Students’ Payments and Refunds

POLICY OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF PEARL RIVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Adopted: Tuesday, June 8, 1976
Revision Number: 7
Revision Date: Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Reference: Student Affairs, Administrative, Financial Resources

Policy:

The Board of Trustees will review and assess all students’ payments and refunds.

Procedure:

1. The faculty will recommend any change in fees, payments, rentals, or refunds within the department to program directors or department chairs by December of each year.
2. The program directors and department chairs will make their recommendations to the appropriate Vice President in January of each year.
3. The Vice President and the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Business Services will recommend to the President any changes in fees, payments, rentals, or refunds by February 1.
4. The Vice President for Enrollment Management and Business Services will notify the appropriate Vice President of any changes in assessment of fees, payments, rentals, or refunds.
5. The next publication of the College Catalog, faculty handbook, student handbook, and other college publications will reflect the approved changes.
6. Students who officially withdraw or cut out of all classes during a semester will have their financial accounts reviewed to determine if adjustments to institutional fees should be made. The institutional refund policy is applied to all students without regard to academic classification or eligibility of Title IV student assistance. The policy is in compliance with the Federal Refund and Federal Pro-Rata guidelines.
7. Tuition and fees are assessed at the same rate and manner for all classroom offerings, including distance education courses, off-campus, and weekend and evening courses. All students will receive monthly student account statements by email to their PRCC student email address. Payment may be made by mail or online through the PRCC RiverGuide website, or in person at the PRCC Business Office, Poplarville or Hattiesburg. Returned checks will result in the cancellation of the student’s schedule and the assessment of a returned check fee to the student’s account. All students may view their student account via the PRCC RiverGuide website.
8. In accordance with Mississippi Code 37-103-25, Pearl River Community College shall charge tuition at the in-state tuition rate for a student who is a veteran as defined by Title 38 of the United States Code, or a person entitled to education benefits under Title 38 of the United States Code.

REFUND POLICIES

TUITION
Fall & Spring Semesters	Percentage Refund	Summer Terms
1st Week	100%	100%
End of 2nd Week	75%	50%
End of 3rd Week	50%	0
End of 4th Week	25%	0
NO REFUND AFTER 4TH WEEK

TUITION

ROOM & BOARD
Fall & Spring Semesters Withdrawn by:	Percentage Refund
Before Classes Begin	100%
1st Week	75%
2nd Week	50%
3rd Week	25%
4th Week	25%
SUMMER SEMESTER: NO ROOM AND BOARD REFUNDS

Appeals for refunds due to extenuating circumstances may be made in writing to the Director of Student Accounts and Veteran Services, Pearl River Community College, P.O. Box 5060, 101 Highway 11 North, Poplarville, MS 39470. Any refund will be mailed to the student at the address of his/her record.

Payment of Fees

Tuition and fees are due 90 days after the start of each semester. Pearl River Community College requires students with out-of-pocket balances to enroll their balances with the Nelnet Payment Plan. The Plan provides an interest free monthly payment plan for those students who either do not have financial aid or do not have enough financial aid to cover the full cost of attendance. Simply go to RiverGuide, enter user ID and pin number, click on the Payment Plan icon, click on the Nelnet brochure or Nelnet Payment Link under Quick Links. Here the student will enroll only the out-of-pocket portion of their student account. The PRCC Business Office will receive notification of the enrollment within 24 hours. The account enrollment in the Payment Plan will satisfy the financial requirements for registration. Those students who wish to pay in full up front may do so at the PRCC Business Office. Student accounts that are not set up on a payment plan, or have not paid their bill in full, are subject to a late payment charge of 2.5%, per month on any amount not paid when due. Such accounts will also be assessed a penalty of $2.00 per month in addition to the late payment charge. A financial hold will be placed on any delinquent student account Statements will be emailed each month to the student’s PRCC email address. Payments can be mailed to the Business Office or can be made at the Business Office located in the Administration Building. Online payments can be made by visiting the College’s website at www.prcc.edu and RiverGuide. Business Office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. A schedule of current fees may be obtained online at
www.prcc.edu/admissions/tuition-fees, or from the Business Office, or by calling (601) 403-1204.

Student fees for living in residence halls include room and board (meals) without exception. Each identification card is validated on a semester basis.

*No student may register for classes if a prior term has not been paid in full.

By registering for classes at Pearl River Community College students acknowledge financial responsibility for the confirmed courses resulting from this registration, and all fees assessed to their student account. Students who withdraw are also liable for their student bill following the refund policies above.

If a student fails to pay their bill, Pearl River Community College may refer their past due account for collection and may authorize legal action against the student for the collection of this debt. If a student allows their account to go into delinquent status, their registration will be prohibited until such time as their account is paid in full.

Collection Agency Fees: The student shall understand and accept if they fail to pay their student account bill or any monies due and owing PRCC by the scheduled due date and fail to make acceptable payment arrangements to bring their account current, PRCC may refer the student account to a collection agency. If PRCC refers the student account balance to a third party for collection, whether an attorney or collection agency, the student will be responsible for any costs (including but not limited to collection fees) associated with attempting to collect the monies due and owing. The student understands a collection fee will be assessed and will be due and owing in full at the time of the referral to the third party. The collection fee will be calculated at the maximum amount permitted by applicable law but not to exceed 40% of the amount outstanding. For purposes of this provision, the third party may be a debt collection company or an attorney. If a lawsuit is filed to recover an outstanding balance, the student shall also be responsible for any costs associated with the lawsuit such as court costs or other. In addition, the student delinquent account may be reported to one or more of the national credit bureaus.

Contact: The student authorizes PRCC and its agents and contractors to contact them at their current and any future cellphone number(s), email address(es), or wireless device(s) regarding their delinquent student account(s)/loan(s), any other debt owed to PRCC or to receive general information from PRCC. By registering the student authorizes PRCC and its agents and contractors to use automated telephone dialing equipment, artificial or prerecorded voice or text messages, and personal calls and emails in their efforts to contact the student.

Refunds of Financial Aid

1. Grant refunds (Pell, SEOG) will be made by the seventh week of each semester provided the student was awarded the grant in time to do so. Refunds to late applicants will be made later within the semester.
2. Student loan checks received by the College will be applied to outstanding student fees and expenses. Refunds from the student loan checks will be made weekly following the seventh week of classes each semester. Disbursement of additional student loan checks will be made weekly throughout the semester.

All student financial aid refunds will be disbursed as a direct deposit to the student’s checking or savings account. Direct deposit information should be entered by the student via RiverGuide and Wildcat Web. Under Student Services, click Direct Deposit and enter all bank information. If no direct deposit information is set up, students will receive a paper check, mailed to the address on file in the Office of Admissions and Records.