Tuition and Fees
Tuition and fees paid by students cover a significant portion of the cost of the operation of the College. Revenues from the county and state governments make up nearly all the difference.
Students registered at the College pay tuition according to their residency classification, using the criteria outlined in Appendix A. Refer to the class schedule and/or the College website for current tuition and fee information.
The College reserves the right to change tuition and fees at any time at the discretion of the Board of Trustees.
In addition to tuition, students pay a consolidated fee of 20 percent of tuition with a minimum charge of $50 and other applicable fees. Some courses require that students purchase textbooks and additional supplies or equipment, which may add significantly to the cost of these courses.
Appeals of Residency Classification
A change in residency classification or an appeal of current classification, as outlined in Appendix A, may be requested within a reasonable time following a decision by the College. Appeals for changes of residency classification must be accompanied by evidence justifying such changes and must be processed prior to the end of the third week of classes. Any changes processed after the third week of classes will be effective the following semester. Appeals must be submitted in writing to the campus registrar. If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the registrar, a written appeal may be made to the director of enrollment services and college registrar, whose decision is final.
Business/Industry Tuition Agreements
Businesses or other organizations that do business in the state of Maryland may be eligible to enter into an agreement with the College that affords their employees or members tuition and fees at the in-county residence rate, regardless of actual domicile. The courses taken must benefit the employer, and the employer must pay for the courses directly or through an employee reimbursement program. Contact the Office of Enrollment Services for more information.
Tuition Waiver
People 60 Years and Older. Maryland state residents who have enrolled in any credit or credit-equivalent course offered by the College will have their tuition waived if they are 60 years of age or older. Those who are age 60 or older must register during the final three days of registration to be eligible for the tuition waiver. The waiver is granted on a space-available basis.
Maryland National Guard. Any resident of Maryland who is a member of the Maryland National Guard for a minimum of a 24-month enlistment and enrolls in any class at the College, which is eligible under the Annotated Code of Maryland, Section 16-106 (Educ.) for state support, shall be eligible for a 50 percent waiver of the tuition.
People with Disabilities. Any resident of Maryland who is out of the workforce because of a permanent disability as defined by the Social Security Act, the Railroad Retirement Act, or-in the case of former federal employees-the Office of Personnel Management and who enrolls in a community college class that has at least 10 regularly enrolled students may be eligible for a tuition waiver. The waiver is available for six credits per semester for students who have not declared a degree or certificate program. If a student enrolls in a degree program, they are eligible for up to 12 credits of tuition waiver per semester. Students must complete the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid online by the priority deadline (March 1 for fall semester, November 1 for spring or winter sessions, April 1 for summer sessions). For more information on this tuition waiver, visit www.montgomerycollege.edu/paying-for-college/tuition/special-tuition-waivers.html.
Foster Care Recipients. Any foster care recipient who resides in a foster home located in the state of Maryland, and who is enrolled at the College in an associate’s degree program on or before reaching 21 years of age, shall be eligible for waiver of tuition and mandatory fees, provided that he or she has filed for federal and state financial aid by March 1 of each year.
Fees
Fees related to registration, tuition, and other charges are payable in full by the deadline indicated, unless the student has signed up for an installment plan. No fees are to be collected in the classroom. Fees are not normally refundable.
Application fee (nonrefundable): $25 This nonrefundable fee must accompany all applications for admission from students who will be registering for credit courses at the College for the first time.
Applied music fee: $150 per credit/billing hour. Covers the additional costs associated with applied music courses.
Change of schedule fee: $10 Within the first week (seven calendar days including the day classes begin as stated in the College calendar) of classes, students may adjust their schedule of study at no charge. Thereafter, a fee is charged for each schedule change.
Consolidated fee (see refund policy later in this section): 20 percent of total tuition with a $50 minimum (not to exceed 20 percent of the maximum charge for each residence category).
All students must pay this fee, which is intended to partially offset the costs associated with registration, records, use of various in-class instructional and laboratory supplies and equipment, instructionally related items (such as library, learning resources, and counseling and advising materials and services), student activities and athletics, and alumni activities. Eleven percent of the consolidated fee for the fall semester and spring semester for all on-campus credit-hour students will be deposited from the consolidated fee to the credit and support of campus student athletics (intercollegiate and intramural) and other student activities.
Credit-by-examination fee: 40 percent of in-county tuition rate.
This fee is charged to students on the basis of the number of credit hours in the course and is equal to 40 percent of the in-county tuition rate. Where a national examination is used, any additional charges will be paid by the student.
Invalid check fee: $35/occurrence
This fee is charged if a paper check, given for and/or by a student, is not honored by the bank. Returned checks may cause the student’s registration to be canceled.
Installment Plan Late Payment Fee: $35/ occurrence
Library fines and fees (as incurred)
Each library patron is responsible for returning books or other materials to the library. Fines are assessed for overdue materials. A fee is assessed based on the value of damaged or non-returned materials.
Major facilities reserve fund fee: $7 per credit/billing hour. This fee is to fund capital additions to and construction of non-administrative facilities.
Replacement diploma fee: $25 This fee is charged to students who wish to replace a lost or mutilated diploma.
Student status letter of certification fee: $5 This fee is charged each time a College office must produce a certification of various types of College academic and financial records. Certifications may be in the form of a letter certifying the full-time status of the student (or other academic information) or in the form of a copy of the student’s financial record with the certification that the copy is a true and accurate record. This fee is only assessed for those certifications that are College generated. Certifications that are sent to the College and merely signed are not subject to this fee. No certifications will be issued for any student who is financially delinquent with the College.
