Fees and Expenses

Payment Guidelines

Registration is incomplete until all fees are paid or a minimum payment on the deferred payment plan is made (“paid” includes checks clearing the bank). Students who do not pay by published deadlines may be removed (purged) from class(es). Upon registration, a student’s account reflects the balance owed for educational services and the associated costs obtained from Dyersburg State Community College (DSCC). DSCC is an institution of higher education. As such, all or a portion of a student’s account is considered to be an educational loan offered for the sole purpose of financing an education. Fee payment options are outlined at https://www.dscc.edu/node/8531

If a student expects financial aid to pay all or some of his/her financial obligations to DSCC, it is his/her responsibility to meet all requirements for disbursement of any financial assistance disbursed to the student’s account. All financial aid is first used to pay for educational costs charged to the student’s account. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all requirements of grantors, lenders, employers, and other third-party payers are met on a timely basis. Despite the student’s expectations for payment from financial aid or other sources, the student is ultimately responsible for all charges incurred.

An individual will not be considered for admission/readmission as a student until all past due debts and obligations of $100 or greater incurred in prior academic terms, of whatever nature, have been paid, or the student, if allowable, has entered into an acceptable acknowledgement of debt/promise to pay agreement with the institution for the past due debts and obligations.

Deferred Payment Plan

Eligible students may enroll in the Deferred Payment Plan during fall and spring terms. To enroll, pay a down payment of at least 50% of the account balance plus a deferred plan service fee. The remaining account balance will be deferred at 0% interest and will be payable in two monthly installments.

The first installment is due approximately 30 days from the beginning of the term. If this payment is not paid when due, the student agrees to pay a $25.00 late payment charge.

The second installment is due approximately 60 days from the beginning of the term. If this payment is not paid when due, the student agrees to pay a $ 25.00 late payment charge.

Check the academic calendar at www.dscc.edu for exact payment due dates of the two installments.

If installments are not paid as agreed, the student agrees that his/her account may be assessed late payment fees of up to $100.00 per term. If a student enrolls in the Deferred Payment Plan on or after the first day of the term, he/she will also be assessed a $25.00 late enrollment fee. Students who withdraw from classes prior to completing their deferred payments are obligated to make those payments, net of the college refund, if any.

HOW TO ENROLL IN THE DEFERRED PAYMENT PLAN:

To enroll in this plan if paying via credit or debit card:

• At www.dscc.edu, click on MyDSCC.
• Log in with your unique DSCC username and password.
• Click on the Student Tab.
• Under Registration Tools, select Payment of Fees.*
• Select preferences for receiving a 1098-T.
• Select the Term (ex. Fall 2023) and click Submit.
• Select “Yes, I will attend during Term.” Click Continue. You will be taken to your student account activity page.
• Select Recent Account Activity and then Make a Payment.
• Select Pay Make a Payment or Enroll in Plan.
• Follow payment directions.

To enroll in the deferred payment plan by paying with check, cash or other methods, see any DSCC cashier for assistance.

Basic Fees and Expenses

Students pay mandatory fees to support student activities, athletics, cultural opportunities, and unique projects and programs. These fees vary and assess regardless of the number of hours the student takes. Maintenance fees are the charges based on credit hours for in-state students. For example, a student pays a flat rate for the first 12 hours of DSCC class credits and a discounted rate for any additional hours. Most academic programs require students to complete at least 15 hours a semester to finish on time. Out-of-state students are required to pay tuition in addition to maintenance fees. The combined cost of these fees or tuition results in the total price a student must pay. Fees are subject to change at any time by action of the Tennessee Board of Regents.

Tuition

Under the Tennessee Eligibility Verification for Entitlements Act (EVEA), DSCC is required to verify that a person (18 years of age or older) seeking a state public benefit - including in-state tuition - is either a United States citizen or is lawfully present in the United States. Without this verification, out-of-state tuition will be charged regardless of the individual’s domicile.

For 2023-2024, all students pay tuition of $176 per credit hour, up to 12 credit hours. Each DSCC credit hour above 12 credit hours costs only $38 per credit hour. Non-resident students also pay out-of-state tuition as shown below.

Students who enroll in TN eCampus courses pay an online course fee of $70 per credit hour in addition to the tuition fee of $176 per credit hour.

