College Costs

Business Regulations

Expenses are charged and payable by the semester since each semester is a separate unit of operation. All tuition and fees are due at the time of registration. Registration is not complete until all fees are paid and no student may be admitted to classes without having met all financial obligations. All payments are to be made by cash, check, debit card, American Express, Master Card or Visa credit card to the Cashier on campus or credit card payments may be made online. Payment by check is not permitted for students with a prior history of dishonored checks. There is a return check charge for any returned check given to the College. No student may re-enroll, register, graduate, or receive a TCL transcript until all accounts are settled. The term account includes any indebtedness to the College. All fees are subject to change by the Technical College of the Lowcountry.

Tuition*

• For the 2014 Fall semester, rates per semester hour are $161 for residents in the TCL Service Area, which consists of Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper. For the 2014 Fall semester, rates per semester hour are $186 for Non-Service Area, $359 for Out-of-State students, and $394 per semester hour for international students. Tuition rates are subject to change. Check www.tcl.edu for the most accurate tuition information.
• Registration for courses at TCL incurs tuition and fee charges. A student who registers for classes at TCL agrees to the terms of the Tuition Promissory Note (See Additional Important Information-Tuition Promissory Note).
• Tuition is subject to change after the publication of this catalog.
• See the Admissions, Assessment and Registration  section of the catalog for information regarding Determination of Residency.

Fees and Other Expenses*

A $25 course fee will be applied to certain classes. This fee helps offset the expense of consumables, laboratory equipment, software, and additional instruction. http://www.tcl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Course-Fees-List.pdf

*Tuition rates, fees, and refunds are subject to change without prior notice. All fees are non-refundable. For current tuition information consult the TCL website at www.tcl.edu.

Average Total Costs

Typical average semester expenses for a South Carolina resident, excluding room and board, transportation, tools, and personal expenses are as follows:

2014 Fall Semester (without Lottery Tuition)

*Tuition and fees subject to change

Payment of Tuition/Fees

• Students may pay tuition and fees at the Cashier Office on the Beaufort campus, Hampton H. Mungin Center, New River. Students may also pay online at http://webadvisor.tcl.edu.
• All payments are to be made by cash, check, debit card, American Express, MasterCard or Visa credit card to the Cashier. Identification is required.
• Bank card charges are subject to receipt of authorization from the banking institution. Such charges may not be made by phone.
• A tuition payment plan administered by the College is available. See www.tcl.edu/pay-your-bill for more information.
• Students whose tuition and fees are paid by a sponsoring agency or employer must contact the Business Office and submit required documentation prior to registration.
• Contact the Business Office at 843-525-8252.

Refund Policy

Tuition refunds will be made in accordance with the College’s published refund policies. Students must complete course add/drop or withdrawal procedures to be considered eligible for a refund. Refund checks to the student or appropriate sponsoring agency will be processed within fifteen business days of the receipt of the request in the Business Office. Refunds of tuition for withdrawal or net reduction of credit hours are computed according to the withdrawal or add/drop date and staff fees are not refundable:

Refunds for terms that vary in length from the semester term will be prorated in proportion to the semester schedule. An administrative processing fee will be applicable to student requested refunds.

South Carolina Residents 60 Years of Age

In accordance with South Carolina Act 1218 of 1974, as amended, legal residents of South Carolina who are 60 years of age or older may attend classes for credit or audit purposes on a space available basis without the required payment of tuition, provided that the following criteria are met:

• The individual must not receive compensation as a full-time employee.
• The individual must meet course admissions requirements.
• The class must have met the minimum class size required, excluding senior citizen enrollment and the class size must be below maximum size.

To register:

Individuals must complete an application for admission. A Tuition Waiver should then be obtained from the Office of Student Records - note: a South Carolina Drivers License or other form of photo identification must be presented. Senior citizen student registration occurs during the last week of open registration prior to the start of a semester. Senior citizen students must have their registration approved by a faculty advisor. Upon completion of registration by the appropriate faculty advisor, senior citizen students should submit their completed Tuition Waiver form to the Office of Student Records. There is no charge for tuition but college fees still apply. Seniors are responsible for purchasing textbooks and all other materials or supplies required for courses. Seniors choosing to enroll as a TCL regular student will not receive a refund should they choose later to apply as a senior citizen. Courses offered through the Continuing Education Division are not tuition-free.

TCL Bookstore

The bookstore is located on the first floor in building 12, MacLean Hall. The TCL Bookstore stocks required textbooks, reference books, school supplies and novelty products including clothing, tote bags, backpacks, and various other TCL logo items. The cost of books is not included in registration or other fees. The Bookstore conducts a book buy-back each semester. For more information, contact 843-525-8303 or visit the web at www.tcl.edu/bookstore.

• The Bookstore refund policies have been established to provide students with services at the lowest possible cost.
• All refunds require a TCL Bookstore receipt.
• Refunds will be given in the form in which the original purchase was made.
• 16 Week Semesters: Books may be returned within the first 10 days of the semester, or within 5 days of the purchase receipt.
• 12 and 8 Week Semesters, and All Summer Semesters: Books may be returned within the first 5 days of the semester, or within 3 days of the purchase receipt.
• Returns are processed at the Beaufort Campus only. For further information concerning our return policy, please refer to www.tcl.edu/bookstore
• Reference items, supplies, and access codes/ebooks are not refundable.
• Items purchased in shrink-wrap must be returned in original shrink-wrap.
• Books purchased through financial aid, sponsorship, or other designated grant will be returnable for credit only to the applicable purchase source.
• All refunds are given based on the outlined criteria and at the discretion of the TCL Bookstore manager.
• Students using Title IV funds to purchase books must complete a Title IV authorization with the Business Office.