Technology fee: $5 per credit/billing hour This fee is assessed to partially offset the costs of technology associated with instructional programs. Fees are not refundable after the 100% refund date for the course.
Traffic fines: (variable) Fines are charged for violations of the College traffic regulations. See the Montgomery College Motor Vehicle Regulations publication available online.
Transcript fee: Official electronic transcripts may be purchased for $10. Official hard copies of transcripts can be purchased by mail and in person for $7. No transcript will be issued for any student who is financially delinquent with the College. https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/admissions-registration/student-resources/request-mc-transcript.html
Transportation fee (nonrefundable): $7 per credit/billing hour This nonrefundable fee is assessed to establish an enterprise fund designated for transportation operations.
Financial Responsibility
Each student is individually responsible for his or her tuition and fees. Payment in full is due at time of registration unless an authorized payment plan arrangement (tuition installment plan) has been executed by the student at time of registration. See Appendix B for more details. Stopping payment on a check tendered in payment of tuition and fees does not relieve the student of financial responsibility for incurred tuition and fee charges. To ensure that the student’s financial record reflects the correct charges, the student is responsible for officially dropping or adding courses in MyMC or in-person at the Office of Enrollment Services.
If a third party such as, but not limited to, a federal, state, or municipal government agency agrees to pay a student’s tuition and fees, the student is not relieved of his or her primary responsibility. If such a third party fails to honor its agreement, the College reserves the right to bill the student directly.
Outstanding financial balances must be paid before future registration is permitted or certifications, diplomas, or transcripts are issued.
NOTE: In accordance with the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018 (effective August 1, 2019) and notwithstanding the preceding section or any other College policy/procedure to the contrary, the College will not impose any penalty, including the assessment of any late fee, precluding registration or otherwise denying access to classes, libraries or other College facilities, or requiring the student to borrow additional funds, on any student using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Chapter 31) or Post 9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) benefits who has unpaid financial obligations due to any delay in payment or disbursement of funding by the VA.
Students intending to use Chapter 31 or Chapter 33 benefits are required to: (1) submit a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to the College Registrar, or designee, no later than the first day that the class(es) meet, unless the Registrar, or designee, makes an exception; (2) submit a written request to use such entitlement; and (3) provide additional information necessary to properly certify.
Charges and associated fees not covered by educational assistance under Chapter 31 or Chapter 33 are the sole responsibility of the student. Penalties, including but not limited to late fees, drops for non-payment and registration holds, may be applied to the student’s account for unpaid charges not covered under Chapter 31 or Chapter 33. The student can bring their account into a paid status by paying their remaining balance in full or by enrolling in payment plan approved by the College.
Payment of Tuition and Fees
The Cashier’s Office will accept all forms of payment (cash, check, money order, credit card, or debit card). Checks and money orders must be made payable to Montgomery College for the exact amount of tuition and fees. Montgomery College does not accept counter checks, two-party checks, or starter checks. The College also accepts VISA, Master Card, and Discover credit or debit cards in payment of tuition and fees in person and online. Payments from international bank accounts can be made through Flywire. Tuition and fees are to be paid in full upon registration with the exception of the installment plans. See Appendix B for more details.
Tuition and Fees Installment Program
Information on paying tuition and fees by installment plan can be found at www.montgomerycollege.edu/creditcost.
Refunds Due to Class Withdrawal or Class Cancellation
The effective date for withdrawal will be the date that the student successfully drops the class online or in-person at the Office of Enrollment Services. The refund deadline date for each course section is noted in MyMC. All refunds are payable to the student of record. Montgomery College can refund a student electronically to the student’s bank account or credit card. Refunds can also be paid by check.
The refund policy is as follows:
- For courses canceled by the College: 100 percent refund of tuition, consolidated fee, major facilities reserve fee, applied music fee, and technology fee.
- For courses dropped by the student by the published deadline date (listed on the student schedule/invoice): 100 percent refund of tuition, consolidated fee, major facilities reserve fund fee, applied music fee, and technology fee.
- For students involuntarily withdrawing from the College: (1) Under certain circumstances, refunds of tuition only (fees are nonrefundable after published refund date) will be prorated based on the total amount of expired course time after the first week of classes (see the section on involuntary withdrawal in Appendix C for details). (2) For military personnel called to active duty or being transferred because of related troop movements, a 100 percent refund of tuition and fees will be provided for the semester within which the effective date of withdrawal falls (see Appendix C).
Treatment of Title IV Funds When Students Withdraw
Students who are awarded Title IV financial aid must earn their aid by attending classes. When students completely withdraw from school or stop attending school during a semester, the school must follow rules established by the federal government to determine the amount of financial aid earned.
- When students receive more Title IV funds than they have earned, the unearned portion must be returned to program accounts. This may result in students owing money to either the College or the federal government.
- When students have not received all of their earned Title IV funds, they may still receive disbursement of this aid.
Title IV funds include the following programs: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Direct Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized), and Federal Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS). Examples of how this policy is applied are available at the Office of Student Financial Aid at each campus or www.montgomerycollege.edu/heoa under Financial Assistance Information.
Textbooks and Supplies
Textbooks and course-related supplies are not included in tuition and fees. All required books and supplies should be purchased before the first day of classes. Books and supplies cost approximately $60-$200 per course and can be purchased from the bookstore on the campus where the course is taught or online two weeks before the start of classes. Students should check the booklist posted in each store or on the MC Books & More website, www.montgomerycollege.edu/bookstore.
