Student Financial Agreement

Throughout this document, “I” refers to and represents the enrolled Wheaton College student.

PAYMENT OF FEES/PROMISE TO PAY: I understand when I register for any class at Wheaton or receive any service from Wheaton I accept full responsibility to pay all tuition, fees and other associated costs assessed as a result of my registration and/or receipt of services. I further understand and agree that my registration and acceptance of these terms constitutes a promissory note agreement (i.e., a financial obligation in the form of an educational loan as defined by the U.S. Bankruptcy Code at 11 U.S.C. §523(a)(8)) in which Wheaton is providing me educational services, deferring some or all of my payment obligation for those services, and I promise to pay for all assessed tuition, fees and other associated costs by the published or assigned due date.

I understand and agree that if I drop or withdraw from some or all of the classes for which I register, I will be responsible for paying all or a portion of tuition and fees in accordance with the published tuition refund schedule. I have read the terms and conditions of the published tuition refund schedule and understand those terms are incorporated herein by reference. I further understand that my failure to attend class or receive a bill does not absolve me of my financial responsibility as described above.

I understand and acknowledge that Wheaton may not be able to release refunds and/or reimbursements due to natural disasters, weather, acts of God, quarantine, civil unrest, public health risks and/or any unforeseen circumstances that may alter the planned academic calendar and housing agreements set forth.

DELINQUENT ACCOUNT/COLLECTION: I understand and agree that if I fail to pay my student account bill or any monies due and owing Wheaton by the scheduled due date, Wheaton will place a financial hold on my student account, preventing me from registering for future classes, requesting transcripts, receiving my diploma, participating in housing lottery and/or moving into campus housing.

I understand and agree that if I fail to pay my student account bill or any monies due and owing Wheaton by the scheduled due date, Wheaton will assess late payment and/or finance charges per month on the past due portion of my student account until my past due account is paid in full.

I understand and agree that if I fail to pay my student account bill or any monies due and owing Wheaton by the scheduled due date, and fail to make acceptable payment arrangements to bring my account current, Wheaton may refer my delinquent account to a collection agency. I further understand that I am responsible for paying the collection agency fee which may be based on a percentage at a maximum of 50% of my delinquent account, together with all costs and expenses, including reasonable attorney’s fees, necessary for the collection of my delinquent account. I understand that my delinquent account may be reported to one or more of the national credit bureaus.

COMMUNICATION: I understand and agree that Wheaton uses Wheaton email addresses as an official method of communication with me, and that therefore I am responsible for reading the emails I receive from Wheaton on a timely basis.

I authorize Wheaton and its agents and contractors to contact me at my current and any future cellular phone number(s), email address(es) or wireless device(s) regarding my delinquent student account(s)/loan(s), any other debt I owe to Wheaton, or to receive general information from Wheaton. I authorize Wheaton and its agents and contractors to use automated telephone dialing equipment, artificial or prerecorded voice or text messages, and personal calls and emails, in their efforts to contact me. Furthermore, I understand that I may withdraw my consent to call my cellular phone by submitting my request in writing to Student Financial Services or in writing to the applicable contractor or agent contacting me on behalf of Wheaton.

I understand and agree that I am responsible for keeping Wheaton College records up to date with my current physical addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers. Upon leaving Wheaton for any reason, it is my responsibility to provide Wheaton with updated contact information for purposes of continued communication regarding any amounts that remain due and owing to Wheaton. Students can change their address by logging into insideWheaton (login required) and navigating to their personal information page. For those without access to insideWheaton, please contact Student Financial Services ([email protected]) or the Office of the Registrar ([email protected]).

FINANCIAL AID: I understand that aid described as estimated on my Financial Aid Award does not represent actual or guaranteed payment, but is an estimate of the aid I may receive if I meet all requirements stipulated by that aid program. I understand that my Financial Aid Award is contingent upon my continued enrollment and attendance in each class upon which my financial aid eligibility was calculated. If I drop any class before completion, I understand that my financial aid eligibility may decrease and some or all of the financial aid awarded to me may be revoked. If some or all of my financial aid is revoked because I dropped or failed to attend class, I agree to repay all revoked aid that was disbursed to my account and resulted in a credit balance that was refunded to me. I agree to allow financial aid I receive to pay any and all charges assessed to my account at Wheaton such as tuition, fees, campus housing and meal plans, student health insurance, parking permits, service fees, fines, bookstore charges, or any other amount, in accordance with the terms of the aid.

