not paid or covered by financial aid by the due date noted on any bill will be subject to a late payment fee of $250. In addition to the $250 fee, students with unpaid balances after the first day of classes will be unable to receive grades or transcripts, register for future terms, or receive diplomas. If any amounts are still outstanding at the end of the term, Rensselaer will require a one-semester leave of absence. Readmission after this leave is contingent upon full payment of money owed plus full payment for the next term.

Tuition

^TOP

Undergraduate Tuition The tuition for a normal undergraduate program is $51,000.00 per academic year. This includes use of apparatus, athletic fields, and gymnasium, but charges for breakage in laboratory classes are additional.

Undergraduate students who are allowed to take fewer than 12 credits are charged $1,595.00 per credit hour unless they are certified as full-time for TAP purposes. Charges for students who drop to fewer than 12 credit hours after the fifth week of classes will not be adjusted below the full-time charge.

Graduate Tuition Full-time graduate tuition is $51,000.00 per academic year. Payment of this tuition allows a student to register for 12 to 15 credit hours in each of the fall and spring semesters. A student paying tuition and taking between 12 and 15 credits in the fall and spring is considered a full-time student throughout that calendar year. Students must register for at least 12 credits per semester to maintain full-time status. The only exception to this requirement is for those students serving as teaching assistants. These students may register for a minimum of nine credits to maintain their full-time status. Students enrolling for more than 15 credits, with prior approval, during the fall or spring terms will be charged the academic year tuition rate plus a per-credit-hour rate of $2,125.00 for each credit hour exceeding 15 credits or for each credit taken in the summer sessions.

Summer Summer rates will be determined in Spring 2018. Please refer to the website at that time for more information.

Summer Administrative Registration Summer Administrative Registration (SAR) is a no charge registration requirement for graduate students who will be receiving a stipend over the summer or graduating in the summer semester. Students taking credit-bearing course or research credits should not register for SAR. Eligibility for SAR requires that the student has been registered in both the previous fall and spring semesters.

Cooperative Education Students engaged in cooperative education (Co-op) are considered full-time students. No tuition is assessed for Co-op students unless the student elects to take classes. Co-op students taking classes are charged the per-credit-hour rate associated with full-time students.

Tuition Refunds for Official Withdrawals Except for the application fee and admissions deposit (entering students only), all payments will be refunded if a student officially withdraws before the opening of the term. Students who withdraw or who are dismissed from Rensselaer before the completion of a term will be charged tuition according to the portion of the term spent in residence. Before any refunds are made for whatever reason, official written notification of withdrawal and requests for refunds must be submitted to the Student Experience Office or to the Office of Graduate Education as applicable. The refund schedule after the start of classes for fall and spring terms is:

Less than 1 week:
Less than 2 weeks:
Less than 3 weeks:
Less than 4 weeks:

 

100%
90%
80%
70%

 

Less than 6 weeks:
Less than 7 weeks:
Less than 9 weeks:
More than 9 weeks:

 

60%
50%
40%
0%

Graduate students registered for only one credit should contact their Point of Contact in the Office of Graduate Education for information.

Veteran’s Benefits Any veteran who changes his or her credit-hour load or withdraws from the Institute must notify the veteran’s coordinator in the Registrar’s Office immediately.

Fees

^TOP

Residences The range of campus housing costs is given below. Detailed information regarding facilities, assignments, specific costs, refund policies, and services is available from the Office of Residence Life.

Single Student Housing
Family Housing
 

$7,400 to $9,610
Inquire at City Station

Students who accept a campus housing assignment are expected to occupy their rooms for the full academic year. Residence charges are refundable for students who withdraw or are dismissed, according to the same schedule as tuition refunds.

Contract Dining The costs for the meal plans are listed below. Dining charges are refundable on a prorated basis for students who withdraw or are academically dismissed. If the student should withdraw prior to late registration, the entire amount of the charges will be refunded.

23 On Demand

 

$6,480

23 anytime meals per week to be used in Resident Dining Halls, plus $100 in Flex Dollars per year.
Includes 12 Guest Meals per semester. Non-transferable. Available to all students.
21 On Demand  

$6,480

21 anytime meals per week to be used in Resident Dining Halls, plus $200 in Flex Dollars per year.
Includes 12 Guest Meals per semester. Non-transferable. Available to all students.
19 On Demand  

$6,370

19 anytime meals per week to be used in Resident Dining Halls, plus $300 in Flex Dollars per year.
Includes 10 Guest Meals per semester. Non-transferable. Available to all students.
15 On Demand  

$6,300

15 anytime meals per week to be used in Resident Dining Halls, plus $500 in Flex Dollars per year.
Includes 10 Guest Meals per semester. Non-transferable. Available to all students.
12 On Demand  

$5,660

12 anytime meals per week to be used in Resident Dining Halls, plus $700 in Flex Dollars per year.
Includes 16 Guest Meals per semester. Non-transferable. Available to sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students.
10 On Demand  

$5,480

10 anytime meals per week to be used in Resident Dining Halls, plus $900 in Flex Dollars per year.
Includes 16 Guest Meals per semester.  Non-transferable.  Available to sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students.
CYO: “Create Your Own Plan”  

 $4,970

200 meals per semester.  Dining Plan holder may also choose to convert meals into Flex Dollars.  Additional restrictions apply. Conversion rate is $8.65 per meal. Conversion of meals into Flex Dollars must be completed by Friday, October 6, 2017, for the fall semester.  No more than two conversion submissions will be accepted per student per semester.  Unused meals will be forfeited at the end of each semester; however, Flex Dollars will carry over from fall into spring semester.  Non-transferable.  Available only to sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students living on- or off-campus and to those undergraduate students living in an approved Greek Residence.
5 On Demand Greeks and Grads  

$2,540

5 anytime meals per week to be used in Resident Dining Halls, plus $600 in Flex Dollars per year.  Includes 4 guest meals per semester. Non-transferable. Available to RAs, graduate students, off-campus students, or those undergraduate students living in an approved Greek Residence.
 
