Commitment Deposit (Nonrefundable)
New U.S. Students and International Students
| Undergraduate Residents | $1,000 |
| Undergraduate Commuter | $500 |
Tuition and Fees
Tuition and fees for the 2024-2025 year will be available on the Student Financial Services website here.
Bentley University Payment Plan and Payment Options
Bentley University has developed a payment plan which allows students to split up their balance owed on their student account over a maximum of four payments for a nominal fee of $35. To view the payment options, click here.
Room and Board
Although payable by semester, room charges are for the entire academic year. If a student agrees to the Housing and Meal Plan Contract and moves into housing, the student is obligated to pay for the entire academic year of housing, as long as the student is enrolled at Bentley University.
If a student believes they have an extenuating circumstance they may request permission to terminate the housing contract by completing and submitting the appropriate Contract Release Form available on the Housing Portal. Submitting this form does not automatically grant you a release from the Housing and Meal Plan Contract, as contract releases are not granted often. All students who submit the Contract Release Form prior to the release date outlined in the housing contract for the full academic year will not require the permission of the Director of the Residential Center or their designee to terminate their housing contract.
If a student submits a Contract Release Form after the release date outlined in the housing contract, the Director of the Residential Center or their designee will make a determination regarding the request after it is received. If the request is declined, then a student has the opportunity to appeal to a committee of university representatives who will make the final determination. The committee of university representatives will meet two (2) times per academic year to review appeals. A member of the Residential Center will inform the student of the committee’s decision via email to the student's Bentley University email account. If the request is approved, the housing assignment will be pro-rated and the student will pay a contract release fee. Questions regarding the process should be emailed to housing@bentley.edu.
Other Expenditures
On average, it is estimated that undergraduate students will spend $1,200 on books and supplies during the academic year. Books and supplies issued to military veterans under Public Law 894 and 815 are billed to the government. Students who bring cars on campus are required to register them with University Police. Resident First-Years are not allowed to park their vehicles on campus without permission. Information about parking and permits can be found here.
Tuition Refunds
All refund requests must be submitted online via Workday to the Office of Student Financial Services. Step-by-step guides for setting up refund elections and completing the online refund request form can be found here.
Withdrawal credits for tuition are made according to the following schedule:
| Withdrawal period | Amount to be credited |
|---|---|
| First week | 100 percent |
| Second week | 80 percent |
| Third week | 60 percent |
| Fourth week | 40 percent |
| Fifth week | 20 percent |
| No refund after end of fifth week. |
In the case of course withdrawal, scholarships initially credited toward tuition balances are subject to the same withdrawal credit percentage as the tuition charge. No cash refunds of scholarships are made.
Tuition refund disputes must be submitted in writing by completing a Tuition Refund Application.
Note: Bentley University has partnered with GradGuard to offer Tuition Insurance. The insurance provides 100% reimbursement for tuition, room, board, and most other fees. Learn more and review the plan coverage to determine if it meets your needs at gradguard.com/tuition or call (877) 794-6603.
Application of Financial Assistance to Student Account
Financial assistance is generally awarded for the full academic year; aid is disbursed by semester. At the start of each semester, one-half of the aid is credited to the student’s account. Institutional grants and scholarships are generally credited at the start of each term. Loans cannot be disbursed until promissory notes are completed and loan counseling requirements are met. For more information, please visit the Student Financial Services web page.
Federal Policy for Return of Federal Funds
A federal regulation specifies how colleges and universities must determine the amount of federal financial aid a student earns if he/she withdraws or is withdrawn from the college or university, which differs from the university's refund policy and applies only to students receiving federal student aid. The law mandates that Bentley use a specific formula to calculate the percentage of federal student aid "earned" at the point of withdrawal. The amount of assistance that a student has earned is determined by the percentage of the semester completed. For example, if he/she has completed 30 percent of the semester, he/she earns 30 percent of the federal aid they were originally scheduled to receive. Once a student has completed more than 60 percent of the semester, they are considered to have earned all of their federal assistance.
If a student received excess funds that must be returned, Bentley University must return a portion of the excess equal to the lesser of the qualifying institutional charges for the term multiplied by the unearned percentage of the funds, or the entire amount of the excess funds.
If the university is not required to return all of the excess funds, the student must return the remaining amount. Any loan funds that they must return, the student (or the student's parent for a PLUS loan) repays in accordance with the terms of the promissory note. That is, the student makes scheduled payments to the holder of the loan over a period of time.
