Fees, Withdrawals, and Refunds

1. Purpose

Loyalist College is committed to helping students understand their academic and financial responsibilities related to enrolment in a post-secondary program. This policy outlines the framework for how fees are established, assessed, and refunded.

2. Application

This policy applies to all domestic and international students registered in standard post-secondary programs, non-standard post-secondary programs, and apprenticeship programs at Loyalist College.

3. Definitions

• Apprenticeship Program. An in-school training program offered under a registered training agreement with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
• Contact Hours. A unit of measurement that represents scheduled instruction, typically measured in 60-minute units.
• Day 10. The first ten business day of an academic term.
• Domestic Student. A student who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or Convention refugee.
• International Student. A foreign national who is authorized under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) to enrol as a student in an educational institution in Canada.
• Non-standard Post-secondary Program. A program leading to an Ontario College credential that is delivered primarily through online learning, which students complete by registering on a course-by-course basis.
• Program of Study. An official list of all the required courses and experiential learning components within all semesters of an approved graduate certificate, degree, advanced diploma, diploma, or certificate program, developed in compliance with standards established by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.
• Standard Post-secondary Program. A program leading to an Ontario College credential that is delivered primarily through in-person learning, which students complete following a prescribed delivery sequence.
• Student. A person who is enrolled, or is in the process of enrolling, in a program or a course, on a full-time or part-time basis.
• Term. A defined period of time within an academic year when courses are offered. The academic year is comprised of three 15-week terms – Fall, Winter, and Spring

4. Policy

Tuition fees, compulsory institutional ancillary fees, and compulsory program ancillary fees are established in accordance with the Ministry tuition fee framework and approved by the Board of Governors. Fees are assessed in relation to citizenship (domestic, international) and enrolment status (full-time, part-time).

5. Fees and Student Enrolment Status

Registration changes and course eligibility can impact the student enrolment status and fee assessments. It is the student’s responsibility to understand the financial and academic implications of studying at a part-time enrolment status, as well as any implications related to external sources of funding and immigration status in Canada.

• 5.1. Full-time Student Enrolment Status
  • A student will have a full-time enrolment status if they are enrolled in at least 70% of the contact hours required for a standard post-secondary program of study in a given semester or reporting period. Experiential learning courses are billed at 40% of the contact hours. A student granted advanced standing or an exemption from a course is not considered to be enrolled in the course.
  • Any student with a permanent or persistent disability that requires an academic accommodation for a reduced course load will be considered to have full-time enrolment status when they are registered in 40% of the contact hours required for a standard post-secondary program of study in a given semester or reporting period.
  • A student enrolled in a non-standard post-secondary program who registers on a course-by-course basis will have a full-time enrolment status if they are enrolled above a threshold of contact hours in a given semester or reporting period.
• 5.2. Part-time Student Enrolment Status
  • A student will have a part-time enrolment status if they are enrolled in less than 70% of the contact hours required for a standard post-secondary program of study in a given semester or reporting period.
  • A student enrolled in a non-standard post-secondary program who registers on a course-by-course basis will have a part-time enrolment status if they are enrolled below a threshold of contact hours in each semester or reporting period.
• 5.3. Overload Student Enrolment Status
  • Additional fees will be charged to students with a full-time enrolment status in a standard post-secondary program for each course the student is registered in beyond the 100% course load threshold for the program of study in each semester or reporting period. Students may go into an overload status by registering for a course they previously dropped or failed, or by registering in an elective course which is scheduled to be taken in a different semester.

6. Deposits and Payments

Deposits and payments must be paid by the established due dates. If fees or charges remain unpaid after published deadlines restrictions will be applied, including holds which prevent registration in future terms and the release of enrolment verification letters, transcripts, documents, and credentials.

• 6.1. Standard Post-secondary Programs
  • Deposits and fees must be paid by the due dates published in the Academic Calendar and on the College website. Applicants who have not paid the applicable deposit or fees by the established deadline may lose their reserved seat. Returning students who have not paid the applicable deposit or fees by the established deadline may not be permitted to register and may have a non-refundable late fee applied to their account.
  • Students who have applied for and are eligible for Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) funding are still required to pay the applicable deposit or fees by the established deadline.
• 6.2. Non-standard Post-secondary Programs
  • Courses are normally available for open enrollment and students pay in full at the time of registration. Students can also request to be registered by paying a deposit and then pay the balance of fees by the due date.
• 6.3. Apprenticeship Programs
  • Apprenticeship levels and courses normally follow non-standard timelines. Fee information and due dates for apprenticeship programs are published on the College website or communicated directly to students.

7. Withdrawals

• 7.1. Program Withdrawals
  • If a student enrolled in or working towards any post-secondary or apprenticeship program no longer wishes to start or continue their studies, they must submit an official program withdrawal request following established procedures and timelines, as published on the College website.
  • Failure to attend classes or notifying a college employee, verbally or in writing, does not constitute an official program withdrawal. Students who do not submit an official program withdrawal request within established timelines may be responsible for outstanding fees on their account and may receive failing grades on their academic record.
• 7.2. Course Withdrawals
  • If a student enrolled in or working towards any post-secondary program or apprenticeship no longer wishes to complete a course that they are registered in, they must submit an official course drop request following established procedures and timelines, as published on the College website.
  • Failure to attend classes or notifying a college employee, verbally or in writing, does not constitute an official course withdrawal. Students who do not submit an official course withdrawal request within established timelines may be responsible for outstanding fees on their account and may receive failing grades on their academic record.
    • Courses dropped before the academic penalty date (as published on the Academic Calendar or 2/3 of the duration of the course) will appear with a grade of “W” on the transcript.
    • Courses dropped after the academic penalty date will show as a failure on the transcript.

8. Refunds

Refunds are processed based on the original method of payment. Refunds may be remitted to the student, to the National Student Loan Service Centre, or to a third-party organization, as applicable.

• 8.1. Standard Post-secondary Programs
  • Refund dates are published in the Academic Calendar. Students who officially withdraw during the registration period and up to Day 10 of the term are eligible for a refund of all tuition and ancillary fees paid, less the non-refundable tuition deposit or applicable withdrawal fee. There are no refunds after Day 10 of the term.
  • Students who reduce their course load through individual course withdrawals and change to a part-time status will receive a partial tuition refund if they withdraw from courses up to day ten of the term.
• 8.2. Non-standard Post-secondary Programs
  • Refund dates are published on the College website. Students who withdraw from some or all courses within the first ten days of classes are eligible for a refund of fees paid, less an administrative fee or the non-refundable tuition deposit. There are no refunds after the first ten days of classes.
• 8.3. Apprenticeship Programs
  • Refund dates are published on the College website. The refund date for apprenticeship programs varies based on the number of weeks of the training. Students who withdraw during the registration period and up to the refund date for their program will be issued a refund of all fees paid, less an administrative fee. There are no refunds after the applicable refund date.

9. Related Documents

• ACAD 202 Progression and Graduation Policy
• AOP 226 Admissions
• Academic Calendar
• Tuition and Fees
• Program Withdrawals
• Continuing Education Registration
• Apprenticeship Program Registration