Tuition and Fees

It is the policy of Berry College to keep charges to students to a minimum, and the college carefully selects those to whom it will offer admission. To balance the difference between actual educational costs and the amount a student pays, Berry College provides scholarships and institutional aid to students to help make the cost more affordable.

Many students are offered a work opportunity as well, through which they can help offset a portion of their college expenses. They are paid regularly on a biweekly basis. Scholarships, grants, loans and other awards also are available under a comprehensive financial-assistance program. Further information is provided later in this section.

Regular Charges for 2017-2018

The Board of Trustees reserves the right to change any charge (regular or other) at any time.

Tuition

For each semester hour in excess of 18, an additional charge of $1,165 per hour will be made. Students enrolled for fewer than 12 semester hours are charged $1,165 per hour.

Auditors (students enrolled in one or more classes on a noncredit basis) are charged tuition at the rate of $583 per semester hour.

A portion of tuition is applied toward the costs of student publications (Cabin Log, Campus Carrier and Ramifications), athletic activities, campus motion pictures and cultural-affairs performances, student-government activities and student-center operations.

Room

Residence halls are completely closed at Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. When space is available, students may request private rooms through the office of residence life. Additional charges apply for these requests. For rooms identified as doubles, triples or quads which are converted to lower occupancy rooms at the request of the resident(s), an additional charge of $630 per year will apply.

Also, for any student residing in a room identified as a single, an additional charge of $360 per year will apply.

Board

First-year students living on campus must purchase the Unlimited Plan. Second-year students living on campus must purchase at least the Any 10 Plan. All other traditional residence hall occupants must purchase at least the Any 7 Plan. All other suite residents and all full-time commuter students must purchase at least the Flex Bucks Plan. Meals not included in a plan may be purchased on a casual basis. In addition, a la carte service is available in Viking Court (our food court).

Meal plan charges cover only those meals and Flex Bucks that are made available within an academic semester. Unused meals and Flex Bucks do not roll over from semester to semester.

We provide a variety of foods to satisfy students with special diets. We can provide most special diets if recommended by the student’s physician. If, after receiving documentation and having conversations with the student’s physician, it is deemed by our dietician and the director of dining services that we are unable to meet the dietary need, then the director of dining services can exempt an individual from the meal plan rules above.

Other Charges

Special fees are not refundable. Certain courses, including music lessons, require special fees for materials or facilities use or other particular costs. See the Berry Web site or course registration site for details.

Admission deposits are refundable only if written notice of cancellation is received by May 1 from applicants for the fall semester and two months before the start of the semester from applicants for spring semester.

The admission deposit is not a prepayment of tuition and fees; rather, it serves as a reservation deposit to be retained until the student graduates or withdraws. For continuing students, refund of the deposit will be made when formal withdrawal is accomplished prior to the end or preregistration for the following semester and all financial obligations have been met.

Admission deposits are not prepayments to be applied to residence-hall charges but will remain on deposit with the college to be refunded, provided the student’s accounts with the college are cleared, upon change of status from residence-hall student to commuting student, formal withdrawal or graduation. However, the admission deposit refund will be permanently forfeited in the event of a change to commuting status or formal withdrawal occurring after the preregistration period has ended for the next semester.

Textbooks and supplies each semester cost approximately $600. Personal expenses, of course, vary with the individual.

Graduate Studies Charges

Charges for graduate studies are listed in the Graduate Catalog.

Financial Obligations to the College

A student who is delinquent in payment of any financial obligation to Berry College may be removed from classes; may not be allowed to register at the college for another semester until such delinquency is satisfied; may not be issued official transcripts or a diploma; and may be subject to additional measures. In the event that an unpaid obligation is submitted to a collection agency or an attorney at law, all costs of collection, including reasonable attorney’s fees, will be paid by the student.

Payment of Charges Each Semester

Each student who has registered is billed in advance with an itemized statement of charges for the semester; financial-aid credits applied, if any; and the net amount due and payable on or before the fee payment date or the student will not be “cleared” to attend classes. A student may view their statement of charges on VikingWeb or through the Student Account Center​. 

Payment plans are available for those who wish to pay charges for each semester in monthly installments. Please see www.berry.afford.com and log in to the Student Account Center to learn more.

Clearance to Attend Classes

A student will not be permitted to attend classes, and professors will not admit students to class, until the Student Financial Services Office has received the net amount billed or the first installment of a Payment Plan for the semester and all scholarship, loan and other financial-aid forms and/or checks have been signed.

Refund of Charges

All students who withdraw during a fall or spring semester will be charged tuition and room and board, if applicable, at the rate of 10 percent of the semester charge for each week, or fraction thereof, of enrollment. If a recipient of financial aid withdraws and is scheduled to receive a refund, all or part of this refund will be used to reimburse the financial-aid program from which the student received funds. All students who withdraw from a summer semester on or before add/drop day for the summer block their course(s) reside in will receive a full refund. Other fees are nonrefundable.

Students receiving Title IV Federal Financial Aid (Stafford, Plus or Perkins Loans, Pell Grant, SEOG, etc.) who withdraw during a semester will be subject to the refunding of all or a portion of their financial aid to the respective loan or grant, according to Federal Regulations. Information on these withdrawal procedures and the Federal Regulations that apply are available in the Student Financial Services Office.

Work Experience

Join the nation’s premier student work experience program. Berry offers meaningful work to every student in more than 120 departments and locations. Each year approximately 88% of the student body chooses to work in a variety of jobs. New student workers start in entry-level positions and then have opportunities to progress to more advanced positions. Many students eventually have the opportunity to lead projects, supervise other students, perform research or manage departments or one of our student-operated businesses.

The Berry work experience extends, complements, and enriches the academic experience. Students develop leadership and human relations skills, learn good work habits, build self-reliance, and become experts in their work area. Learning outcomes of the program also focus on taking initiative, integrity, customer service and team work.

The typical student works 10 hours per week. Students are limited to no more than 16 hours per week. In rare cases a vice president can grant approval to work up to 20 hours per week. Some departments also provide student work opportunities during the summer, up to 40 hours per week.

The Office of Student Work assigns positions to incoming freshmen based on past experiences, individual preferences and institutional needs. Sophomores, juniors and seniors are encouraged to seek the jobs of their choice. Open jobs are posted at https://studentwork.berry.edu. Students having difficulty finding jobs should contact the Office of Student Work in Krannert 321.

Students working 15 hours per week during the academic year can earn approximately $3,480. Students working 40 hours per week during the summer have the opportunity to earn up $4,500 and those working approximately 464 hours can earn an additional $1000 credit toward fall tuition.

Student earnings for on-campus jobs are paid every two weeks. Earnings are subject to state and federal income taxes and in some cases FICA taxes. New students are required to complete payroll withholding and I-9 (verification of citizenship) forms prior to receiving work assignments and therefore should have a social-security card or certified birth certificate and one other government-issued picture identification (usually a state-issued driver’s license) in their possession when they arrive on the campus. A valid U.S. passport is an acceptable substitute for the social security card, birth certificate, and the identification card.