Student Expenses

Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Christian Education, Master of Arts in Public Theology, and Dual Degrees Program students are charged $500 per credit hour. If 27 credit hours are taken in the academic year, the total is $13,500. Courses for three credit hours are $1,500. The total tuition cost for 18 credit hours, the normal load for M.A.C.E. and M.A.P.T., is $9,000.

Master of Theology students are charged tuition of $15,000 for the year, charged as $7,500 in the Fall and Spring terms. The degree is meant to be completed in one academic year. Depending on the number of credits completed, Th.M. students who receive permission to extend their program beyond one year may pay a continuation fee for each fall and spring term until all degree requirements are completed. The continuation fee is $1,500 per term.

Doctor of Ministry students are charged $1,000 per course. Usually, a student will take two courses per term for a total of $4,000 per year.

Certificate Programs in Public Theology and Christian Education students are charged $500 per course.

Student Activities Fee

All students will be assessed $50 per course each term.

Late Registration Fee

Graduation Fee

M.A.C.E., M.A.P.T., M.Div., Th.M., and D.Min. students pay a graduation fee of $125. The fee for dual degrees students is $150, reflecting the two degrees earned. The fee for certificate students is $75. This is an administrative fee assessed to all graduates and is not related to participation in commencement ceremonies.

Directed Study Late Registration Fee

Students taking a directed study course will pay a $50 fee for each directed study course for which registration is submitted after the first day of the term for which they are to be registered. Directed study requests submitted after the end of the drop/add period of a term will, except in the case of a graduating student’s final term, be registered for the following term (summer excluded) though the work may be done prior to that with the professor’s permission. Students who receive permission to do a directed study with an adjunct faculty member pay an additional fee of $300.

By-Pass and Proficiency Examination Fee

There is a $150 fee for each by-pass or proficiency examination.

Project Binding Fee

A fee of $50 is charged to D.Min. students to cover costs for binding two copies of their final D.Min. projects. One of these copies is placed in the seminary library; the other is provided to the student. Additional copies may be requested by the student who will incur additional fees for these copies.

The cost of books varies by the number and types of courses taken. Students should budget a minimum of $50 per course for books.

Full-time students in Richmond are eligible to apply for seminary-provided housing. The deadline to apply for housing is May 1.

Apartment and dormitory rent will be charged to student accounts monthly. Students whose monthly rental payments are in arrears by more than three months and who have not made satisfactory payment arrangements with the Business Office will be notified that they must pay in full or move out within a month.

A refundable security deposit of one month’s rent along with the first month’s rent is due before moving in. A $25 key deposit is collected upon move-in to on campus housing.

Two-bedroom apartments in Melrose are $850 per month. All basic utilities except telephone are included in rents.

Dormitory rates range from $460 to $530 per month, depending on size and location.

In housing where pets are permitted, there is a deposit and surcharge.

After matriculation at UPSem, students are expected to take all courses for their degree at UPSem, or, with advance permission, at Virginia Commonwealth University, or Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC. If a student wishes to take a course elsewhere for credit toward a UPSem degree, permission must be obtained in advance from the Academic Dean.

Other institutions affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) may have tuition reciprocity agreements with UPSem, in which case the student will continue to pay tuition at UPSem while attending classes at the other school. A list of institutions with reciprocity agreements is available in the Office of the Registrar. If such a reciprocity agreement does not exist, students are expected to follow the normal application process stipulated by the other school.

UMC students who take denominationally required courses at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC may use any UPSem scholarship funds for which they are eligible to pay tuition expenses for those courses. Students may request available funds from their student accounts with which to pay the other school directly. In no case will the seminary pay more than the student’s UPSem award.

Approved elective course credit earned at other institutions may be transferred to the Union Presbyterian Seminary record upon receipt by the Registrar of an official transcript. Core courses do not transfer. Ordinarily, no UPSem financial aid funds will be applied to tuition for courses taken at other schools that do not have tuition reciprocity agreements with the seminary.

Summer language courses, Greek and Hebrew, are core courses. Students from other institutions will be considered for these courses on a space-available basis and, if permitted to enroll, will pay tuition to the seminary.

Students are expected to maintain good financial standing with the seminary, as determined by the Business Office. Students must settle all financial obligations to the seminary before they may receive their diplomas, have transcripts provided, or be designated as having graduated. Students who fail to settle their financial obligations before graduation will be notified by e-mail approximately two weeks before graduation that they may participate in all facets of graduation, in person or (if approved by the Academic Dean) in absentia, but will receive the diploma jacket without diploma at the graduation ceremony itself. Until financial obligations are met, third parties who inquire as to a student’s graduation will be informed that the student has completed all academic requirements but is not yet confirmed as having graduated in view of not having met administrative requirements. Until financial obligations are met, students will not receive their diplomas or be accorded transcript services. When accounts have been settled, a student’s official graduation date will become the date originally indicated on the diploma. Further questions may be directed to the Business Office.

