College Expenses

Tuition and Fees

Billing and Payments 

Residence and Meal Plan Rates

Special Course Fees and Additional Program Costs

Other Administrative Fees and Charges

Financial Petitions

Tuition and Fees Adjustment Policy

2008-09 Graduate Tuition and Fees

Students must pay or arrange payment for all semester charges (minus financial aid) by August 1, 2008, for the fall semester and January 2, 2009, for the spring semester. Failure to pay the appropriate charges by the specified date may result in a late payment fee of $250. The College reserves the right to change fees at the beginning of any semester.

Students will not be allowed to register and/or occupy any on-campus housing until the student account is paid in full or a payment arrangement has been made for charges from the prior semester and the appropriate payment/installment(s) for the current semester have been made.

All charges must be paid before a diploma, transcript, or certificate is issued.

Full-Time* Graduate Tuition and Fees

*Full-time tuition is based on registration in 2 or more credits

Part-Time* Graduate Tuition and Fees

*Part-time tuition is based on registration in fewer than 2 credits

¹Tuition
Students enrolled in 2 or more credits will be charged the full-time tuition rate. Students enrolled in fewer than 2 credits will be charged the per-course credit rate.

²Campus Comprehensive Fee
The Campus Comprehensive Fee supports basic medical services at UC Berkeley's Tang Center, the technology infrastructure, graduate activities, and some public safety services such as the Mills College shuttle and on-campus parking. Each Mills student is allowed one parking permit and the use of the Mills shuttle free of any additional charge. No portion of the Campus Comprehensive Fee can be waived or petitioned.

³Major Medical Insurance
Major medical insurance, also known as the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), is mandatory for all enrolled graduate students. The major medical fee may be waived if proof of comparable insurance coverage and a completed Major Medical Waiver form are submitted to the M Center by August 1, 2008, for the fall semester or January 2, 2009, for the spring semester. Major medical waivers may be accepted up to 30 days after the published deadline with a late major medical waiver fee of $150, but no waivers will be accepted after the 30-day late period.

Part-time graduate students who waive the major medical insurance will also have their Campus Comprehensive Fee reduced by $160 per semester, which will result in no medical services provided through Mills. Students who drop to part time after the add deadline will not have the Campus Comprehensive Fee reduced and will retain basic medical services.

Students in "In-Progress" status are not charged for medical services nor may they opt to buy in. 

Note: Once a medical waiver is approved, it will remain effective until the student leaves Mills or graduates. Students who take a leave of absence, withdraw, or complete a degree program must submit a new waiver when they return or enter a new degree program. Students whose health insurance provider changes must submit a new waiver with their new health insurance provider's coverage information within 30 days of the change.

Summer Fees
Mills offers a limited number of academic opportunities during its summer term. The costs for these opportunities are:

• Independent study: $200
• Internship: $200
• Directed Research: no charge

Billing and Payments  

Billing Cycle
Registered students will receive a bill before each semester. New students and continuing students who have not registered will receive a billing worksheet to determine their amount due.

Accounts with past due balances are subject to late payment fees. Charges that are incurred once the term begins are added to the student account when the action occurs and are due immediately.

Students are responsible for monitoring their account balance and for verifying payments regardless of who is handling the finances. Mills College reserves the right to place a hold on the student's account for overdue balances. This hold will prevent students from accessing services such as registration, confirmation of semester attendance, ordering transcripts, participating in the selection process for housing, and receiving their diploma or certificate.

Electronic Billing
eBilling enables students to view, print, and download their billing statement from the Web and submit payments online. Students may authorize any third party to receive a copy of their eBill by creating an authorized user account.

Authorized users are notified by email when a bill is available for viewing. Paper bills will no longer be sent to students who are enrolled in eBilling unless special arrangements have been made by contacting the M Center.

Payment options include payment through credit card or withdrawal from a checking or savings account.

Payments in Full
Students wishing to pay their tuition in full can pay by cash, check, wire transfer, or electronically if enrolled in eBilling. Checks should be payable to Mills College. All fees are payable in U.S. dollars.

Payments by Installment
Students who prefer to pay their balance in installments may contact Tuition Management Systems to set up a payment plan for each semester. Students can pay in five equal installments, plus an enrollment fee, by automatic bank withdrawal, check, or credit card.

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Special Course Fees and Additional Program Costs

Auditor Tuition
Non-degree-seeking persons and part-time students are charged for auditing classes at a rate of one-half the regular per-course-credit tuition cost. Full-time students are not charged for auditing classes.

Book Art
Book art studio fees range from $100 to $150.

Dance
Graduate students in dance should expect to incur additional expenses related to their graduate performances and thesis concert.

MBA Program
Students who take prerequisite courses for the MBA Program when they are not yet officially admitted into that program are charged at the rate of $2,400 per course.

MPP Program
Students who take prerequisite courses for the MPP Program when they are not yet officially admitted into that program are charged at the rate of $2,400 per course.

Music
Individual instruction fees, which are in addition to the course credit fee, provide for one lesson per week (a total of 14 per semester). Fees range from $700 to $2,000, depending on the instructor. A list of instructors and their fees is available from the Music Department. Practice rooms may be rented for $60 per semester.

