Tuition and Fees

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• Tuition
• Fees

Each month, students will receive a courtesy email sent to their Rensselaer email address indicating 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 available 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.

Tuition and fees apply to in-person, hybrid, and/or remote instruction.  No refunds or credits will be provided should there be a change in course format (i.e. full remote instruction) due to pandemic or any other reason.

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, Rensselaer offers a monthly payment plan. The plan permits academic year charges for tuition, fees, residence, and board to be paid in four equal installments per semester. There is a $35.00 per semester 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 Monthly Installment 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, 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.

Undergraduate Tuition The tuition for a normal undergraduate program is $58,600.00 (for 12 to 23 credit hours per semester) per academic year. Any credits taken over 23 are charged at a rate of $1,220.00 per credit hour. 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 $2,440.00 per credit hour unless they are certified as full-time for TAP purposes. Charges for students who drop to fewer than 12 credit hours will not be adjusted below the full-time charge without approval from the Advising and Learning Assistance Center.

Graduate Tuition Full-time graduate tuition is $58,600.00 per academic year. Payment of this tuition allows a student to register for 12 to 16 credit hours in each of the fall and spring semesters. A student paying tuition and taking between 12 and 16 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 16 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 $2,440.00 for each credit hour exceeding 16 credits or for each credit taken in the summer sessions.

Education for Working Professionals (EWP) Tuition Students enrolled in the EWP program will be charged a per credit hour rate of $1,900.00.

Summer  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:

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.

Residences and Meal Plans: Detailed information regarding facilities, assignments, meal plan specific costs, refund policies, and services is available from the Office of Residence Life.

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.

Health Center Fee All matriculated regular undergraduate and graduate students taking courses at Rensselaer are charged a Health Service Fee of $360.00 per semester. Students enrolled in The Arch summer semester are charged the health center fee in their summer semester, but not in their ‘away’ semester.  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 $945.00 (which includes a $8.70 administrative fee) each semester for the Rensselaer Student Insurance Plan. Coverage extends for six month periods (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.

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.

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.