Out-of-State Tuition

Bona fide residents of the State of Tennessee; Pemiscot, Dunklin and New Madrid counties in Missouri; and Mississippi County in Arkansas are not assessed out-of-state tuition.

Out-of-state students, excluding those listed above, will be assessed $726 for 12 hours as out-of-state and only $148 per DSCC credit hour for each hour over 12 credit hours. All TNeCampus credit hours are assessed at $726 per hour.  These per credit hour rates are established and approved by the Tennessee Board of Regents and are subject to change at any time. 

Fees for Audit Students

Students enrolling in regular college classes as auditors will pay the same fees as those enrolling for credit.

Disabled and Elderly Persons Program

In accordance with T.C.A. § 49-7-113 and TBR Guideline B-060, certain disabled and elderly students, as well as state service retirees, are able to enroll in courses free or at a reduced rate.

For audit courses, no fee is required for persons with a permanent, total disability, persons 60 years of age or older and domiciled in Tennessee, and persons who have retired from state service with 30 or more years of service, regardless of age. For credit, a fee of $70 per semester or $60 per trimester may be charged to persons with a permanent, total disability and persons who will become 65 years of age or older during the academic semester in which they begin classes and who are domiciled in Tennessee. (Note: This fee includes all mandatory fees; it does not include course-specific fees such as all miscellaneous course fees, materials fees, application fee, online course fees and parking fees.) This only applies to enrollment on a space available basis, which permits registration no earlier than four (4) weeks prior to the first day of classes.

Registration Fees

Students are assessed registration fees in addition to tuition. Such fees are non-refundable. Included in this category are the following fees for 2022-2023. Fees are subject to change at any time by action of the Tennessee Board of Regents.

Technology Access Fee - Non-Refundable

All students who enroll in three credit hours will be assessed a $75.50 Technology Access Fee; those who enroll in four hours will be assessed a $93.50 Technology Access Fee; and those who enroll in five or more hours will be assessed $116 per semester.

Student Government Association Fee - Non-Refundable

All students enrolled in DSCC for-credit hours must pay $3 per semester as a Student Government Association Fee.

Program Services Fee - Non-Refundable

All students must pay a Program Services Fee of $19 per semester. This fee covers vehicle registration and access to Library resources and other student-focused areas.

Each person who parks an automobile on campus must register that vehicle. All parking regulations must be observed. Failure to do so will result in a fine of $10 for the first citation and $20 for subsequent violations. In accordance with State Law, handicapped parking space violations may be fined up to $200. Fines not paid or cleared are treated as any other indebtedness to the College.

International Fee

All students are assessed $15 per semester as an International Fee. These fees are used to provide international cultural experiences to our College community. 

Student Activity Fee

All students are assessed $5 per semester Student Activity fee.  These fees are used to support extracurricular and co-curricular activities and enhance the quality of student engagement on all  campuses.

Traffic and Parking Regulations

For a complete statement regarding parking and driving regulations and payment of citations, please refer to the DSCC Student Handbook.

TN eCampus Fees-Non-Refundable

Students who enroll in TN eCampus courses for 2023-2024 will be assessed an online course fee of $70 per credit hour in addition to tuition. The TN eCampus online fee is non-refundable. For more information on TN eCampus, go to www.tnecampus.org.

Program and Services Fees

Students may encounter other charges in addition to the basic fees. Such fees are non-refundable.

Identification Cards

Identification cards are issued each semester by the Learning Resource Center. This card will contain the student’s photo, name and student identification number and will be used throughout the enrollment period at DSCC. The identification card allows the student to attend, at no cost or at a reduced rate, all College activities that are open to the student population. A student must be prepared to present his/her I.D. card at the request of a faculty or staff member. Although there is no cost for the initial identification card, there is a $5 charge for replacing a lost card.

Transcripts of Credits

Transcripts will be furnished free of charge up to a maximum of six copies per term. A fee of $1 will be assessed for each additional transcript.

Deferred Payment Plan Service Fee - Non-Refundable

A service fee of $25 will be charged to all students participating in the deferred payment plan. A late enrollment fee of $25.00 will also be assessed to those enrolling on or after the first day of the term.

Late Payment Fees - Non-Refundable

Students whose fees are not paid by published deadlines will pay a $25 late fee per month, up to $100 per semester, if timely payment is not made.

