Appendix A
Determination of Residence for Tuition Purposes
Note: The information in this appendix was current at the time the catalog was prepared, but the student should visit the Policies and Procedures webpage (www.montgomerycollege.edu/pnp) for additional information and for changes that may have been made since then.
To qualify, for tuition purposes, as a resident of Montgomery County or the state of Maryland, legal domicile must have been maintained for a period not less than three months prior to the first regularly scheduled class for the semester. Furthermore, the student must possess the legal capacity under state and federal law to establish Maryland domicile. In establishing the domicile of a person enrolling in a credit course at Montgomery College, the following procedures shall prevail:
- Domicile shall be considered as a person’s permanent place of abode, where physical presence and possessions are maintained and where he or she intends to remain indefinitely. The domicile of a person who received more than one-half of his or her financial support from others in the most recently completed year is the domicile of the person contributing the greatest proportion of support, without regard to whether the parties are related by blood or marriage.
- At the time of admission to or initial enrollment in any credit course at Montgomery College, each student shall sign a statement affirming domicile and the factual basis for the claim of domicile.
- At the time of each subsequent enrollment, each student shall indicate whether his or her domicile is the same as or different from that affirmed for the last semester in attendance. If facts indicate the domicile has changed, the student shall complete a new statement.
- In determining the adequacy of the factual basis for domicile provided by the student, the College will consider any of the following factors and request evidence for substantiation:
- ownership or rental of local living quarters
- substantially uninterrupted physical presence, including the months when the student is not in attendance at the College
- maintenance in Maryland and in the county of all, or substantially all, of the student’s possessions
- payment of Maryland state and local piggyback income taxes on all taxable income earned, including all taxable income earned outside the state
- registration to vote in the state and county
- registration of a motor vehicle in the state, with a local address specified, if the student owns or uses such a vehicle
- possession of a valid Maryland driver’s license, with a local address specified, if the student is licensed anywhere to drive a motor vehicle
A domicile in Montgomery County or the state of Maryland is lost when a new domicile is established for a period of three months at a location outside the county or state.
In addition to the general requirements, the following provisions apply to the specific categories of students indicated:
- Military personnel and their dependents who were domiciliaries of Maryland at the time of entrance into the armed forces and who are stationed outside the state may retain Maryland domicile as long as they do not establish domicile elsewhere.
- Military personnel and their dependents who are on active duty for a period of more than 30 days and whose domicile or permanent duty station is in the State may retain Maryland domicile as long as they are continuously enrolled.
- An individual’s immigration status shall not preclude award of Maryland residency under this policy if the individual has the legal capacity to establish domicile in Maryland.
- A student enrolled in a program designated as statewide or regional by the state Board for Community Colleges may be considered a resident for tuition purposes if domiciled in the approved region for the program.
- A student from outside the state who enrolls as part of a reciprocity agreement negotiated between Maryland and another state may be considered a resident for tuition purposes.
- A “covered individual” using benefits under the Post 9/11 GI Bill® or Montgomery GI Bill® as provided for by Section 702 of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act or Section 301 of the Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2018. A “covered individual” is defined by the Act as:
- A veteran who lives in Montgomery County or Maryland (regardless of his or her formal state of residence) and enrolls at Montgomery College within 3 years of discharge from a period of active duty service of 90 days or more;
- Anyone using transferred benefits who lives in Montgomery County or Maryland (regardless of his or her formal state of residence) and enrolls at Montgomery College within 3 years of the transferor’s discharge from a period of active duty service of 90 days or more;
- A spouse or child using benefits under the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship veteran who lives Montgomery County or Maryland (regardless of his or her formal state of residence);
- Anyone using transferred Post-9/11 G.I. Bill (38 U.S.C. § 3319) benefits who lives in Montgomery County or Maryland (regardless of his or her formal state of residence) and the transferor is a member of the uniform service who is serving on active duty;
- An individual using educational assistance under chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, who lives in Montgomery County or Maryland, while attending Montgomery College (regardless of the individual’s formal state of residence), effective for courses, semesters or terms beginning after March 1, 2019. f. Anyone described above while the individual remains continuously enrolled (other than during regularly scheduled breaks between courses, semesters, or terms) at the same school. The person so described must have enrolled in the school prior to the expiration of the three-year period following discharge or release as described above and must be using educational benefits under either Chapter 30, Chapter 31 (Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment), or Chapter 33 of Title 38, United States Code.
Students may request a change in residency classification or appeal current classification within a reasonable time of a decision by Montgomery 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 or its equivalent in a winter or summer session (20%). Any changes processed after the deadline will be effective the following semester. Appeals shall be submitted in writing to the campus registrar.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Appendix B
Payment Procedures
One-party checks, money orders, bank treasurer/cashier checks, credit cards, debit cards, and cash are accepted in payment of tuition and fees. All personal checks and money orders must be made payable to Montgomery College and must be in the exact amount of tuition and fees.