Graduate students in the Electronic Music and Recording Media MFA Program should budget for additional materials required for work in this medium. An average of $600 per semester is required to cover the cost of recordable compact discs and DVDs, hard-drives, software, and electronic supplies.

Studio Art
Students in the Studio Art MFA Program are provided with on-campus studios and are charged a mandatory supplemental art studio fee of $500 per semester. An additional materials fee is required for graduate studio art classes in ceramics, electronic arts, photography, video, and ARTS 205 Concentrations in Ceramics, Painting, Photography, Sculpture/Intermedia.

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Other Administrative Fees and Charges

¹Repatriation Charge
All international students, exchange visitors, and other persons with a student visa who are temporarily residing outside their home country while actively engaged in educational activities are required to pay for a Repatriation, Medical Evacuation, and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance Plan for Foreign Students sponsored through the University of California. International students must sign up for the program at the beginning of each academic year by completing an enrollment form in the international advisor's office in the Division of Student Life.

²Returned Check Charge
There is a $25 charge for each returned check. After a check is returned for insufficient funds, the College will only accept payment via guaranteed funds (cash, cashier's check, money order, or electronic transfer) for the remainder of the academic year. 

³Thesis-In-Progress Fee 
The fee for "In-Progress" status is $100 for the initial semester with a $100 increase for each subsequent semester. This fee is subject to change.

⁴Thesis/Dissertation Processing Fee
All students submitting a thesis or dissertation are required to pay a $45 nonrefundable thesis/dissertation processing fee at the time the thesis/dissertation is submitted.

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Financial Petitions

The Financial Petition Committee handles all petitions that relate to the late payment fee, late registration fee, late confirmation of semester attendance fee, late major medical fee, and tuition adjustments. Petitions must be submitted to the M Center in writing, during the semester in which the charge has been assessed or it will not be reviewed. Students may not re-petition the same charge once a decision has been made unless new information is presented.

If a completed major medical waiver form was not submitted by the published deadline, the major medical charge cannot be petitioned. The Financial Petition form is available online and in the M Center.

Fees assessed by the Academic Standing Committee (ASC) must be appealed directly to the ASC. Library fines must be appealed directly to the library, and traffic fines must be appealed directly to Public Safety.

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Tuition and Fees Adjustment Policy

Leave of Absence or Withdrawal
All students considering a leave of absence or withdrawal should see the Leave of Absence and Withdrawal sections in the Academic Regulations part of this catalog. All financial aid recipients considering a leave of absence or withdrawal should review the federal regulations regarding the Return of Title IV Aid and other financial aid impacts in the Financial Aid section of this catalog.

The leave of absence/withdrawal date is the date that students notify the M Center of their intent to take a leave of absence or withdraw from the College. Once a student has completed the procedure for a leave of absence or withdrawal from the College, a tuition adjustment will be applied to the student's account which, in turn, may or may not result in a refund to the student. A student will receive a refund only if there is a credit balance on the student's account after the tuition adjustment has been made and after federal, institutional, and/or state financial aid has been returned to the programs, according to the Return of Title IV Aid policy.

Students taking a leave of absence or withdrawing from the College are responsible for making payment arrangements for any outstanding balance with the College. All College services, including transcripts and readmission, will be withheld until the student account is paid in full.

The Campus Comprehensive fee and installment fee are nonrefundable once instruction begins.

Tuition charges will be adjusted as follows:

*Students who take a leave of absence or withdraw prior to the add deadline will be ineligible to participate in the Mills Student Health Insurance Program (SHIP). Consequently, they will be credited 100 percent for the major medical insurance charge and will be responsible for any medical claims incurred for the entire coverage period.

⁺Students who take a leave of absence or withdraw after the add deadline will not receive any adjustment to the major medical insurance charge and will be insured until the end of the coverage period.

Residential students who take a leave of absence or withdraw from the College will be released from their obligation to pay housing charges only if they are released from their Residence Agreement prior to the commencement of the occupancy period (See Termination of Agreement or Release from Agreement). Meal plan charges are adjusted based on the date of check-out from the assigned residence.

Change in Enrollment Status
Students who drop from full time to part time on or before the first day of the term will have their tuition adjusted to reflect their new enrollment status. Students who drop from full time to part time after the first day of the term but by the add deadline will be credited 80 percent of the tuition charges associated for the dropped credits to their student account. This adjustment may or may not result in a refund to the student. After the add deadline, no adjustment will be made.

Part-time students who reduce credits or drop courses on or before the first day of the term will have their tuition adjusted to reflect the number of credits for which they are registered. Part-time students who reduce credits or drop courses after the first day of the term but by the add deadline will be credited 80 percent of the tuition charges associated for the dropped credits to their student account. This adjustment may or may not result in a refund to the student. After the add deadline, no adjustment will be made.

Auditors who reduce credits or drop courses on or before the first day of the term will have their tuition adjusted to reflect the number of credits for which they are registered. Part-time students who reduce credits or drop courses after the first day of the term but by the add deadline will be credited 80 percent of the tuition charges associated for the dropped credits to their student account. This adjustment may or may not result in a refund to the student. After the add deadline, no adjustment will be made.

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