Late Registration Fee

Late registration is defined as any registration which occurs on or after the first official day of the term. There is a $10 charge for late registration.

Applied Music Fee

The additional fee for all private individual instruction in music (vocal and instrumental) is $60 per semester hour for one 30-minute lesson per week for 15 weeks.

Nursing Student Expenses

Additional expenses to the nursing student include the cost of uniforms, watch with second hand, liability insurance, standardized nursing achievement tests and school pin (upon graduation). Transportation to and from clinical agencies is the responsibility of the student. There are additional fees for the state licensure exam and National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) Review course. See the Nursing Student Handbook for more information.

Emergency Medical Services Student Expenses

Additional expenses to the EMT-Paramedic student include: liability insurance, uniforms, competency test, criminal background check and drug screen. There are additional fees for state licensure after completing the Program.

Health Information Management (HIM) Student Expenses

Additional expenses to the HIM student include the cost of liability insurance, background checks, testing fees, and any health screenings that may be required. Transportation to and from clinical agencies is the responsibility of the student. For more information, see the HIM Student Handbook.

Healthcare Technician Certificate Expenses

Additional expenses to the Healthcare Technician Certificate student include a criminal background check and drug screen.

Continuing Education Fees

Fees for Continuing Education courses vary according to course content, duration and any materials necessary for completion of the course. Contact a Continuing Education representative at 731-286-3265 for specific information.

Other Test Fees

College Level Examination Program (CLEP) examinations and proctored tests are administered in the Learning Resource Center on the Dyersburg Campus. DSCC assesses a $25 non-refundable administration fee for each CLEP examination. 

With the exception of tests for students from DSCC, TN eCampus or other TBR institutions, a $25 proctoring fee will be assessed for all other tests. This fee must be paid prior to taking the test.

As of November 1, 2021, the on ground ACT testing fee is $60.00. This rate may change at any time.

Photocopying Fee

The fee for photocopying is $.15 per page.

Printing Fee

Students are allotted up to 450 pages of printing each semester. Additional pages can be purchased in the Learning Resource Centers at each location for $.10 per page.

Returned Checks

A $30 service charge will be assessed for each payment dishonored and returned to the College by a financial institution. Any student who has not paid for a dishonored payment will have a hold placed on his/her account and will be subject to the same policy governing any other indebtedness to the College. Check writing and electronic check privileges will be revoked for any student whose payment to DSCC is dishonored.

Departmental Exam Fee

Books and Supplies

Since the costs of books and supplies vary from term to term and from one program of study to another, only the average can be included in this catalog. That average is approximately $1460 per year for the 2023-2024 school year. In courses requiring special equipment, the costs will be higher in the term of initial purchase.

DSCC and Follett bookstore have partnered to provide digital eBook materials in some course sections to be available on the first day of class. To ensure the lowest cost for students, the sections participating include a course materials fee automatically applied to the student account. This charge will appear on the account as an electronic materials fee. This fee comes at a reduced cost compared to traditional physical textbooks and course materials. Students may opt out of the eBook materials before the 14^th calendar day of each term. If students opt out, they will be responsible for obtaining the required course materials on their own. To opt out or for more information about this process, please contact our Follett bookstore manager at 731-286-3241 or email bookstore@dscc.edu.

Student Financial Aid Budget

Federal and state aid regulations and laws require colleges to establish a Cost of Attendance (COA) for each student receiving any kind of financial aid or student support. The COA is derived from direct costs such as tuition and fees, and indirect costs such as books, supplies, personal miscellaneous expenses, and transportation costs. DSCC uses the Expected Family Contribution as calculated by the information submitted on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and a student’s COA to determine the student’s financial need. During a given period of enrollment, a student is not allowed to receive a total amount of student aid (including scholarships, grants, federal student loans, and Federal Work-Study) that exceeds that student’s Cost of Attendance.

DSCC has established the following one term and annual budgets for the 2023-2024 year for full-time students.  Cost of attendance estimates for less than full-time enrollment are available online at https://www.dscc.edu/node/2901

Tuition and fee amounts are based on a student’s enrollment per the DSCC Fee Chart.

DSCC’s budget components for books, course materials, supplies, equipment, living expenses, personal/miscellaneous expenses, and transportation for full-time students is based upon the national average as determine by The College Board’s survey of Trends in College Pricing for 2022, which can be accessed online at https://research.collegeboard.org/trends/college-pricing

Fee Changes

The College reserves the right to change the fees listed herein or to add new ones as deemed necessary. Fees are subject to change at any time by action of the Tennessee Board of Regents.

