Community of Support. Westmont is a non-profit corporation and receives gifts and contributions to help keep costs at a minimum. Student charges do not cover the entire cost of education at Westmont. Donations from individuals, churches, and businesses make up the balance and allow the College to offer many types of financial aid (See Financial Aid section).

Student Charges. The charges listed below and throughout this section apply to the 2004-2005 academic year. Charges and financial policies are subject to change without notice by action of the Westmont College Board of Trustees.

Tuition and Required Fees
Semester fees include: health fee, $229 and student activity fee, $119.

Room and Board Charges
The room rental contract allows students to occupy their rooms for the entire semester, except during the Christmas vacation period. Students may stay for any portion (or all) of spring recess, but must register in advance with their Resident Director. Students who occupy a triple room and live with two other roommates for the entire semester will receive a refund of $220 at the end of the semester. All students residing in campus residence halls must be on the board program. The dining commons is open every day during each semester, except during Christmas vacation, spring recess and on Thanksgiving Day.

Only students who have registered and paid the $300 non-refundable deposit can reserve campus housing or request parking permits.

Off-Campus Programs
Study programs in Europe, England, Israel, San Francisco, and Washington D.C., as well as international summer study/travel programs, are listed in the Special Programs section of this catalog. Contact the Off-Campus Programs Office for charges and refund policies.

Accessory Fees
(This list is for information purposes only and is not intended to be all-inclusive.)

Payment Schedule. Students are required to pay at least one-third of the amount they owe for the semester on or before the beginning of each semester. In order to meet this schedule, it is strongly recommended that all financial aid forms and documents be submitted by July 1 and a Student Account Promissory Note be completed, signed by all parties, and received by the Business Office before the beginning of the first semester at Westmont.

All charges for the Fall Semester must be paid in full by October 31 and by March 31 for the Spring Semester. Westmont applies finance charges monthly on account balances at a rate equal to the amount allowed by law, up to 1% per month. All charges for one semester must be paid before a student is permitted to register for the next semester.

Foreign Student Payment
Foreign students who require an I-20 form to obtain a student visa must pay the annual balance due (annual student charges less $8,000 deposit and financial aid) in four equal installments. These installments are due on September 30, October 31, January 31, and February 28. Additional charges (e.g. lab fees, long distance telephone charges, and pharmacy charges) are due as they are billed. Foreign students may return for subsequent years only if they have paid their bills for the current and prior semesters and make a $8,000 deposit ($300 of which is non-refundable) by August 1.

Withdrawing from School/Refunds. Westmont makes refunds under certain conditions. Students never receive refunds of their deposits. Refunds for tuition, fees, board, and housing depend on the time the student officially exits. Students must submit an exit form to the Registrar’s Office before exiting in order to receive a refund of any student charges. The exit date is set as the day the student notifies the Registrar’s Office that the student is leaving school.
A schedule of refunds for first-semester students is available at the Business Office, but will be no less than the schedule of refunds for continuing students which follows. A variation of the refund policy may apply for students who are federal financial aid recipients.

Tuition

Fees
Time of Exit Refund

Board

Room
A $150 cancellation fee is charged to cancel campus housing once it is reserved. In addition, students will only be refunded the percentage indicated for board refunds if the room is cancelled after August 1 for fall semester (December 15 for spring semester).

Appeals. Students who feel their individual circumstances warrant exception from the published policy may appeal to the Vice President for Finance.

Billing Procedures. The College will issue bills about three weeks before each semester to those students who have pre-registered. These bills will show the exact amount of charges due before or during the Financial Check-in for each semester. Subsequent statements may include additional charges. Students who do not pre-register will receive a bill for the upcoming semester immediately following registration.

Westmont does not consider students to be officially enrolled until they have completed the Financial Check-in each semester. At Financial Check-in students confirm their compliance with the following three conditions:

1. At least the minimum payment has been received by the Business Office
2. All financial aid forms and documents have been completed and received by the Financial Aid Office
3. A Student Account Promissory Note has been completed and signed by all parties and received by the Business Office

Financial Check-in
Students comply with Financial Check-in requirements by paying at least the minimum amount, and submiting all required forms to the Business Office and Financial Aid Office on or before August 15 for the Fall Semester and December 15, for the Spring Semester. These students are considered to have completed Financial Check-in.

Students who have not complied with all of the three conditions described above must complete Financial Check-in in person by the first day of each semester.

Westmont may cancel the registration of students who do not complete the Financial Check-in by the first day of each semester. This includes students whose checks to satisfy Financial Check-in are returned for insufficient funds. These students will be dropped from their classes so that students on waiting lists may fill their places. Only registered students will be able to occupy College housing.

Students who complete Financial Check-in after the first day of the semester and pay the $50 late Financial Check-in fee, may register or re-register through the 5th day of the semester. After this time, they may register or add classes by petition only, and they must pay a late registration fee or a late course add fee if the College grants their petitions. However, if Westmont reaches its County-imposed limit on enrollment, registration will close at that time, and the College will not be able to enroll any more students.

Students may register for subsequent semesters only if they have paid their bills for the current and prior semesters. They must also have made a $300 non-refundable deposit.

Westmont sends statements of accounts for each month on or before the 10th of the following month. Payments are due by the end of the month in which the Business Office issues these statements, and the College will assess finance charges on outstanding balances. Westmont cannot accept loan proceeds as payments until students have endorsed the promissory notes or checks. All unpaid student account balances will constitute a student loan for which students and parents are responsible according to the terms and conditions of the Payment Plan/Student Loan Agreement and Promissory Note. Students may not obtain grade reports, transcripts, diplomas, or participate in commencement exercises as long as they owe money or loan payments to Westmont.