Student Finance Policy

The Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Board officially sets program and material fees. The Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) District Board officially sets fees for contract classes, multi-recipient contract classes, and community service classes. Fees are established each spring for the following school year and are subject to change without notice.

Students are required to pay class fees no later than fourteen (14) days prior to the class start date for classes that charge program and material fees or the stated fee due date, whichever is later. Students are fully responsible for tuition and fees. To avoid late fees and collection activities, students must pay fees by the due date or officially drop classes according to the refund policy. Students are not automatically dropped from class by simply not attending.

Students must initiate drop requests online or through Enrollment Services, with exceptions noted below. Drop requests are not processed through instructors. Due date exceptions exist for classes that do not charge standard program and material fees. For multi-recipient contract classes students may be dropped if payment is not received by the due date. Students that do not pay for Association of Supply Chain Management (ASCM) classes by the due date will be dropped since materials must be shipped to students in advance of the class.

Students have the option of utilizing a variety of methods for payment of fees. FVTC will accept cash, check, money order, electronic funds transfer, employer/agency contract, and financial aid. Students can also pay online using a checking or savings account or credit card. Credit card payments for tuition and fees are accepted online through a third-party service. International payments may also be made online using a third-party service. A service charge equal to the prevailing rate for credit card merchant/service fees will apply for credit card payments. VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover will be accepted through the third-party service. FVTC also offers a payment plan option that is accessible online.

Students who have a balance greater than awarded financial aid need to pay that balance by the designated fee due date.

A monthly late fee is assessed for accounts over forty-five (45) calendar days past due and collection procedures will be initiated. These collection procedures may include an additional fee when an account is sent to a collection agency.

Students with financial obligations to FVTC will have holds placed on their accounts prohibiting further enrollment activity. Outstanding financial obligations must be satisfied before new enrollment activities are permitted, with exceptions noted below.

A refund in this section means an adjustment to the charge for a class, or a reduction of charges. An actual refund is only due if the charge is paid. Refunds are processed according to the WTCS refund policy for classes that charge the program and material fee mandated by WTCS. Wisconsin Technical College 10.08, Wisconsin Administrative Code, establishes the requirements for district policies and procedures related to student fee refunds. Refunds are applicable from the date the student officially drops the class through Enrollment Services or online. FVTC will not drop any classes charging program and material fees for students for nonpayment or for failure to attend any portion of the class. All references to student fees mean applicable program fees (including online course fees), material fees and out- of-state tuition, and any fees established in lieu of these fees. These refund requirements do not apply to incidental fees, activity fees, or additional program fees. Refunds are based on the official start date of the class, not by the date the student first attends/accesses the class or obtains the class materials.

100% Refunds/Charge Adjustments
If the District cancels a class, 100% of student fees will be refunded or removed. If a student drops before the first-class meeting, 100% of student fees will be refunded. A student who drops a class before or at the time that 10% of the class’s potential hours of instruction have been completed and adds another class on the same day will receive a 100% credit for all applicable student fees for the dropped class. This credit will be applied to the fees of the added class. If the credit exceeds the fees for the added class, the excess amount will be refunded to the student. If the credit is less than the fees applicable to the added class, the shortfall will be billed to the student.

80% Refunds/Charge Adjustments
80% of all applicable student fees are to be refunded if the class is dropped before or at the time that 10% of the class’s potential hours of instruction have been completed.

60% Refunds/Charge Adjustments
60% of all applicable student fees are to be refunded if the class is dropped after 10% but before more than 20% of the class’s potential hours of instruction have been completed.

0% Refunds/No Charge Adjustments
No refund will be made if the class is dropped after 20% of the class’s potential hours of instruction have been completed.

Refund Appeals
FVTC will consider refund appeals in extenuating circumstances (situations outside of the student’s control). All such refund appeals are to be initiated by sending a written request with proper documentation no later than sixty (60) calendar days after the class start date, using the Request for Refund Appeal form. A refund request made after the sixty-day grace period will not be accepted and the student will be responsible for payment. Refunds for extenuating circumstances (situations outside of the student’s control) will be made at FVTC’s discretion.

FVTC will refund credit balances of $5.00 or greater to students.

Refund/Charge Adjustments for Classes Not Charging Program and Material Fees

• Contracted Classes: This policy only applies to billing done through the student information system. Contracted classes with zero fees on the student’s account will be handled by Business and Industry Services.
• ASCM Classes: Students that drop ASCM classes after materials have been shipped will not receive a charge adjustment. Students that do not pay for ASCM classes by the due date will be administratively removed from class.
• Multi-Recipient Contract Classes: Multi-Recipient Contract Classes do not charge program and material fees and refund schedules may vary and will be communicated to students at the time of enrollment or in the class notes.
• Professional Development Classes: Professional Development classes charge program and material fees which require following the above WTCS refund schedule, but due to the short duration of these classes will often result in full refund if dropped the day of the class.
• Group Dynamics, Multiple Offender Courses, Traffic Safety School: Group Dynamics and Multiple Offender classes must be paid for in full by the due date or students will be removed. No refunds or charge adjustments will be made after the payment due date.

Students with past due financial obligations to FVTC will have holds placed on their account prohibiting further enrollment activity. Holds will remain in effect until financial obligations have been satisfied or until the statute of limitation is reached. Students can view their balance, verify the status of a hold, and make a payment by accessing their online MyFVTC account. The Student Finance manager or their designee may lift holds to allow enrollment in special circumstances when students have a plan to pay or have been showing good faith effort with frequent and/or substantial payments. Holds will also be lifted for students that contact Student Finance with balances of $200 or less.

Student Finance staff will make collection efforts on past due accounts using email, text messaging, and regular mail. Early in the process staff will work with Student Finance Navigators to connect students with resources as appropriate. Students not enrolled in the current term that are past due for at least 90 days will be sent a Dunning Letter and given at least 30-days to resolve the balance or enter a short-term payment arrangement/plan. Students that fail to act may have a collection fee placed on their account and sent to collections. The first placement of accounts will be with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue State Debt Collection (SDC). Accounts deemed to not be collectible by SDC may be sent to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue for tax return intercept or to a collection agency.

Debt with FVTC is educational debt and therefore will normally survive bankruptcy. Staff will respond to bankruptcy notices accordingly. Collection activity will be suspended during the proceedings and resume after the case concludes.

Collection attempts may continue until the debt reaches the statute of limitations. For general fees the statute of limitations is 6 years from the last voluntary payment on the account or when the debt was incurred.

Debt resulting from the return of Financial Aid funds to the U.S Department of Education has a statute of limitations of 20 years.

FVTC reserves the right to require advance payment or proof of funds from a student with a prior collection action.