Fee Refunds

100% refunds are provided:

1. Upon cancellation of a class by the institution.
2. On behalf of a student whose death occurs during the term. Any indebtedness should be offset against the refund.
3. For students who enroll under an advance registration system but who drop a course or courses prior to the beginning of the first day of the term.
4. To students who are compelled by the institution to withdraw when it is determined that through institutional error they were academically ineligible for enrollment or were not properly admitted to enroll for the course(s) being dropped. An appropriate official must certify in writing that this provision is applicable in each case. 

Except for the provisions outlined above, NO FEES are refundable unless the courses relating to those fees are dropped before 11:59 on the night PRIOR to the first official date of each term.

Refunds for tuition only may be provided when changes in courses occur on the first day of the term through the end of the 25% fee adjustment period.

The fee adjustment is calculated as the difference between (1) the per credit hour cost of originally enrolled hours and (2) the per credit hour cost of the courses at final enrollment after adjustments have been applied for all courses dropped. Adjustments are calculated at the full per credit hour rate less the fee adjustment credit at the applicable fee adjustment percentage (regardless of the original number of hours enrolled). Not all drops/withdrawals will result in fee adjustments. For example, if a student is enrolled in 15 credit hours and drops to 12 credit hours during the 75% fee adjustment period, the student will be responsible for the full price of 12 hours plus 25% of the cost of the three credit hours that were dropped. The amount the student would owe in tuition in this scenario would be 12 hours + (3 hours x 25% penalty) .75 = 12.75 credit hours multiplied by the per credit hour rate.

Title IV Refund Procedures:

Awarded grants, loans, scholarships and other forms of financial assistance are made for the purpose of completing classes taken toward earning a degree. This means that most forms of financial assistance a student receives from the federal government (for example, Federal Pell Grants, Federal student loans), from the State of Tennessee (for example, the TELS Program, TN Promise, or TN Reconnect) carry substantial penalties if the student enrolls in courses but does not finish the courses. The student could permanently lose Tennessee Promise, Tennessee Reconnect and/or Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Funds.

Financial aid is awarded to students so they may complete courses, not so they may attempt courses. This is an important and significant distinction. When a student enrolls in courses but fails to attend or successfully complete the courses, that student could become personally financially responsible for the costs of all tuition and fees and be required to pay back the federal loans, federal grants or scholarships received. Students should never withdraw from any course or stop attending any course without first consulting with their academic advisor and a Financial Aid Counselor.

If a student has a credit balance from Title IV funds once all applicable tuition/fees are paid, the student will receive a refund for the credit balance upon verification of attendance in his/her enrolled courses (excluding labs). Read the following carefully to avoid owing any refunds back as outlined below:

• Students who receive the Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, Federal Perkins Loan, or Federal Direct Loans must complete at least 60% of the semester to earn 100% of their aid. If a student is officially or unofficially withdrawn before completing 60% of the term, then DSCC must perform a Federal Return of Title IV Funds Calculation. The Return Calculation is based on the premise that students “earn” federal financial aid for each calendar day that they attend classes. This means that DSCC may be required to return all or part of a student’s aid to the federal government if the student withdraws before completing his/her classes. The student will also still be responsible for paying any applicable tuition and fees for the courses the student attempted but did not complete. Anytime a Return to Title IV Calculation is performed, the student is likely to owe a balance to DSCC. It is very important that students maintain regular course attendance! Students who do not repay these returned funds will be ineligible for Title IV aid at any college/university.
• In addition, if a student officially or unofficially drops below half time status (at least 6 credit hours), DSCC must notify the federal loan servicer that the student is no longer enrolled and his/her six-month grace period for federal loan repayment will begin on the date of his/her withdrawal.
• Finally, withdrawing from or stopping attendance in all of a student’s classes has a negative impact on his/her eligibility to receive financial aid in the future. The federal government requires that every student must maintain a certain standard of Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress. In short, this means that a student is required to pass 67% of all attempted hours in order to remain eligible to receive financial aid. When a student drops courses after the census date, it results in their pass rate dropping.

The refund policy for students receiving Title IV Financial Aid is subject to change by the federal government.