If a student is responsible for returning grant funds, they do not have to return the full amount. The law provides that they are not required to return 50 percent of the grant assistance received that it is the student’s responsibility to repay. Any amount that does have to be returned is a grant overpayment and the student must make arrangements with the Department of Education to return the funds and will be ineligible for future federal student aid until completed. If Bentley must return part of their financial aid and the removal of those funds from their account creates a balance due, the student will be billed for this balance.
Maintaining Eligibility for Aid
Financial aid applicants must meet standards of academic progress established in accordance with federal regulations. The academic progress of aid applicants and recipients must be evaluated by the Office of Financial Assistance annually. This evaluation will generally occur in late May after spring semester grades are posted as a part of our determination of eligibility for the next academic year.
Students must have at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) in order to be awarded Bentley need-based grant funds or federal financial aid. In addition to a 2.0 minimum cumulative GPA, applicants for Bentley funds and federal aid must demonstrate progress by successfully completing (finishing with a passing grade) at least 67 percent of all attempted courses. An attempted course is one in which the student is enrolled after the second week of classes. Failure, withdrawal after the second week, or an incomplete (I) in a class constitutes an attempted course which is not successfully completed. Repeated courses will be counted in measuring this standard. Coursework transferred into Bentley from another institution will be counted in the measurement of course completion but not factor into a student’s cumulative GPA at Bentley. In addition, aid applicants may not attempt more than 150 percent of the number of credits required for their degree. For instance, if your degree requires 122 credits, you may not receive aid if you attempt more than 183 credits to achieve this degree.
Students who apply for financial aid by April 1 will be notified in writing by Student Financial Services during the month of June if they have lost eligibility for aid due to failure to meet these standards. Late applicants will be notified when they submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or a Federal PLUS Loan application. Students who regain eligibility by taking summer courses or as the result of a grade change must notify Student Financial Services to reactivate their aid application. Likewise, students who enroll for fall without the benefit of aid who re-gain eligibility for the spring should contact the office to have their application reviewed. Students who become eligible in the spring will only receive institutional aid if they are eligible and funds are still available.
Students with significant and documented extenuating circumstances may appeal to regain eligibility through Academic Services. Appeals must be made in writing and are approved or denied at the discretion of the Assistant Dean of Academic Support Services. Appeals must address the reason that a student has failed to make satisfactory progress and describe what has changed to allow the student to make satisfactory progress in the future. Students whose appeals are approved may be granted one additional semester of aid on financial aid probation or they may be placed on an academic plan that will require them to meet specified standards of academic progress before regaining aid eligibility. Students are expected to meet the standards of academic progress upon completion of the semester for which they were granted financial aid probation.
Student Financial Services Billing and Collection Policy
Student Financial Services is responsible for billing and collecting fees for tuition, housing, meal plans, health insurance, parking violation fines, and any other application charges.
Our goal is to work with students and parents to resolve outstanding balances. We understand that students and their families may experience financial difficulties and it is important for those types of issues to be communicated to our office at an early stage. Bentley University offers payment plans to assist with the budgeting of the cost of education. We urge students and/or parents to contact our office prior to the due date of the bill to discuss any financial concerns that they may have. The earlier the issue is discussed the more tools we have to assist students in resolving the situation.
Bentley University recognizes that employers may pay some costs on behalf of students/employees. These agreements are made between the student and their employer and are not contractual agreements with the University. We do not bill companies/employers for student tuition. Students are expected to pay the balance due at the time of registration or by the due date for the semester.
- Bentley University does not accept foreign checks under $250.
- Bentley University does not accept foreign currency traveler’s checks.
- It is the student’s responsibility to update Bentley University of address changes.
Each semester, all students are required to agree to the “Terms and Conditions of Payment Obligation” form prior to the start of classes.
If the balance is not resolved by the due date, a financial hold will be placed on the account. This financial hold will prevent students from registering for classes, changing their course schedule, participating in senior week activities, the graduation ceremony and from obtaining diplomas and/or transcripts. If applicable, the student may also be required to move out of housing.
Also, accounts with unresolved balances are subject to late payment fees of $100.00 each. If a balance remains unpaid the account will be assigned to the Bentley University Collection Department. If an acceptable payment arrangement cannot be reached, the account will be assigned to a collection agency. There are several consequences that accompany that action:
- The account will be reported in a default/collection agency status to the credit bureaus. This may prevent the student from obtaining credit in the future.
- The student will be assessed collection fees between 25% and 50% and possible legal fees in addition to the outstanding balance owed to Bentley University.
- Any future classes that the student plans on taking at Bentley University must be prepaid (in full) via certified funds.