Surcharge for Additional Credit Hours

TO: UMW Students

FROM: Richard R. Pearce
Associate Vice President for Business and Finance

DATE: June 1, 2006

Updated: June 13, 2008, Registrar’s Name updated 2011

SUBJECT: Surcharge on Additional Credit Hours

Dear Student:

This year, the Virginia General Assembly passed and the Governor signed a new law requiring that an undergraduate student entitled to in-state tuition must pay a surcharge on all satisfactorily completed credit hours that are in excess of 125% of the credit hours required for an undergraduate degree. The surcharge will apply to all in-state undergraduate students who are taking courses at a public, baccalaureate degree-granting institution of higher education in Virginia after August 1, 2006. This provision is not applicable to graduate or non-credit classes.

At UMW, BA/BS students who matriculated before Fall 2008 are required to complete 122 credits in order to graduate. This means that any in-state undergraduate BA/BS student who satisfactorily completes more than 152 undergraduate credits will have to pay the surcharge in addition to all other required tuition and fee charges. BA/BS students who matriculated during and after Fall 2008 are required to complete 120 credits in order to graduate. This means that any in-state undergraduate BA/BS student who satisfactorily completes more than 150 undergraduate credits will have to pay the surcharge in addition to all other required tuition and fee charges. The BLS and BPS programs require 120 credits for graduation. BLS and BPS students who complete more than 150 credits will have to pay the surcharge in addition to all other required tuition and fee charges.

The amount of the surcharge will be based on the difference in the rate paid for tuition by an in-state student and the actual cost of providing instruction. Generally, an in-state student pays about one half of the actual cost of instruction. For the 2006 – 2007 academic year, this surcharge will amount to $158 per credit hour for all credits earned beyond 152 or 150 credits for BA/BS students or 150 credits for BLS and BPS students. Please keep in mind that the surcharge amount will change in the future as tuition amounts and the total cost of instruction change.

You are receiving this letter now in order to make you aware of the surcharge requirement. Any student who will be required to pay a surcharge will, of course, be notified about the surcharge amount as a part of the billing process.

It’s also important to emphasize that some credits on a student’s record, such as Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) credits, will not count toward the surcharge total. However, all UMW courses taken will apply to the surcharge threshold, and so will any transfer courses taken that are used to satisfy either general education or major requirements.

If you have questions about the total number of credits on your academic record that would apply toward the surcharge threshold, please contact Rita Dunston, the Registrar. If you are ever billed for a surcharge in the future, and you have questions about the surcharge amount or the procedures for paying it, direct those questions to the Office of Student Accounts.