Tuition & Fees

Schedule of Semester Fees and Refund Policy

Tuition (2023-2024 academic year)

• The tuition rate for CAGS, graduate certificates, certification and non-degree course work is $755 per credit.
• Tuition is reviewed and subject to adjustment each year.
• Books – Charges for books are not included in the cost of tuition.  However, all new students are opted into the Slingshot Book Program automatically, and books will be sent to the student prior to the start of their registered classes.  You can manage your account and preferences in the Slingshot Campus Bookstore program. When you start, your preference will be rental books as the default, as it is the most affordable. You will stay opted in for future terms unless you choose to opt out.  Any student can opt in or out at any time, and return any un-needed books. Charges for books through the automatic Slingshot program will be added to the student’s Messiah account.

In addition to any tuition and fee amounts mentioned on this page, you should plan for expenses such as books and supplies, miscellaneous & personal expenses, and transportation.  For a full estimate of the anticipated costs for this program, please visit our Cost of Attendance Information page and search for the program name. 

Additional Costs

Drop/Add Fee: $25 (Students may drop a course online through the day before a course begins without a fee)

Transcript Fee: Varies from no cost to $7; See Registrar's Office website for more information

Return ACH or check Fee: $50 non-refundable fee for non-sufficient funds or incorrect bank account or routing numbers

Health Insurance (per year): The 2023-2024 rate is $2,654.  This insurance is available only for graduate students in Athletic Training, Nutrition and Dietetics/Dietetic Internship, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and also Higher Education Graduate Assistants.  Insurance must be waived if the student is covered by an approved health care plan.

Pre-registration Deposit: $500 non-refundable for all new DPT and MOT students.  All other programs have a $200 non-refundable for new, first-time graduate students or re-enrolled graduate students. The deposit will be applied as a prepayment to the first semester’s tuition and fees. Payment can be made online via credit card at: Messiah Graduate Deposit.

Tuition Insurance:  Graduate students are eligible for a supplemental tuition insurance program through GradGuard, which provides up to 100% protection for your investment, should you need to withdraw unexpectedly due to illness, injury, mental health issues and other reasons.  Visit https://gradguard.com to learn more.   Students who are interested must purchase the insurance at least one day prior to the start date of the semester.

Program-specific fees

Additional costs may be incurred in the following programs related to materials, technology and clearances:

MS/Dietetic internship program - click here.

M.A. in counseling program - click here.

Master of education program – possible costs for background checks and clearances.

Occupational therapy program - click here.

Electronic Billing (eBill)

Each semester, students will receive an email notification via their Messiah University email account when invoices are available to view. The invoice is a snapshot of your account taken on the billing date. Invoices show anticipated financial aid subtracted from the balance due. Bi-weekly eBill notifications will be sent until the account shows a zero balance.

View your eBill from FALCON Link > Transact eBill. The left navigational panel allows you to view a summary of your account, or "Activity Details" shows current credit, balances, payments and any changes made to your charges.  You can view all prior term activity in the lower section.

Selecting "Statements" allows you to view dated billing statements.  These invoices include itemized charges for the entire semester. However, when registered for early and late term courses, the balance can be broken down into two payments. Charges must be paid in full prior to the start of each class.  Students will not be permitted to register for subsequent courses, and transcripts will not be released until all financial obligations have been fulfilled.  

Financial Responsibility Agreement:Each semester, all undergraduate and graduate students will be required to complete a “Financial Responsibility Agreement” before registering for courses. By signing the Agreement, each student is acknowledging they are fully responsible for paying their educational cost while enrolled at Messiah each semester. When registration opens each semester, there will be an FRA hold automatically applied to a student’s record. Students can easily remove their “FRA hold” themselves by signing their Financial Responsibility Agreement through Falcon Link.

Initial semester eBill notifications are typically emailed to students the following months:

• Fall semester - July
• Spring semester - early December
• Summer semester – early May

Forms of Payment Accepted

Pay online from FALCON Link >Transact eBill>select Make a Payment.

• Echeck/ACH:  Enter bank routing and account numbers to deduct the payment from a bank account (no fee and very secure).
• Credit/Debit Card:  Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover (2.85% processing charge is added).