Flex Dollars
 
Flex Dollars, which add flexibility to your dining plan options and are incorporated into each plan, are yours to spend like cash at Hospitality Services locations in the Rensselaer Union, retail cafes around campus, Moe’s, concessions, and resident dining halls. Flex Dollars are allotted by semester and carry over from the fall to spring semester, but end on the last day of the academic calendar and are thereafter forfeited.  Flex Dollars are also forfeited upon cancellation of the meal plan.
 
Rensselaer Advantage Dollars (RAD)
 
Rensselaer Advantage Dollars is a campus declining balance account that you may purchase at any time. It carries over from year to year and ends only at the time you leave Rensselaer. RAD can be used not only in Hospitality Services locations, but also in areas such as the campus vending machines, the box office at Houston Field House and East Campus Athletic Village, and the Commons Mailroom, as well as with off-campus participating vendors. For more information or to open an account, stop by the Campus Card Office in the Rensselaer Union, room 1502, or visit their website at campuscard.rpi.edu.
 

Activity Fee An activity fee is assessed and carries with it Rensselaer Union membership privileges. The fee is required of all students except full-time university employees who are registered for graduate study. The fee is nonrefundable except where withdrawal is made prior to late registration and notification is made in the same manner as required for tuition refunds.  The graduate activity fee includes an additional fee of $85.00 per semester to support graduate CLASS activities.

Undergraduate students  
$343.50 per term
(including Summer Arch)
Graduate students  

$269.00 per term

Summer students
(part-time)
 

$132.00 Session I

   

$66.00 Session II

   

$66.00 Session III

Co-op students pay the fees listed if their assignments are within 25 miles of the Rensselaer campus.

Health Center Fee All matriculated regular undergraduate and graduate students taking courses at Rensselaer are charged a Health Service Fee of $309.00 per semester. Summer Arch students are charged the health center fee in their summer semester, but not in their ‘away’ semester. Students admitted or readmitted to summer sessions pay a pro rata fee of $20.60 per week. The Health Center fee is a mandatory fee that registered students may not waive unless they are more than 25 miles from campus while on a co-op assignment. This fee provides access to the Student Health Center and covers all mandatory state and federal reporting.

Health Insurance Premium All matriculated regular undergraduate and graduate students are charged $642.00 each semester for the Rensselaer Student Insurance Plan. Like the Health Center Fee, coverage extends for six months (August 1 to January 31, February 1 to July 31).

The insurance plan may be waived with proof of equivalent insurance coverage. Waiver of this plan is required each year and must be requested no later than September 1 (February 1 for students admitted or readmitted in the spring term). Waiver applications are online.  Approval of waivers is at the discretion of the executive director. Students who waive the health insurance plan still have access to the Student Health Service.

Optional dependent insurance coverage is also available via information posted on the Student Health Center website.

Dental Insurance Premium All matriculated regular graduate students are charged $88.50 each semester for the Dental Insurance Plan. Waiver of this fee is allowed by showing proof of comparable dental insurance coverage and by completing a dental fee waiver form available at the Health Center. Deadline for waiver of this fee is September 1 for the fall and February 1 for the spring semester. Dental insurance coverage is optional for undergraduate students. See the Student Health Center website for information on enrolling in the undergraduate dental plan.

Orientation Fee All entering first-year and transfer students will be charged for the opportunity to attend programs held during the summer and/or before fall or spring semester for overall orientation, academic advisement, and course registration. Fees are $175 for first-year, freshman, fall-admitted students, and $100 for spring-admitted first-year, freshman students, and all transfer students. This fee is non-refundable except where withdrawal is made prior to the fall Final Registration date for fall-admitted students or prior to spring Final Registration date for spring-admitted students.

Orientation Fee for International Graduate Students All entering foreign graduate students will be charged $35 for the opportunity to attend a special program held before fall and spring semesters. Attendance is mandatory; students entering for the summer session will participate in the fall program. The fee covers arrival assistance, off-campus housing search service, general orientation, and social activities (services and programs are more limited in the spring semester). This is a nonrefundable fee. Any questions or concerns should be directed to the Office of International Services for Students and Scholars.

Late Registration Fees A $50 fee is levied on students who were enrolled the previous semester and register after the registration period specified in the academic calendar. An additional fee of $25 is charged students in the above category who register after the first day of class as specified in the academic calendar. These fees are imposed to cover the added cost of late registration processing.

Returned Payment Fee A $25 fee is charged for payment transactions returned by the bank. In addition, if term clearance was granted based on the returned item, the late payment fee will also be charged and the student’s term clearance may be suspended until the returned item is made good.

Validation Examination Fee The fee for an examination to establish credit for work done elsewhere than in an accredited institution is $75 for each examination.

Motor Vehicle Fees and Fines Parking at Rensselaer is very limited and student vehicles are restricted by permit to specific areas. An annual vehicle registration fee is charged all students who park a motor vehicle (including motorcycles and mopeds) on Rensselaer property. Parking permits are available from the parking office located in the Visitors Information Center. Parking and driving requirements are available online at http://www.rpi.edu/dept/parking. Violations of the requirements involve tickets, fines, fees, booting (wheel lock), and loss of parking privileges. Fees and fines are billed to student accounts. Credit card transactions are not accepted in the parking office. An added fee is charged for bank checks returned by the bank.