Fees and Expenses

Occidental College is an independent institution that receives no operating support from public funds. Each student is charged a tuition fee that covers about two-thirds of the cost of services provided by the College. The balance of these costs is met by income from endowment and by gifts from trustees, parents, alumni, other friends, corporations, and foundations interested in the type of education that this institution provides.

The expenses of students at Occidental are shown in the schedules that appear below. The College reserves the right to change fees, modify its services, or change its program should economic conditions or national emergency make it necessary to do so.

The College will charge all full-time students $38,935 per year. If the student resides on campus, an additional charge will be assessed per the room-and-board schedule below. Books and supplies, special fees, and personal expenses will vary with the individual. The College estimates they will total approximately $3,258 per year.

TUITION AND GENERAL FEES (PER SEMESTER)

Please see explanations below regarding certain of these items:

Tuition and Commitment Deposit: Tuition is the charge for instruction and general services of the College, including privileges of the library, gymnasium, swimming pool, and health center; admission to all athletic events sponsored by the College; and graduation.

Upon acceptance for admission to Occidental, a commitment deposit of $300 is required. The deposit will be forfeited should enrollment at Occidental not occur. Commitment deposits are non-interest bearing.

The commitment deposit will be credited toward the student’s account at the end of the last academic semester in attendance. In the event that the student elects not to return to the College, and therefore does not graduate, the deposit will be released at the time of declaration not to return. Deposits will be held for students on official leave of absence from the College, pending their return.

Room and Board: All students who hold a room contract must purchase one of the three room-and-board contracts available per semester:

Meal plan changes may only be made at financial clearance or in person in the Campus Dining office. Changes for a semester may be made up to 5 p.m. on the Friday of the second full week of classes. There will be no charge through the end of the financial clearance process, after which a fee of $5 (cash or check) will apply. For complete information on meal plan policies, please see the Campus Dining website: http://www.oxy.edu/CampusDining.xml.

Student Body Fee: The student body fee is required of all students. (Exchange students from Caltech and the Art Center College of Design are exempt.) The fee is established and collected by the College for the support of student body organizations and activities, including publication of a weekly newspaper and production of the yearbook. Student body funds are administered by the Associated Students of Occidental College. In extraordinary circumstances, the president of the College is authorized to take whatever action deemed necessary with respect to the expenditure of these funds or the use of student body facilities and properties.

Accident Insurance (Mandatory): An accident insurance fee is required of all full-time students.

Sickness Insurance: A sickness insurance fee will be added to each student account unless the Student Business Services Office receives a completed waiver that confirms alternative coverage by August 3, 2009. The sickness insurance waiver should be completed online. The insurance rates are subject to change. International students and students studying abroad may not waive the sickness insurance. Waivers received in September are effective for the entire school year. Sickness insurance can be added for the spring semester only for new students, or students with coverage changes beyond their control, such as coverage changes due to change of employment. In such cases, the student must provide proof of this change.

PAYMENT OF STUDENT ACCOUNTS

Tuition and fees may be paid according to one of the following payment plans:

*Requires a deferred payment fee of $50 per semester.

Prior to registration, students will be requested to provide information on meal plan selection, sickness insurance coverage, full- or part-time status, payment plan, etc.

Based upon this information, tuition and fee charges will be calculated and billings mailed prior to the appropriate payment due date for the semester. Credits to the student’s account for financial aid and sponsored assistance will be prorated by semester.

Payments must be received by the due dates indicated to obtain final clearance to register and to avoid a late payment assessment. If an individual writes two checks to the College returned for non-sufficient funds, that individual will lose check writing privileges at the College. The College always accepts cashier’s checks and money orders. Checks written by an Occidental student to a College department that are returned by the bank for any reason will be applied to the tuition account of that student. Actual charges will be calculated from academic registration information. Each semester, all accounts are reviewed by the Business Office and must be current in order to have enrollment confirmed.

The College will not register a student, confer a degree, nor provide a final transcript to any student or former student who has a financial obligation to the College (other than a loan not yet due). All graduating seniors must satisfy all financial obligations to the College with the Business Office by May 12. Failure to do so will cause the diploma and final transcript to be withheld.

Tuition Insurance Plan

This elective insurance plan provided by A.W.G. Dewar Inc. increases the refund adjustments provided by the College’s refund policy. Students can receive up to a 75% refund of semester tuition and insured fees in the event of withdrawal for medical or psychological reasons. Enrollment forms and descriptive materials are mailed to students in June. The plan provides coverage for tuition, room, meals, and student body fee.

SPECIAL FEES

*Transcripts of credits are ordered through the Office of the Registrar and are released if outstanding obligations to the College have been paid in full, or satisfactory arrangements with the Business Office have been made.

**One week’s time is normally required for processing requests.

TUITION ADJUSTMENT POLICY

Since faculty engagements and other commitments are made by the College for the entire year in advance, the following tuition adjustment schedule has been established in order that the College and the student may share the cost equitably when it is necessary for a student to drop a course or withdraw from the College.

Status Change From Full-Time To Part-Time: The College refund policy for students dropping from full-time status to part-time status is effective only for the first five weeks of the semester. Students who register at the beginning of the term as full-time and elect to drop to part-time status will be billed on a per-unit basis (eleven or fewer units) in addition to the following assessment fee:

At the end of the second week of classes—$670
During the third, fourth, and up to the end of the fifth week of classes—$1,780
After the fifth week of classes, no adjustment will be made and the student will be billed at the regular full-time rate.

Part-time Status: To be considered part-time, a student must petition the Registrar’s Office and be approved. Attending courses with 11 or fewer units without an approved petition from the Registrar does not constitute part-time status and the student will be subject to full-time tuition and fees.

Withdrawal from the College: Students who withdraw during the semester may be eligible for refunds, depending upon the time of the withdrawal. Students must give written notification to the Registrar of their decision to withdraw and complete all withdrawal procedures to be eligible for any refunds (see tuition insurance plan).

Eligibiliy for tuition refunds is as follows:

*Days of classes are defined as any business day when any classes are held.

Board charges will be prorated to the date of change in status, except that adjustments will not be made for an absence of one week or less nor for the first week of a prolonged absence.

Adjustments to room charges will be made only in accordance with the terms of the room contract.

No adjustment will be made to student body, accident insurance, and sickness insurance fees.

No adjustment except for board will be made to a student who is suspended, dismissed, expelled, or asked to leave the College for any reason. Student scholarship aid will be prorated according to published guidelines and government regulations.

Graduate Programs: Graduate students officially accepted into the Education Credential or M.A.T. programs must confirm their enrolled units with the registrar by published deadlines. Students will be billed on a per-unit basis for the units for which they register at the beginning of the semester. After the fifth week of classes, no adjustment other than assessing additional units will be made. If the enrolled units form is not completed, the student will be charged full-time tuition at the graduate education rate.