Alternatively, a check can be mailed, or an in-person payment made at the Falcon Exchange located on the first floor of Eisenhower Campus Center. Checks should be made payable to Messiah University and mailed to Messiah University, Falcon Exchange, Suite 4516, One University Avenue, Mechanicsburg, PA  17055 (please write your ID# in the memo line).

Additional Payment Options

Loans

Two federal loans are available to graduate students. Private loans are also available. More information can be found at https://www.messiah.edu/info/21328/types_of_financial_aid/2067/loans

Deferred Payment Plan

Graduate students who are eligible for employer reimbursement can defer payment of their reimbursed charges until after the end of the semester. The Deferred Tuition Payment Agreement found here must be completed by the student and employer. This is an agreement between the student and Messiah University. Federal regulations require students to notify the university of any reimbursement they will receive. These funds are considered when calculating financial aid eligibility for federal loans.

Monthly Payment Option

Semester Monthly Payment Plans are available through your Transact/eBill site.  A $35/semester fee will allow a student to set up a three or four month payment plan.  The first payment is due when a student or authorized user enrolls in the plan.  Subsequent payments are due on the 5th of each month.  If you are setting up your payment plan prior to receiving your semester itemized eBill, please feel free to contact Student Financial Services at gradfinancialserv@messiah.edu for assistance in calculating the amount of your charges.

Graduate Payment Plans

Registration and Transcript Hold Policy

• Diplomas and transcripts will not be released for students who have balances of $25.00 or more.
• Registration is blocked for students who have balances of $100.00 or more.
• See above information about the Financial Responsibility Agreement which must be completed prior to registration each semester.

Graduate Tuition and Fee Refund Policy/Return of Title IV Funds

Course Withdrawals for Graduate Students

Students may drop a course online through the day before a course begins and charges will be reversed.  After the course begins, students may only withdraw from a course and will be assessed a drop registration fee by the Registrar’s Office. Tuition refunds will be calculated in accordance with Messiah University's Graduate Refund Policy and based upon the number of calendar days a student has completed upon the official date of withdrawal. There will be no tuition refunds after the student has completed at least one third of the course.  All requests for withdrawals must be emailed to the Registrar's Office from the student's Messiah email account to gradregistrar@messiah.edu. 

Dropping or withdrawing from a course may reduce a student’s financial aid eligibility.  Students should contact Student Financial Services, gradfinancialserv@messiah.edu,  prior to dropping or withdrawing from a class to find out if their aid will be affected by their decision.

Messiah University Graduate Refund Policy

Refunds for students who withdraw voluntarily or involuntarily are determined, with one exception*, according to the percentage of the semester/part of term completed when a student withdraws from a course. The following chart details the percentages of completion used to calculate the percentage of refunds and offers examples of the most common graduate course delivery models. If the delivery model of a graduate course is not listed below, the refund for such a course will be calculated using the percentage of the semester/part of term that is completed when a student notifies the registrar’s office of the withdrawal.

*If a student withdraws from an on-campus intensive course by 11:59PM EST of the first day of residency, the student will be entitled to a 100% refund (provided the student’s other financial obligations to Messiah University have been met in full).  If a student withdraws from an intensive course at any time after 11:59PM EST of the first day of residency, the student will not be entitled to receive a refund.

Refund Examples

The procedure for a refund is as follows:

