Phone: 708-209-3241 / FAX: 708-488-4293
Email: Student.accounts@cuchicago.edu
Location: AD 156
Website: https://www.cuchicago.edu/admission-financial-aid/undergraduate/student-business-services/
Concordia University Chicago accepts all fees with the understanding that the student, by being assessed such fees, agrees to abide by all the regulations of the University, whether printed in this catalog or not, and by any appropriate decisions of the administration or faculty regarding the student’s status in the University. Although the University exercises reasonable precaution, it can assume no responsibility for accidents to students that may occur incident to, by attendance at, or through participation in classroom or laboratory work, intramural activities or other University programs and activities. Also, the University does not accept responsibility for any personal property lost, stolen, damaged or misplaced.
During the period of this catalog issue, the University will make every effort to maintain the fees listed. However, rising costs may necessitate an interim increase in fees. Concordia University Chicago reserves the right to change its tuition and fee rates and policies with no advance notice. Any such changes shall only apply on a prospective basis.
Students shall pay all assessments by the published deadlines for payment, approximately 30 days before the beginning of each semester. Students wishing to register after the published deadline date for a given semester will be required to make payments before registration is permitted. Only federal or state financial aid for the term that is confirmed by the Office of Financial Aid may be excluded from these requirements. Sources of funds not eligible for deferred tuition payments include income through student employment and tuition reimbursement by an employer or other sources.
Collection Policy
If an outstanding balance remains on the student’s account after a term has ended and the student is no longer an enrolled student, an “in-house collection” process begins. With this process, the student will receive three (3) written notices in regard to action being taken. After the final collection notice is emailed, the student has 10 days to respond. If no response is received, the student’s account will be placed with a third party for collection.
At this point, the student is considered to be a collection account. Any efforts to collect the unpaid balance to Concordia University Chicago that are made by a third-party source are the student’s responsibility. Such costs include, but are not limited to, fees from outside collection agencies, attorney fees, court costs, service charges, etc. The student is to also understand that these are additional costs at a maximum of 39 percent of the debt to the tuition and fees due to the University. This policy is governed by Illinois law.
Please Note: To appeal charges for tuition, the student has one semester to submit an appeal to the Dean of Students. If the appeal is not made within that time period, your appeal will not be reviewed. Students should contact the college dean that houses the course for guidance regarding the grade appeal process. Concordia University Chicago retains the right to drop a student’s classes at any time in the event the student fails to meet payment deadlines.
Course Add/Drop Policy
Face-to-face or online courses can be added to or dropped from a student schedule anytime during the first five days of the semester/term. All registration documentation must be accompanied by a student's official signature or must be done electronically via the student portal.
NOTE: Failure to attend class does not constitute an automatic withdrawal from the class after the 100% refund period. Graduate students MUST drop courses through their GPS advisor before any refund will be issued. Failure to drop classes will result in no refund and a grade of "F" on the student's transcript.
Dropping courses may result in a refund of tuition. A credit balance may be created if financial aid exceeds tuition charges. If a credit balance is reflected in the student's account, it will be automatically sent to the student within 14 days by direct deposit (if the student previously provided bank information) or by check (to the address currently on file).
Any credit balance information may be given in person or through your CUC email address, by the Business Services Office, not over the phone. Also, no other office may provide a credit balance amount to anyone other than the student for the student's protection and FERPA regulations of the University.
To confirm or provide direct deposit information for your refund, please follow this process:
- Log into the Concordia Connect portal
- Click on the Billing/Financial Tab.
- Click on the Tuition & Fees Information link to view your account balance.
- Click on Electronic Refunds on the right side.
- Enroll in the two-step verification process.
- Set up a new account to receive your refund.
It is the student’s responsibility to provide accurate information for the refund. The University will not be held responsible for any inaccurate bank account information or address.
Before we process your refund, you also have the option to authorize us to cover non-institutional charges such as but not limited to parking fines, late fees, immunization fees, etc. If you are interested in completing this authorization, you can find it in your CUConnect in the repository area as Credit Balance Authorization. You have to sign the form and send it to student.accounts@cuchicago.edu. If you choose not to complete this form, you will be responsible for paying these fees as soon as possible.
Method of Payment
Payments can be made in person, over the phone, online, or through a monthly tuition payment plan. Payments in person can be made with cash, money order, personal check, debit, or credit card. Payments made over the phone must be made by credit or debit card. All credit or debit card payments made over the phone or online will be subject to a 2.95% convenience fee to be added to the total amount of the payment. Accepted cards are VISA®, MasterCard®, American Express® and Discover®.
Payments mailed to the University must be either personal checks or money orders. Payments made online must be in the form of either a bank account (ACH) transaction or a credit or debit card. Online payments via ACH (electronic check) shall not incur additional charges. All fees, whether paid by a person or an organization, shall be paid in United States dollars.
Online payments can be made by logging into CUConnect:
- Select the “Billing/Financial Aid tab”
- Go to the “Tuition and Fees Information" link
- Select " Make Payment"
Payment Plan
Undergraduate students also may sign up for a monthly tuition payment plan through TouchNet, our third-party provider. A $50.00 fee is assessed and due at the time of enrollment. The plan provides a maximum of six months to make monthly payments. To enroll:
- Log into the Concordia Connect portal
- Click on the Billing/Financial Aid tab
- Navigate to the Tuition Payment Information section
- Click “Sign up for the CUC payment”
The CUC payment plan must be setup each semester (fall, spring, or summer) and the enrollment fee of $50 must be paid each time a student signs up for a CUC payment plan.