The student is responsible for making prompt payment of any amount due. In addition to tuition, charges for housing and other school fees are also billed to the student account. Tuition and fee payments can be made by check at the Business Office no later than the day after drop/add. Alternatively, students can pay online through their student portal account, but online payments must also be completed by the same deadline. If a student is not able to make payment by that date, they are responsible for making satisfactory payment arrangements with the Business Office no later than 10 days after drop/add. Students who have not made payment arrangements by the deadline will be placed on Financial Hold.

A student on Financial Hold will not be permitted to register for classes, receive grades, request transcripts, or graduate unless all charges have been paid. A student on Financial Hold for more than 90 days may be dismissed from the program and Seminary employment, if applicable.

Limited enrollment students must pay for each course in full before the start of the course.

There is a $25 charge for each returned check.

Withdrawal and Dismissal

A student who does not complete the term for which he or she has been charged, either by voluntary withdrawal or dismissal, may be entitled to a refund depending upon the timing of his or her date of separation from the seminary. A student must submit a letter requesting permission to withdraw to the Academic Dean. The student’s separation date is the latter of the date of the request for withdrawal or a date mentioned in the letter. A student who has been dismissed from the seminary will be considered to have been separated as of the date of the action of dismissal.

Leave of Absence

For federal aid, the definition of an approved leave of absence is leave that has been requested in writing to the Academic Dean. The seminary will not charge a student tuition and fees, other than rent, if applicable, during an approved leave of absence. A student who receives no federal aid may be granted an approved leave of absence of up to one calendar year by the Academic Dean. Approval of a one-year leave of absence by the seminary does not supersede the 180-day federal leave limit. Students with federal loans should be aware that their loans may go into repayment during a one- year leave of absence. More information is available from the director of financial aid. A student who takes an unapproved leave of absence or who does not return to UPSem after an approved leave of absence is considered to have withdrawn as of the end of his or her last term of enrollment.

Refunds of Tuition and Financial Aid

The following guidelines are used to determine institutional tuition refunds for students not receiving federal aid. These guidelines apply when a student notifies the Registrar that she or he is dropping a course or courses. They also apply when a student withdraws from the school with permission.

• Students who drop a course, withdraw from the degree program, or who start a leave of absence before the drop/add deadline will receive a full refund of the tuition for the course or term or the continuation fee for the current half year. Any financial aid administered will be deducted from their student account and may be used later.
• Students who withdraw from the degree program or who start a leave of absence after the published withdrawal date has passed will receive no refund of tuition or financial aid. No financial aid will be awarded for a second attempt at the dropped course

Refunds of Fees

No portion of any fee (application for admission, supervised ministry, student activity fee, etc.) is refunded.

Refunds of Direct Loan Credit Balances

Upon disbursement of a student loan, students receive an Enrollment Verification and Disbursement form. Using this form, the borrower notifies the Financial Aid and Business Offices as to their intent regarding any credit balance beyond what is owed to the seminary. A student may choose to leave all funds in their account or have any credit balance returned to them.

In cases where students do not return the form within 14 days, the credit balance will automatically be returned to the student. In all cases, any balance remaining at the end of the academic year will be returned to the student.

Refund (Return) of Direct Loan Funds

The Return of Title IV Funds Policy applies to federal Direct loan recipients who completely withdraw from the seminary. The seminary follows the federally mandated formula when calculating the amount of funds to be returned to the loan program.

The formula assumes that a student uses Title IV aid (e.g. Direct loans) to pay institutional charges such as tuition, fees, rent and certain other institutional charges. Withdrawal prior to completing 60% of the semester for which aid was awarded requires that a pro rata portion of the aid must be returned to the department.

First, the seminary will return to the appropriate federal fund source a proportional share of institutional charges that were paid. In general, the effect of this return of Title IV aid by the institution is to reduce an outstanding federal loan balance. Second, if the amount returned by the school is not enough to repay the entire amount not earned, the student will be required to repay unearned Title IV aid to the department. If a student is entitled to a refund from the school for amounts paid to cover institutional charges, any refund due will first be applied to the obligation to return “unearned” aid. Thus, portions of institutional refunds may be applied to an outstanding Direct Loan.

The seminary will bill the student for the amount returned to the lender on behalf of the student. Then, if the amount that the institution is responsible for returning is less than the total amount of aid that needs to be returned, the student is responsible for the remainder. While institutions must return loan funds to the department promptly, students may repay loans under the terms and conditions of the loans. This means that a student may choose whether or not to repay in full at the time of withdrawal, but for the purposes of the calculation the amount owed counts as part of the student’s share of the repayment.

A Federal Direct Loan recipient who is on approved Leave of Absence for more than 180 days must be considered as having completely withdrawn for the purposes of federal policy.