1. A drop occurs within the 100% refund period of the course.  A withdrawal occurs after the initial drop period and after the 100% refund period for a course, and before the final third of the part-of-term.  Students may drop themselves from a course prior to the start date of that class using the online student information system.  Requests to withdraw from a course must be emailed to the Graduate Registrar's Office. The date and time in Eastern Time Zone of the email determines the refund date and amount. Notifying an instructor does not constitute an official request to drop or withdraw from a course.
   1. In addition to the percentage of tuition refund, a withdrawal from class results in the assessment of a fee.  This fee will be added to the student's account.  Any approved exception to the withdrawal date may result in a late fee.
   2. Withdrawn courses are indicated with a "W" (withdraw) on the student's transcript.  This withdrawal grade is not calculated in the grade point average.  After two-thirds of the part-of-term is completed, students are not permitted to withdraw from their course except in cases documented by their physician or employer.
   3. Approval to add, drop, or withdraw from a course once a part-of-term begins results in assessment of a standard processing fee.  Any approved exception for a late add or late withdrawal may result in an additional processing fee.
2. For courses with a residency component, a full refund will be granted only if the withdrawal is made prior to 11:59PM, EST on the first day of residency.  After the first day of residency, the tuition is non-refundable except for the reasons of 1) illness documented by a physician or 2) employment reasons as documented by an employer, or 3) death of an immediate family member.
3. Lab, music, private music lesson, and all other course-related fees, as applicable, will not be refunded after completion of 7% of the part-of-term. 
4. Refunds and adjusted bills will be sent to the student’s home address following withdrawal from the university.  Updated billing statements will be available online for students dropping or withdrawing from courses only.  Students will be notified if their change in enrollment has required an adjustment to their financial aid award.
5. In accordance with federal regulations, when federal financial aid refunds are involved, the amounts are allocated in the following order: Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans, other Title IV aid programs.
6. The term “Title IV Funds” refers to the Federal financial aid programs authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1956 (as amended) and includes the following programs: Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans, subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans, Federal Direct PLUS loans, Federal Pell Grants, Federal SEOG.
7. Institutional and student responsibilities in regard to the return of the Title IV funds:
   1. Messiah University's responsibilities
      1. Providing each student with the information given in the policy
      2. Identifying students who are affected by the policy and completing the Return of Title IV Funds calculation for those students 
      3. Returning any Title IV funds that are due to the Title IV programs
   2. Student’s responsibilities
      1. Returning to the Title IV programs any funds that were disbursed directly to the student and which the student was determined to be ineligible for via the Return of the Title IV Funds calculation
8. Other financial aid will be refunded in proportion to and along the same schedule as tuition.  Students may return unused books/materials to Slingshot and receive a refund based on the return date and Slingshot's policies.
9. Messiah University is not required to pay a credit balance that is less than $1.00.  Credit balances greater than or equal to $1.00 are automatically refunded to the student upon the student’s graduation or separation from the University.  

This policy has been instituted to establish an official withdrawal date, provide a fair and equitable policy for determining refunds for withdrawing students, provide student counseling regarding withdrawal implications, and provide a waiting period at no expense to the student.

Maryland Resident Refund Policy

Maryland residents have a unique refund policy for their online courses. If a Maryland resident withdraws or is terminated after completing only a portion of a course or term the following refund applies and supersedes the standard Messiah University Graduate refund policy.

All refunds to Maryland residents shall be based on the date of withdrawal or termination and will be paid within 60 days from the date of withdrawal or termination.

Return of Federal Student Loans

The return of Federal Student loans has a different rate than the University's refund policy:

Return of Title IV Funds applies to a Federal aid recipient who withdraws from or leaves school before completing the payment period or period of enrollment.

• At Messiah University the period of enrollment for graduate and professional students is a semester.
• Messiah University will determine the percentage of aid earned by the student by calculating the percentage of the period that the student completed.
  • For credit-hour programs that means the Days Attended/ Days in period = percentage completed.
• Any unearned funds must be returned. The percentage of loan that a student is allowed to keep may differ from the percentage of tuition remaining on their account per the University's refund policy. This would result in a balance due to the University.
  
  However, since some graduate programs at Messiah University have multiple parts of term in each semester, there may be situations where a student withdraws from an early part of the term but still plans to attend classes in the latter part of the term.
  • In this case the student is not considered to have withdrawn from the program if the student gives the institution written confirmation that he or she will attend a class in the part of term that begins later in the same payment period or period of enrollment. The situation will change if the student does not attend the class in the later session.
  • This written confirmation must occur at the time that would have been considered a withdrawal.
  
  Therefore, if a graduate student withdraws from a class or classes part of the way through the early part of the term and gives Messiah University written confirmation (at the time of withdrawal) that they are enrolled in and planning to attend a class or classes in the latter part of the same semester, there is no need to return Federal Direct Loans. However, if the student does not follow-through and attend the later session, the situation would be considered a withdrawal.