Returned Checks
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A fee of $36 will be assessed to the student’s tuition account for any check returned unpaid. If a second check is returned unpaid, an additional $50 for the second returned item and $75 for the third returned item. After the third returned item, the University will not accept any further personal checks on the account. Payment for any returned check must be made by certified funds (cash, cashier’s check or money order). A fee of $36 will be assessed to the student’s tuition account for any online check payment that is returned unpaid.
Please note: When using the online payment method through our third-party servicer, TouchNet, the payment information submitted, such as your bank account or credit card information and the student H-number, must be accurate. If there is an error in the information that is submitted, the payment may be returned unpaid by your financial institution. There is a fee of $36 that is posted to the student’s account, as TouchNet charges the University for returned payments. This is a non-negotiable fee and the student will be responsible. The University does not hold any liability to any incorrect information submitted by another party.
Refund Policy
Once the applicable tuition and fees as well as financial aid has posted to your account, it is possible to have a credit balance. This can be recognized by reviewing your student tuition account online. If you find a negative sign (-) in front of the balance, you have a credit that can be refunded to you or you can use the credit as a book voucher at the CUC bookstore. The amount spent at the bookstore is posted to your account as a charge that will reduce your account credit.
Any credit balance information may be given in person or through your CUC email address, by the Business Services Office, not over the phone. Also, no other office may provide a credit balance amount to anyone other than the student for the student's protection and FERPA regulations of the University.
If a credit balance is reflected in the student's account, it will be automatically sent to the student within 14 days by direct deposit (if the student previously provided bank information) or by check (to the address currently on file). To confirm or provide direct deposit information for your refund, please follow this process:
- Log into the Concordia Connect portal
- Click on the Billing/Financial Tab.
- Click on the Tuition & Fees Information link to view your account balance.
- Click on Electronic Refunds on the right side.
- Enroll in the two-step verification process
- Set up a new account to receive your refund
It is the student’s responsibility to provide accurate information for the refund. The University will not be held responsible for any inaccurate bank account information or address.
Before we process your refund, you also have the option to authorize us to cover non-institutional charges such as but not limited to parking fines, late fees, immunization fees, etc. If you are interested in completing this authorization, you can find it in your CUConnect in the repository area as Credit Balance Authorization. You have to sign the form and send it to student.accounts@cuchicago.edu. If you choose not to complete this form, you will be responsible for paying these fees as soon as possible.
Students with Outstanding Balances
Students with outstanding balances will be placed on “hold” status and will be prohibited from registering for courses until that “hold” status is released. Students with “hold” status due to outstanding balances also will not be allowed to participate in commencement ceremonies. All administrative obligations to CUC must be cleared in order to prompt the release of CUC transcripts and diploma(s). Students who graduated prior to June 2023 should contact the Office of the Registrar at Registrar@cuchicago.edu if they have not received their transcripts and/or diploma(s). Any account with an outstanding balance will incur a 1.5 percent or minimum of $25 service charge each month on the account until paid in full.
If the student who planned to participate in the Commencement Ceremony has had extraordinary expenses that have not allowed them to meet their financial responsibility to CUC, they can submit an appeal to the Office of Student Business Services at least two weeks before the Commencement Ceremony. If the appeal is approved, the student has to complete a payment plan agreement with the Office of Student Business Services to participate in the Commencement Ceremony.
Email is the University’s primary source of communication. All communications initiated by the Student Business Services Office will be sent to the student’s assigned CUC email address. A statement of account will be uploaded each month after the start of the semester if the tuition account has a verified outstanding balance. An email will be sent to students’ CUC email address each time a new statement is uploaded to alert the student to log in to Concordia Connect to view/print their statement.
Concordia University Chicago retains the right to drop a student’s classes at any time in the event the student fails to meet payment deadlines.
Tuition Refund Policy
- All fees are refundable at 100% when a course is dropped within the 100% refund period.
- If course is dropped after the 100% refund period all fees are non-refundable.
Traditional Undergraduate Refund Policy
16-Week Courses
| Refund Amount | Through the. . . |
|---|---|
| 100% | End of the 1st week of class |
| 75% | 2nd week of class |
| 50% | 3rd week of class |
| 25% | 4th week of class |
| 0% | After the 4th week of class |
8-Week Courses
| Refund Amount | Through the. . . |
|---|---|
| 100% | End of the 1st week of class |
| 50% | End of the 2nd week of class |
| 0% | After the 2nd week of class |
ADP Refund Policy
8-Week Courses
| Refund Amount | Deadline |
|---|---|
| 100% | By end of 1st week of class |
| 50% | By end of 2nd week of class |
| 0% | After end of 2nd week of class |
NOTE : Failure to attend class does not constitute an automatic withdrawal from the class! Student's must drop courses through the Academic Advising Office before any refund will be issued. Failure to drop classes will result in no refund and a grade of "F" on the student's transcript.
As indicated in the Outstanding Balance section of this chapter, a student has one semester to appeal the tuition cost for a course to the office of the Dean of Students or college dean, respectively. Form for grade appeals can be found under Resources in CUConnect. Failure to follow the procedure of an appeal will result in your appeal not being reviewed and you will be assessed the charges accordingly.
Withdrawal from the University
Outstanding balances are due and payable in full upon withdrawing from Concordia University Chicago. (Note: See Collection Policy.)