Tuition & Fees and Refunds

Tuition & Fees

Tuition and fee charges are established by the College’s Board of Trustees and are subject to change at any time by the Board. A student’s tuition is calculated on a per-semester credit-hour basis. Fees may be charged on a per-term, per-course, per-credit-hour, or per-transaction basis, and may vary for full-time and part-time students.

Tuition Residency

A student’s tuition rate is determined by where that student maintains his/her home residence. Tuition residency is established for each student as of the date of enrollment, and may change from term to term. Students are required to maintain a current address of residence with the Registrar’s Office.

Based on his/her home residency, a student is classified into one of the following four categories for the purpose of establishing the appropriate tuition rate:

• Hunterdon/Somerset County resident – an individual who maintains a verifiable residence in either Hunterdon or Somerset County, New Jersey.
   
• Out-of-county resident – an individual who maintains a verifiable residence in New Jersey in neither Hunterdon nor Somerset County. (Note: An out-of county resident who provides written verification, from his/her employer, of current employment in either Hunterdon or Somerset County receives a $20 per credit hour reduction from the standard out-of-county resident rate.)
   
• Out-of-county chargeback resident – an out-of-county resident whose home county pays part of his/her RVCC tuition through a county chargeback arrangement.
   
• Out-of-state resident – an individual who does not maintain a verifiable residence in New Jersey.   
   

Tuition 

Tuition for online courses is $162 per credit hour regardless of the student’s tuition residency classification. Students are charged standard tuition rates for online-hybrid courses.

Early College Program Tuition

Students in the RVCC Early College Program who enroll in one course per term are charged $175 in tuition for that course.  For students who enroll in more than one course per term, the $175 per course tuition rate is applied to the course with highest credit hour value. Standard tuition rates are applied to the remaining courses.

Concurrent Enrollment Program Tuition

High school students taking Concurrent Enrollment Program courses offered at their high school are charged $175 in tuition per course, without limit to the number of courses taken in a semester. Participation in the Concurrent Enrollment Program will not preclude high school students from enrolling in the Early College Program.
 

Fee

Online courses, Early College and Concurrent Enrollment Program courses do not carry General Registration Fees.)  

Laboratory/Studio/Activity Fee – Additional fees for certain courses that have laboratory, studio, or activity components.  Fee amounts vary with individual courses and are indicated in the term’s Schedule of Classes.  (Most fees are $60-90 per course.)
  

(This fee is not charged to students enrolling exclusively in online courses and Concurrent Enrollment Program courses, and on the first Early College Program course per semester.)
 

Technology Fee

(This fee is not charged to students enrolling exclusively in online courses and Concurrent Enrollment Program courses, and on the first Early College Program course per semester.)
 

(This fee is charged to students enrolling in one or more developmental courses.) 
 

(This fee is charged to students who have been accepted into, and are enrolling, in the College’s Nursing program.)  

Other Fees (non-refundable)

Tuition Waivers

The College grants tuition waivers for students who meet any of the following criteria. To claim the waiver, a student must register in person and present all required waiver eligibility documentation at the time of registration. Waivers are not applied retroactively to existing registrations. Students with tuition waivers are responsible for all fees and for the costs of all textbooks and other instructional materials associated with the courses for which they enroll.

• Unemployed Students – To be eligible for this tuition waiver, a student must have an Unemployment Certification and must apply for financial aid through the College. Unemployment Tuition Waivers are not applied to the student’s account until all other financial aid for which the student is eligible has been applied. Unemployment Waiver registrations for Somerset and Hunterdon County residents must be processed within five business days preceding the start of the semester. For residents of other counties, waivers will be accepted one day before the start of the semester. Out-of-county residents must first apply to their home county college. The Late Registration fee is waived for Unemployment Waiver registrations. All other fees will be charged, when applicable. The Waiver must be presented at the time of registration.
• National Guard and National Guard Reserves – To be eligible for this tuition waiver, a student must be a member of the New Jersey National Guard or the New Jersey National Guard Reserves. This waiver is limited to a maximum enrollment of 16 credit hours per semester. All fees will be charged, when applicable.
• Volunteer Firefighters and Volunteer Emergency Medical Personnel – To be eligible for this tuition waiver, a student must be in active service as a volunteer firefighter or as a volunteer emergency medical service worker. The volunteer’s spouse and children are also eligible for this waiver. This waiver is limited to a maximum of $600 per year and a lifetime maximum of $2,400 per family. All fees will be charged, when applicable.
• September 11th Victims and their Families – To be eligible for this tuition waiver, a student must be a victim of the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001 or a member of the victim’s immediate family. All fees will be charged, when applicable.
   