Textbook Buyback

The Bookstore offers to buy back books at the end of each semester to be used in subsequent semesters when possible. Hours of the book buy-back are posted each semester. There are many reasons that the Bookstore might not buy back books including but not limited to:

• More in stock than can be sold
• A new textbook has been adopted
• The textbook has media (CDs, disks, access codes, etc. that cannot be used again and the Division requires the media to be available to the student)
• The textbook is consumable.

Additional Important Information

Administrative Withdrawal and Financial Responsibility

It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from any class he/she does not plan to attend by sending an email message to the instructor using the my.tcl.edu student email account. For students who fail to complete the drop/withdrawal process and have never attended a class, the instructor will assign a “Never Attend” code in the student information system no later than ten (10) calendar days after the first day of class. The student is financially responsible for fees resulting from the administrative withdrawal. Students not attending class are not eligible for any type of financial aid.

Students who receive Title IV aid “earn” their aid by successfully attending class. The aid is not fully earned until completion of 60% of the course term. Students who totally withdraw from the College prior to this date will owe the College and/or the US Department of Education for the amount of unearned aid. For more information, contact the Financial Aid Office at 843-470-5961.

Dishonored Checks

Any student presenting a check to the College that is returned by the bank will be charged a $30 processing fee for each dishonored check. Presentation of fraudulent checks is a criminal act and will be considered a violation of the Student Code. Students who pay with dishonored or fraudulent checks will be required to pay all fees and collection charges to the Beaufort County Solicitors Office. No personal checks will be accepted from students who have presented two dishonored checks in the previous three years.

Financial Aid and Drop/Withdrawal

Dropping or withdrawing from a class may impact a student’s financial aid. Prior to dropping or withdrawing from any course(s), students must check with the Financial Aid Office to ascertain the impact of such action on their financial aid status/award. The student is financially responsible for tuition and fees resulting from the administrative withdrawal. Failure to attend the first day of class will result with the student being dropped from the course. Students are not eligible for aid in classes in which they have “not attended.” Courses that are dropped and/or withdrawn may effect the student’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

Transcripts Costs

Student transcripts are kept on file in the Student Records Office. A $5 fee is charged for each transcript. Checks should be made payable to the Technical College of the Lowcountry and accompanied by a signed Transcript Release Form, available in the Student Records Office or at the TCL website www.tcl.edu. No transcript is released without the student’s written permission or if the student has outstanding financial accounts with the College. TCL can only release transcripts on credit earned at TCL.

Tuition Refund for Students Called to Active Military Service

Military students who are currently on active duty and are deployed in emergency situations to serve under unplanned conditions that would necessitate an interruption in their studies will also be eligible for tuition refund or credits. Active military students with orders in a given semester should contact Student Records at 843-525-8272.

Tuition Promissory Note

The Tuition Promissory Note outlines student responsibility for tuition and fees resulting from registration for classes.

This note reads as follows:

For value and services received, I promise to pay Technical College of the Lowcountry (hereafter known as “the College”) tuition and fees assessed to me for courses for which I have registered. I understand and agree to pay any additional fees or charges assessed to my account related to my attending each term at the College, including but not limited to, late payment fees or parking and library fines. In the event I default on this agreement, I understand that the unpaid balance on my account will be:

• Placed for collection with the SC Department of Revenue Debt Setoff Program, and/or
• Placed with an outside collection agency.

Furthermore, I understand and agree to the following:

• That I will be prohibited from obtaining a transcript or registering from any future classes until such time as my account balance is paid in full.
• To pay any collection costs added to the outstanding account balance. Collection costs may not exceed 40% of the outstanding student account balance.
• To pay any court and/or attorney fees resulting from the enforcement of this agreement, in addition to tuition and fees due the College.
• That the College may repay my account balance from any Title IV funds due to me. All outstanding account balances are educational loans extended with the express understanding that future repayment shall be made to the College.
• That my acceptance to these terms represents a loan for an educational benefit by the College and as such, is exempt from discharge under federal bankruptcy code 11 U.S.C. 523 (a)(8).

A student must pay all tuition and fees in full before the beginning of each semester, prior to the first day of classes. Students who fail to pay tuition and fees prior to the published deadlines may be de-registered for non-payment.

Students who receive financial aid must have completed the Financial Aid application process to have aid applied to their account to avoid de-registration. Financial Aid recipients whose account balances are paid with student aid must have all aid posted to their account. Payments received on or after the first day of classes incur a late payment fee.

In order to receive financial aid, students must complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to be considered for Financial Aid funding. Deadlines for FAFSA completion are posted on the TCL website (www.tcl.edu) and are updated regularly.

Students must pay all tuition and fees in full prior to the beginning of each semester, prior to the first day of class. Students who fail to pay tuition and fees by published deadlines are subject to deregistration for non-payment.

Students that have completed sufficient information to estimate financial liability may be exempted from de-registration at the discretion of the Financial Aid Director. If a student has decided not to attend class for courses in which he is registered, it is the student’s responsibility to drop/withdraw from class prior to the first day to ensure fees are not assessed against the student’s account.

Students are responsible for all tuition and fees of courses in which they have registered regardless of the availability of financial aid or their financial aid status.