Full payments for tuition and fees (or payment arrangements) are due at the time of registration. Payment arrangements include enrolling in an available tuition installment plan (TIP Plan). Payments and TIP plans can be made online through the student’s MyMC account.
All personal checks must have the account owner’s name, account owner’s address, and bank account number preprinted on the check. The College does not accept starter checks.
Financial aid awards are posted directly to student accounts. These awards will first be applied toward institutional tuition and fee charges due to the College unless the College is prohibited pursuant to guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Education. Awards in excess of tuition and fee charges due are normally available within the timelines established each semester for an appropriate refund issued through regular College refund procedures.
In the event that an invalid check charge has been posted to and remains on the student’s account, all future payments of tuition and fees must be made by cash, bank money order, bank treasurer’s check, bank certified check, debit card, or credit card. This restriction may be removed if a letter is received from the bank on which the invalid check was drawn indicating that an error on the part of the bank caused the invalid check.
For information on payment procedures and options and contact information, please refer to www.montgomerycollege.edu/paying-for-college/payments/index.html
Appendix C
Refund Procedures
A. General
- Students wishing to withdraw officially from a course or courses should consult with the Office of Records & Registration on their campus to ensure that required procedures are followed.
- Students who receive financial aid must inform the Student Financial Aid Office if their withdrawal or change of schedule changes the number of credit hours in which they are enrolled. If they have paid their tuition using financial aid funds, they normally will receive no refund since the amount of the refund will be returned to the appropriate financial aid account.
- The effective date for the calculation of a refund will be the date that the student successfully drops the class via the web or the date that notification is received in the respective campus Office of Records & Registration. Except in cases where courses are administratively cancelled, no refund will be made unless the student officially withdraws by the posted deadline.
B. Administrative Cancellation
- When a course is administratively cancelled by the College, students who do not replace the cancelled courses are eligible for a refund of 100 percent of the total tuition and fees that they have paid for the course.
- Students enrolled in courses that are cancelled by the College are not required to withdraw officially from the courses, as they are required to do in the case of student-initiated withdrawals, either voluntary or involuntary. Appropriate adjustments, including refunds, will be made to their accounts.
C. Involuntary Withdrawal
- A refund resulting from an involuntary withdrawal will, in most circumstances, be prorated based on the total number of scheduled class meetings and the total number of expired class meetings. The refund is based on tuition only and will not include fees. All fees must be paid prior to receiving a tuition refund. However, in the case of military personnel who are called to active duty or are being transferred because of related troop movement, a 100 percent refund of tuition and fees for the semester within which the effective date of withdrawal falls will be provided upon presentation of appropriate documentation. Please contact the Office of Records & Registration for more information.
To be eligible for a refund under the conditions listed below, the student must submit to the Office of Records & Registration the required notification of withdrawal form and the appropriate substantiating data to support such a withdrawal.
- A withdrawal is considered involuntary if it results from one of the following:
- Entering active duty into the armed services-The request for withdrawal must be substantiated with copies of military orders signed by the individual’s commanding officer or another appropriate official to show proof of date of entry.
- Illness of the student or in the immediate family of the student (immediate family includes a child, parent, spouse, or other regular member of the individual’s household)-A physician’s certification must be provided stating that the student’s or family member’s illness requires the student’s withdrawal.
- Death of the student or in the immediate family of the student (as defined in item 2b above)-Appropriate substantiation must accompany the request for withdrawal.
- Involuntary transfer/change in work hours by the student’s employer which precludes continued attendance (military branches of service are considered employers under this section)-The request for withdrawal must be substantiated by appropriate documentation.
D. Voluntary Withdrawal
Voluntary withdrawal is one that results from causes other than those defined above as involuntary. Applicable tuition is refundable only after the student has paid all fees. The College must meet its responsibilities and commitments for faculty, staff, equipment, and supplies based on original registration data. However, the Board of Trustees recognizes that there may be occasions when students have made commitments by registering but, for some personal reason, must of their own volition withdraw during the semester.
Students who officially withdraw by the published deadline date of a course (or courses) are eligible to receive a refund of 100 percent of tuition and fees for the course(s) from which they are withdrawing. The deadline for eligibility for a refund is shown for each course section on the student schedule/invoice.
Students who withdraw from a course (or courses) after the published deadline date of the course(s) are not eligible to receive a refund for that course or courses.
E. Appeals of Refund Decisions
Appeals for exception to the established refund policy, as detailed above, may be made to the director of records & registration/college registrar or designee by completing a refund appeal form. This form is available in the Office of Records & Registration located on each campus. Note: Appeals will not be considered if entered more than 45 days after the close of the semester for which the student is claiming a refund. Campus academic appeals committees hear appeals on academic matters and have no authority to authorize refunds.
Appendix D
