Returned Check Policy

If a check is returned from the bank due to any reason (insufficient funds, stop payment, etc.) the payor will be required to redeem the returned check and the penalty with a replacement payment online through POUNCE, in the Business Office, or if the check was paid to a campus department, the payment may be required to be made to that campus department directly.

A charge will be assessed for any returned check of $30.00. Returned checks that are not paid as requested will result in the unpaid debt being turned over to a collection agency and the payor will incur collection costs.  After three returned check items of any kind, the account will be placed on cash-only hold and may incur other penalties or cancellation of services due to non-payment.

Students who have two returned checks against their Augusta University accounts will be denied further check-writing privileges. This includes paper checks and electronic checks.  A cash-only hold will be placed and only either cash or credit payments will be accepted. Checks returned against a student's tuition and fees may subject the student's classes to cancellation. Returned checks do not guarantee cancellation of classes if repayment is made.  An accounts receivable (AR) hold will be placed on any account with an outstanding balance preventing registration and transcript request fulfillment.  Under certain circumstances, Augusta University reserves the right to not only require that all past due balances be paid in full as described above, but to also require advance payment of future tuition and fee charges in guaranteed funds to be cleared to register for an upcoming semester.

If a student intends to withdraw from Augusta University, it remains the student's responsibility to formally withdraw by following the withdrawal procedures on the Registrar's web site. If you believe you have a returned check item, please log onto POUNCE to pay the item or contact the Business Office for instructions.

Add/Drop or Withdraw

Mandatory Fees and Descriptions

Mandatory Fee: A fee that has been approved by the Board of Regents and is cleared to be charged to all students.

Athletic Fee: The Athletic Fee supports the athletic programs and includes student admission to institution sporting events.

Jaguar Student Activities Center Fee: This fee is charged to fund the student activities center.  There are many available benefits to all students in the student activities centers.

Transportation Fee: The Transportation Fee includes passage on the campus shuttles which travel to both campuses and to university housing complexes.  It also includes passage on the Augusta City Public Transit buses.   This fee does not cover the parking permit.  Parking on campus is voluntary and is charged separately upon students’ registering a vehicle with Parking Services.  In POUNCE, click on the link Parking Registration from the main menu.  When you register a vehicle for a permit, the payment is due at that time.  You will be able to see both the permit charge and payment on POUNCE once you complete the registration each semester at this Parking Registration link.

Technology Fee: The Technology Fee is charged to all students to pay for software, hardware, licenses, training, laboratories, systems, classroom hardware & software, and any other student support technological item or service.

Student Activities Fee: This fee enables student to take part in all student activities offered through the Student Affairs Office and Student Activities Office on campus.

Wellness Center Fee: This fee enables all students’ access to the Wellness Center, and related benefits of Wellness Center membership.  Please see the Wellness Center’s web site for hours of operation and rules of use.

Student Health Fee: This fee is collected by the student health department to enable students to take advantage of the administrative capability of this department for various student health services. Staffing, supplies, utilities and overhead are covered in part.

Miscellaneous Charges: Students may be charged certain course-specific and program-specific charges as part of their regular enrollment.  This can include charges for Arts Supplies, Music Supplies, Biology Course Fees, Lab Fees, Testing Fees, Liability and Disability Insurance Fees, and Immunization Tracking Fees. 

Student Payment Options and Refund Policy

Student Payment Options

Please see “How do I Pay My Bill Online?” from our main web site for step by step instructions on how to make payment in POUNCE.In POUNCE, payment can be made by electronic check (no fee) or by credit card. There is a 2.95% service charge for credit card payments on POUNCE. ($3 minimum)

Holds

Please be aware that electronic checks are processed faster than paper checks but are not instant. Holds will not be instantly released if you process an electronic check online. The release of all holds is pending the check clearing the institution’s bank account. For electronic checks this is five business days and for paper checks this is ten business days. The business days include Monday through Friday and Saturday but not Sunday. Holidays are excluded. If you are paying a balance to get a hold released, you should consider paying with cash or credit if it is the same day you need a balance hold released. We will not release holds the same day for check payments. "Cash Only" holds prevent you from paying with a check due to too many returned check payments.  This includes returned web check payments. This does not prevent you from paying online via POUNCE with credit or from paying in person with cash.

Payments By Mail

If you need to mail in a payment, please send the payment to:

Augusta University
Business Office, Summerville Campus, Payne Hall
2500 Walton Way
Augusta, GA 30904

Payment must be received on or before the payment deadline as published on POUNCE. Make checks payable to Augusta University.

Payments In Person

You may pay in person by cash, check or money order at the Payne Hall Business Office on the Summerville Campus. We are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Payments By Bank Wire

Payment by wire from your bank may be arranged well in advance of payment deadlines. To get more information on bank wire, please contact the Business Office at 706-737-1767.

Payments By 529 Plan

529 plan payments should be requested from the financial institution up to six weeks in advance of the payment deadline to ensure they will arrive on time.  Most require at minimum three weeks from the time of request to send checks to the institution, but some take longer.  Planning is key.  If there is a delay, official documentation of the check request from the financial institution including the student's name and the amount being paid are required to be received before the payment deadline for a term.  This information can be sent to Business_Office@augusta.edu.