Payment & Refunds
 

Payment

In this section, the term “Payment” means full payment of all tuition and fee charges, or the making of approved payment arrangements, including the application of any financial aid funds the student has been awarded.  Payment dates are published for each term on the College’s website and in the term’s Schedule of Classes.

A student’s registration is not official until payment has been accepted. Payment for early registration for any primary academic term, or any secondary term within that primary term, is due four weeks before the start of the primary term. Unpaid student registrations for any term are subject to possible cancellation after the early registration payment due date for that term.  For registrations processed after the early registration payment due date, payment is due at the time of registration. Payment may be made by cash, check, approved credit card (Visa, Mastercard or Discover), or automated clearing house (ACH) transaction.

Students with outstanding financial obligations to the College are denied registration, grade reports, official transcripts, diplomas, and graduation certification until all financial obligations are satisfied.

Refunds

The Primary Refund Period is prior to the sixth business day of the semester, or an equivalent prorated period of time in a shorter academic term. The Secondary Refund Period is the sixth through 10th business days of the semester, or an equivalent prorated period of time in a shorter academic term.

A student enrolled in a course section that is cancelled by the College is given the opportunity to enroll in an alternate course section or to receive a full refund of all tuition, general registration fees, and course or laboratory fees associated with the cancelled course section.

A student who withdraws from a course section during the Primary Refund Period, and does not simultaneously add another course section, receives a 100 percent refund of all tuition and course or laboratory fees associated with the course section from which he/she withdraws. A student who withdraws from a course section during the Secondary Refund Period, and does not simultaneously add another course section, receives a 50 percent refund of all tuition and course or laboratory fees associated with the course section from which he/she withdraws. A student receives no refund for a withdrawal processed after the Secondary Refund Period.

If a student withdraws from one course section and simultaneously registers for a second course section during either refund period, the student’s total tuition and fee charges for the term are recomputed on the basis of any change in the student’s total credit hour enrollment resulting from the withdrawal/registration transaction. If appropriate, a refund or an additional charge is processes to the student’s account.

The withdrawal date is determined by the date the withdrawal is processed through the College’s online enrollment system or by the date a withdrawal form is approved and processed in the Enrollment Services Office.

A student withdrawn by administrative action does not receive any refund regardless of the withdrawal date.

All refunds are made by College check, payable to the student, and are mailed to the student at his/her official address on file at the College. Any required refund to the student’s source of financial aid will be deducted before the student’s refund is processed. 
  

Other Costs

Books and materials total approximately $1,200 per year for full-time students. Commuting expenses and the cost of meals for about 30 weeks should be added to obtain an estimated yearly expenditure.

Nursing students are required to purchase their own uniforms.

Student Health Insurance

Current NJ law requires all full-time college students (12 credits or more) to maintain health insurance coverage while attending a NJ college.  NJ  Assembly bill 3546 will eliminate this mandate and is currently awaiting the Governor’s signature.  Another feature of the bill requires the College to make health care insurance that is compliant with the Affordable Care Act  available to students on a voluntary basis. Individual and/or group plans will become available by the beginning of the Fall term.

Fines 

Prior to fall and spring registrations, students who have obligations to the College, such as overdue books, unpaid parking tickets, etc., will be notified by mail. Students must satisfy their obligations to the College at the time of notification. These obligations are checked at registration and students with outstanding obligations are not permitted to register.

Educational Opportunity Fund

The Raritan Valley Community College Educational Opportunity Fund Program (EOF) is a state-funded program that provides additional economic and academic assistance to students who demonstrate need. Economic assistance consists of grant money each semester the student is enrolled. Academic assistance consists of advisement, assistance with registration, and monitoring of academic performance to determine appropriate counseling and support services for academic success. In addition, students participate in career preparation activities. An EOF student who transfers to another college may be eligible to receive EOF support services at the new institution.

The EOF program attracts a diverse student population, including recent high school graduates, non-traditional age students, and single parents. Incoming EOF students begin their academic development during an intensive summer session, where they complete appropriate English or Mathematics courses based on placement testing.

To qualify, applicants must:

• Have earned a high school diploma or GED

• Have resided in New Jersey for at least one year

• Be eligible for the Tuition Aid Grant (TAG)

• Demonstrate economic eligibility, evaluated on the New Jersey State eligibility scale

• Maintain full-time enrollment

• Be a US citizen or permanent resident

To apply, applicants must complete an RVCC application, the FAFSA, and provide current tax returns. Please visit the EOF office or call (908) 526-1200, extension 8924 to set up an appointment.