Federal Aid: I understand that any federal Title IV financial aid that I receive, except for Federal Work Study wages, will first be applied to any outstanding balance on my account for tuition, fees, room and board. Title IV financial aid includes aid from the Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Direct Loan, and PLUS Loan. I authorize Wheaton to apply my Title IV financial aid to other charges assessed to my student account such as student health insurance, parking permits, bookstore charges, service fees and fines, and any other education related charges. I further understand that this authorization will remain in effect until I rescind it or the end of my enrollment at Wheaton.

Awards, Scholarships, Grants: I understand that all awards, scholarships, grants, merit stipends and fellowships awarded to me by Wheaton will be credited to my student account and applied toward any outstanding balance. I further understand that my award, scholarship, and/or grants, are considered a financial resource according to federal Title IV financial aid regulations, and may therefore reduce my eligibility for other federal and/or state financial aid (i.e., loans, grants, Federal Work Study) which, if already disbursed to my student account, must be reversed and returned to the aid source.

METHOD OF BILLING: I understand that Wheaton uses electronic email notification and posting of charges in Campus Commerce as its official billing method, and therefore I am responsible for viewing and paying my student account by the scheduled due date. I further understand that failure to review my student account does not constitute a valid reason for not paying my student account on time.

BILLING ERRORS: I understand that administrative, clerical or technical billing errors do not absolve me of my financial responsibility to pay the correct amount of tuition, fees and other associated financial obligations assessed as a result of my registration at Wheaton.

RETURNED PAYMENTS/FAILED PAYMENT AGREEMENTS: If a payment made to my student account is returned by the bank for any reason, I agree to repay the original amount of the payment plus a returned payment fee. I understand that multiple returned payments and/or failure to comply with the terms of any payment plan or agreement I sign with Wheaton may result in cancellation of my classes and/or suspension of my eligibility to register for future classes at Wheaton.

WITHDRAWAL and LEAVES of ABSENCE: If I decide to completely withdraw from Wheaton, I will follow the withdrawal and leave of absence instructions which I understand and agree are incorporated herein by reference. I understand that my tuition and fees will be refunded according to the Wheaton refund policy. I understand that my financial aid credits may be reduced depending upon the date of my withdrawal.

PRIVACY RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES: I understand that Wheaton is bound by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) which prohibits Wheaton from releasing any information from my education record without my written permission. Therefore, I understand that if I want Wheaton to share information from my education record with someone else, I must provide written permission by following the outlined FERPA procedure. I further understand that I may revoke my permission at any time as instructed in the same procedure.

IRS FORM 1098-T: I agree to provide my Social Security number (SSN) or taxpayer identification number (TIN) to Student Financial Services upon request as required by Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations for Form 1098-T reporting purposes. If I fail to provide my SSN or TIN to Wheaton, I agree to pay any and all IRS fines assessed as a result of my missing SSN/TIN. I consent to receive my annual IRS Form 1098-T Tuition Statement, electronically from Wheaton. I understand that if I do not consent to receive my Form 1098-T electronically, a paper copy will be provided. I understand that I can withdraw this consent or request a paper copy by following the 1098-T instructions.

STUDENT AGE: I understand and agree that if I am younger than the applicable age of majority when I execute this agreement that the educational services provided by Wheaton are a necessity, and I am contractually obligated pursuant to the “doctrine of necessaries.”

ENTIRE AGREEMENT: This agreement supersedes all prior understandings, representations, negotiations and correspondence between the student and Wheaton, constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the matters described, and shall not be modified or affected by any course of dealing or course of performance. This agreement may be modified by Wheaton if the modification is signed by me. Any modification is specifically limited to those policies and/or terms addressed in the modification.