Refund Policy

Student refunds will be processed according to the basic schedule as listed below:
For refunds of financial aid overages processed within the start of term, a student may receive a refund on the published scheduled dates and following drop/add, attendance verification and financial aid verification. Outside of the start of the academic term, refunds will be processed bi-weekly by the Augusta University Business Office once the student account has been reviewed. Generally the dates of this processing will occur on Tuesday and Thursday but may be variable to allow for scheduled holidays and any unforeseen circumstance. All refunds will be processed in compliance with state and federal regulatory requirements.

Students who formally withdraw from the University may be eligible for a refund.  Eligibility for refunds depends on the method of payment used for tuition and fees.  Refunds are not provided for individual course withdrawals.  The following are not entitled to any refund of fees paid: students suspended for disciplinary reasons, students who leave the University when disciplinary action is pending, or students who do not formally withdraw from the University.  No refund for reductions in credit hours after the drop/add period has passed unless the reduction is the fault of the University.  Refunds associated with Parking, Housing, Meal Plans, Bookstore purchases, and insurance (all types) must be determined by those originating offices and are not a function of refunds for withdrawals.  Fines are non-refundable.  Acceptance Deposits (a.k.a. commitment deposits) are non-refundable.

The Augusta University Refund Policy follows the University System of Georgia Board of Regents policy in the USG Policy Manual 7.3.5.
The policy is stated as follows:

  • The policy for determining refunds to be made on institutional charges and other mandatory fees at USG institutions follows:
    • For the purposes of this section, “institutional charges” are as defined in the Statutory and Regulatory Citations Section 484B of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (Title IV, HEA and 34.668.22).
    • Tuition and fees awarded by scholarship or grant from an agency or authority of the State of Georgia on behalf of a student receiving a refund under this policy shall be reimbursed to such agency or authority.
    • The Chancellor is authorized and empowered to take or cause to be taken any and all such other and further action as, in the judgment of the Chancellor, may be necessary, proper, convenient or required in connection with execution of this policy. Such authority may be further delegated to the President of the institution.
    • The Presidents are authorized and empowered to take or cause to be taken any and all such other and further action as may be necessary, proper, convenient, or required in connection with the execution of this policy. (BOR Minutes, February 2007)

 

Students Withdrawing From an Institution (BOR Policy Manual 7.3.5.1)

Augusta University follows the Withdrawals Policy as set forth by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.
The policy is stated as follows:

  • The refund amount for students withdrawing from an institution shall be based on a pro rata percentage determined by dividing the number of calendar days in the semester that the student completed by the total calendar days in the semester. The total calendar days in a semester includes weekends but excludes scheduled breaks of five or more days that a student was on an approved leave of absence.
  • The unearned portion shall be refunded up to the point in time that the refunded amount equals sixty percent. Students who withdraw from the institution when the calculated percentage of completion is greater than sixty percent are not entitled to a refund of any portion of institutional charges.

Death of a Student (BOR Policy Manual 7.3.5.2)

Augusta University follows the Death of a Student Policy as set forth by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.
The policy is stated as follows:

  • A refund of all nonresident fees, matriculation fees, and other mandatory fees shall be made in the event of the death of a student at any time during the academic session.

 

Military Service Refunds (BOR Policy Manual 7.3.5.2)

Augusta University follows the Military Service Refunds Policy as set forth by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.
The policy is stated as follows:

Subject to Institutional Policies, full refunds of tuition and mandatory fees and pro rata refunds of elective fees are hereby authorized for students who are:

  1. Military reservists (including members of the National Guard) who, after having enrolled in a USG institution and paid tuition and fees, receive orders to active duty or are reassigned for temporary duty or mandatory training that prevents completion of the term;
  2. Commissioned officers of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) who receive deployment orders in response to a public health crisis or national emergency after having enrolled in a USG institution and paid tuition and fees;
  3. Active duty military personnel who, after having enrolled in a USG institution and paid fees, receive reassignment or a temporary duty assignment or a training assignment that would prevent completion of the term; or,
  4. Otherwise unusually and detrimentally affected by the activation of members of the reserve components or the deployment of active duty personnel of the Armed Forces of the United States who demonstrate a need for exceptional equitable relief.

 

Students Using Military Tuition Assistance

In order to clarify the returning of Department of Defense (DOD) funding for qualifying students who withdraw from Augusta University, please see the information below. This is applicable to students who formally withdraw from all courses for a semester. No refund will be made for individual courses dropped after the last day of the designated add/drop period. When a student using military tuition assistance withdraws from their DOD-approved courses, the return amount to the DOD shall be based on a pro-rata percentage as described above. The proportion refundable is determined by the date of withdrawal and is equal to that portion of the period of enrollment for which the student has been charged that remains on the last day of attendance, up to the 60 percent point in time of the semester.

Review the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regent’s policy 7.3.5.1.

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