All provisions within this catalog are subject to change without notice. If you have questions or comments, please contact admissions@gfcmsu.edu.

Tuition and Fees Policy

Tuition and fees are to be paid each semester prior to the posted fee payment deadline unless prior arrangements have been made with Student Accounts. You may be dropped from your classes if payment or prior arrangements are not made. Acceptable payment arrangements include financial aid and the deferred payment plan (explained below). The College accepts credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, and Discover) in addition to cash and checks. Payment must be in U.S. funds only.

Deferred Payment Plan

The deferred payment plan is an interest-free installment loan available for qualified applicants who are unable to make full payment of current semester tuition, fees, and other charges on the regular fee payment day. This plan is available to all qualifying students through Student Accounts. Installment payments and the applicable $30 fee are collected and processed by Student Accounts. The Student Accounts office is located in Student Central.

Late Fee

A $40 late registration fee may be assessed if registration for classes is not accomplished prior to 12:01 AM on the first day of class each semester.

Veterans Education Benefits

Great Falls College MSU (GFCMSU) complies with the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018 (38 U.S.C., section 3679(e)). GFCMSU will not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a covered individual borrow additional funds, on any covered individual because of the individual’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement funding from VA under Chapter 31, Chapter 33, and Chapter 35 education benefits.

Fee Refunds - Withdrawal from the College

Per Montana Board of Regents of Higher Education Policy 940.7:
Unless otherwise required by the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, refunds of fees in the event of withdrawal from school are authorized according to the following procedures. The registration and application fees are non-refundable.

Students withdrawing from Great Falls College MSU are refunded the tuition and fees paid in accordance with the following schedule established by the Board of Regents. In order for a student to receive a refund under the Board of Regents policy, an official withdrawal form must be on file in the Registrar’s Office:

Fall & Spring Semester:

Days of Instruction* Percent Refunded
Prior to first day of class 100
1 - 5 90
6 - 10 75
11 - 15 50
16 - on 0
These dates are pro-rated for the summer term(s)
*

Days of instruction begin with the first day of classes for a term and conclude on the 15th day, which is the deadline to drop/delete courses.

The registration fee and application fees are nonrefundable per Montana Board of Regents of Higher Education Policies 940.2 and 940.7

Cancellation, Refund, and Grading Policy for Courses Numbered 194 and 094

All students wishing to drop from credit or non-credit-bearing Professional and Continuing Education (PCE) courses are required to fill out a Drop Form. These forms are available at the Lifelong Learning office or online. If a class is dropped at least 3 working days prior to the first day of class, the full amount of tuition and fees will be refunded. For credit-bearing courses, the $30 semester registration and $30 one-time application fee will NOT be refunded.

If a class is not dropped at least 3 working days prior to the first day of class or the student enrolls and does not attend, the full amount of tuition and fees will be assessed. In certain instances exceptions to this policy may occur for drops occurring less than 3 working days prior to the first day of class. To be considered for an exception, an appeal stating the justification for this exception must be made in writing to the Registrar’s Office.

If the Division of Lifelong Learning decides to cancel a class, students will receive a 100% refund on all tuition and fees for non-credit courses and a refund on all but the $30 semester registration and one-time $30 application fees for credit-bearing courses. All PCE courses are graded and will show on the student’s transcript. Considering that many PCE courses are short in length and therefore intense in content, attendance plays an integral part in the grading process. If you do not attend all of the class dates and times, you may receive a lowered grade for poor attendance. Grade appeals are considered academic complaints. More information can be found in the Great Falls College MSU Policy on Student Conduct and Grievance.

Lifelong Learning can be reached at 406.771.4303 or lifelonglearning@gfcmsu.edu

Changes in Credit Load After Payment of Fees

Students adding courses after payment of tuition and fees are required to pay additional tuition and fees created by the change in credit load.

Students dropping classes (but not withdrawing) will receive a 100 percent refund on courses dropped before the end of the 15th class day. Refunds will not be made after the 15th class day. This schedule applies only to fall and spring semesters. For the summer withdrawal schedule, please see the academic calendar for that term.

Financial Aid Refunds

Refunds are processed approximately three weeks after the start of a semester.

Direct Deposit is the preferred method for GFC MSU students to receive their financial aid refunds. To sign up please log into your BannerWeb/MyInfo account. Click on Student Services. Click on Student Records. Click on Web Bill Summary. Select the current financial aid term. Scroll down and click on QuikPay. On the left side- click on Manage Refunds. Complete the required information.

Please make sure that your information is up to date each semester.

Students will have their check mailed to the address on file with the College if they did not set up Direct Deposit. We encourage everyone to make sure their address is correct.
If you have moved, address changes must be made in writing with Admissions. Email Admissions at admissions@gfcmsu.edu.

Students Owing Debts

The College reserves the right to deny registration access to a student who has an overdue debt to any Montana State University unit. Students whose tuition and fees remain unpaid may have their registration for classes cancelled for the current semester. Transcripts, certificates, and degrees will be withheld from any student owing tuition, fees, or charges to a Montana State University unit. In the event a student has not returned books and/or materials belonging to this college or any other Montana University System unit, transcripts, certificates, and degrees may be withheld. Great Falls College MSU may refer past due student accounts to the Montana Department of Revenue and/or a commercial collection agency for collection action. Collection costs, attorney fees, and court costs incurred in the collection of past due accounts will be added to the account and become part of the total amount due.