Tuition and Fees 

Tuition and Fees 

Bristol Community College receives some of its funding from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is subsidized by state tax revenues. This means that students pay only a portion of the total cost of a Bristol education.

Tuition and Fees per credit hour

Massachusetts and nearby Rhode Island residents

Bristol Community College accepts students from nearby eastern Rhode Island (Adamsville, Barrington, Bristol, East Providence, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth, Tiverton, and Warren, RI) at in-state tuition rates. Please see the Admissions Office for details.

The New England Board of Higher Education’s (NEBHE) Tuition Break program allows out of state students residing in New England to enroll in an eligible program at Bristol at a discounted tuition rate, if the public colleges and universities in the student’s home state do not offer the program of study. For eligibility guidelines please visit Eligibility/FAQs | New England Board of Higher Education (https://nebhe.org/tuitionbreak/eligibility-faqs/)

All other students

Tuition is set by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

The College Fee portion of the per credit charge is collected from all students and used to pay for general College operations not funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. These include, but are not limited to, instructional computer equipment, educational supplies, audio-visual aids, library books, and laboratory supplies.

Other required fees

Instructional Support Fee

This fee is charged for courses with high personnel, technology, or materials costs. Courses that carry this fee are identified in the course description with the sentence “Instructional Support Fee applies.”

Nursing and Dental Hygiene courses with the NUR or DHG carry a $50 per credit Instructional Support Fee.

Additional program costs (approximate)

Tuition may be modified by action of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education after publication of this catalog. Fees may be modified by the College Board of Trustees. Because of changing costs and/or state and legislative actions, adjustments may be required after publication of this catalog. Bristol Community College reserves the right to make these adjustments, and tuition and fees are subject to change without notice.

Policies

Once a student registers, they are responsible for payment in full of all tuition and fee charges. Students must fulfill all financial obligations to the College. Overdue student accounts will be sufficient cause for administrative withdrawal from the College, and/or other administrative penalties by the College. Unpaid accounts will be referred for collection, and the student will bear all costs and charges incurred in the collection and/or litigation. The Massachusetts Health Insurance Law requires that all students enrolled in nine or more credits are required to have basic health insurance. By law, Bristol Community College automatically charges all students who are registered for nine or more credits with this health insurance fee. The annual fee may be waived before school begins (usually when you register), by documenting comparable health insurance coverage. You must complete the waiver online at www.gallagherstudent.com (Enter Bristol Community College in the search box, then click on Student Waiver on the left menu bar). A waiver must be complete in order for this charge to be removed from the student’s account and the online waiver is the only accepted method to waive coverage. Students purchase their own textbooks, materials, and supplies, all available at the College bookstore.

A financial statement of the College is available in the Administration office.

Refund policy for students withdrawing from all credit courses in a traditional semester.

Students must follow College withdrawal procedures to receive a refund. See Withdrawal Policy & Procedure in the Academic Information section of this catalog for further details.

Tuition refunds for all credit courses are as follows:

• If a student officially withdraws from the College prior to the beginning of classes or during the first two weeks of classes, the student will receive a 100 percent refund less the $37 nonrefundable student support fee.
• If a student officially withdraws from the College during the third week of classes, the student will receive a 50 percent refund less the $37 nonrefundable student support fee.
• If a student officially withdraws after the third week of classes, there will be no tuition or college fee refunds.

An equivalent of one week will be used for determining the refund for nontraditional semester courses, ex. Winter Session.

Refund policy for students not completely withdrawing from all credit courses in a traditional semester.

If a student officially withdraws from a course(s) prior to the beginning of classes or during the first two weeks of classes, the student will receive a 100 percent refund for the credits from which s/he withdraws. If a student officially withdraws from a course(s) during the third week of classes, the student will receive a 50 percent refund for the credits from which s/he withdraws. If the student officially withdraws from a course(s) after the first three weeks of classes, there will be no refund. It takes four to six weeks for the refund to process.

An equivalent of one week will be used for determining the refund for nontraditional semester courses, ex. Winter Session.

Tuition exemptions and Waivers

Completed waiver applications must be submitted at the time of registration. For any waiver, the appropriate waiver forms must be presented at the time of registration. No refunds are given if eligibility forms are submitted late. Tuition waivers cannot be used for credit by examination, directed study, or contract learning. (Waiver may not be used for ed2go classes, the noncredit Paralegal course, or the credit Medical Billing and Coding program.)

National Guard 

Active members of the Massachusetts Army or Air National Guard are eligible for a full tuition and fee waiver. This waiver applies to all qualified students, full- and part-time, and for all credit and certificate courses up to a maximum of 130 semester credit hours per student. Eligible students must present a valid (bearing a raised seal) Certificate of Eligibility issued by the Military Division of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

State employee waiver 

At the time of registration, a student must present a completed Tuition Remission Authorization form with appropriate signatures. Any additional charges must be paid at registration. Billing is unavailable.

Senior citizen waiver 

Massachusetts residents 60 years and older may attend Bristol Community College on a space-available basis under the Department of Higher Education’s tuition waiver policy. For specific details, please visit their website at www.mass.edu or contact the Enrollment Center for current eligibility requirements.

Veteran waiver 

Veterans who are Massachusetts residents may be eligible for a tuition waiver. Those eligible must submit form DD-214 (long form) for review and approval prior to registering. Waiver is for credit courses only. For more information, please call the Enrollment Center.

Third-party payment

Students whose courses will be paid by a third party, such as their employer, an agency, or military branch, must submit the appropriate documentation or authorizing letters prior to, or at the time of, registration. (Note: Students who will receive reimbursement contingent upon completion of their course must pay in full at the time of registration.)

American Opportunity Tax Credit 

Students enrolled in six credits or more in the first four years of an undergraduate program, day or evening, may be eligible for the American opportunity tax credit, a federal tax credit. Students pay for their tuition and fees, and then can claim a tax credit against their tax liability. Students may take a credit of 100 percent of the first $2,000, and 25 percent of the next $2,000 of qualified education expenses, for a maximum in any tax year of $2,500. Students are eligible for the credit for four years. The Financial Aid office and Student Accounts office have more information on this tax credit, but for specific information, consult a tax advisor.