Tuition Payment Methods

All payment links can be found on the Payments page of the web site.

CES requires all fees and tuition to be paid in full before the granting of a degree or the release of transcripts or grades.


All payments-from anywhere in the world-must be made in U.S. dollars by personal check, cashier's check, or money order, all drawn on a U.S. bank and made payable to Columbia Evangelical Seminary. Payments can be made via Visa or MasterCard by calling our number at (360) 802-6437. You may also make via PayPal (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express accepted).


Columbia Seminary reserves the right to make changes in fees, course programs, and all administrative structures described in our catalog and elsewhere without prior notice being given.


Tuition Payment Methods #1, #2, and #3
The following three payment methods will be "locked in" to the tuition costs at the time of enrollment. Therefore, when tuition costs increase, those "locked in" will not have to pay the new tuition rates. Also, the following three payment methods relate to the entire degree program and not one class at a time.


Method 1. This is the best and least expensive method. If tuition is paid in full at the time of enrollment, there is a five percent (5%) tuition discount. It should be understood that when tuition is paid in full, that means the full tuition of the entire degree program. Therefore, if students enroll in a bachelor's degree with no transfer credit, they will pay for the entire four years of tuition all at once, not just one year at a time. Students may enroll and pay for each year as they go, but if the tuition rates go up, when they enroll for the following year, they will pay the new tuition rates for that new year.

Example: Master of Religion (M.Rel.) is 40 credits x $110 per credit = $4,400, less 5% (i.e., $220) = $4,180 to be paid at the time of enrollment.


Method 2. The total to be paid in four equal monthly payments. No discount nor administrative fees. If monthly payments are late, there will be a $35 late charge and a 1% clerical fee per month charged on the overall balance.

Example: Master of Religion (M.Rel.) is 40 credits x $110 per credit = $4.400. Thus, initial enrollment payment is $1,100, and the balance is to be paid in three more monthly payments of $1,100 each.


Method 3. Ten percent down and the balance paid in monthly payments of not less than $100. Method 3 has an administrative charge of 1% per month on the unpaid balance, compounded monthly. Late payments (received after the 15th of the month), will be assessed a $25 late charge, and the late fee is compounded monthly. Any portion of the unpaid balance can be paid off at any time without payment penalties. Example: Master of Religion (M.Rel.) is 40 credits x $110 per credit = $4.400. Thus, initial enrollment payment is $440, and the balance is to be paid in monthly payments of no less than $100 each, with an administrative charge of 1% per month on the unpaid balance, compounded monthly.


Fees Paid to Mentors
The Mentor's Remuneration comes from the student's tuition. In other words, students do not pay their mentors above and beyond the tuition fee.
Note: Students are required to pay the mentor's remuneration directly to the mentor. When the student pays the mentor, the CES finance office will simply remove that amount from the student's tuition balance here at the CES office.

Changing Mentors/Programs:
(1) Students who change mentors anytime during their programs will have to pay the new mentor the mentor's remuneration directly to the mentor and that payment will be above and beyond the tuition fee: it is not part of the student's tuition. So, before students change mentors, they must realize that they will be paying extra for the new mentor.

(2) If the student changes programs and changes mentors, there will be a $200 program-change fee and the student will pay the mentor's remuneration directly to the mentor, again, these payments will be above and beyond the tuition fee.

(3) If the student changes programs but keeps the same mentor, there will be a $200 program-change fee.

Prospective students should view the list of faculty mentors.


Fees For Ministry-Experience Credit
For each credit granted for Ministry-Experience there is a non-refundable fee for the administrative time expended to convert the Ministry-Experience into transferable credits. (This is not to be confused with the application fee, nor with tuition fees.)


Tuition fees are subject to change without notice. However, the tuition rates under which a student enrolls shall remain the same for that student throughout his or her program unless the student becomes inactive and returns later to resume studies. In that case, the latest tuition rates shall apply when the student's file and studies are reactivated at a later time.


Fees for Ministry-Experience Credit
The cost of Ministry-Experience-Credit transfer is non-refundable. It is the fee for the administrative time expended to convert the Ministry-Experience into transferable credits and is not to be confused with regular tuition fees. The fee for these credits is the same rate the normal tuition rate. To have your ministry experience assessed for credit, you must submit your portfolio with your application. For a sample portfolio, please download from the documents and forms page.


Discount:
Students may receive a 40% cost reduction for the Ministry-Experience-Credit transfer if they pay for the transfer of these credits in full at the time of enrollment, along with their initial tuition payment. If students desire, these credits can be applied to the student's overall degree program, but the charge will be the same as the regular tuition rate. Students may pay for all or part of the Ministry-Experience-Credit transfer at the time of enrollment and receive a 40% reduction on those ministry credits.


Program Extension
The duration of study for degree or certificate programs is generally one month per semester credit. Students who require more time to complete their programs will be required to purchase program extensions. Each extension extends the program for one calendar quarter (3 months). The cost of a single program extension is listed in the Tuition and Fees section of the web site. Students must notify the school via writing or email and pay the program extension fee at least one month prior to the expiration of their program.

Incidental Fees
Other expenses students may incur will be from such things as text books (we do not supply text books) and other research sources such as CDs, DVDs, audio and video lectures, photo copying, faxes, telephone, email, and, if desired, travel. Also, students are responsible for the cost of postage for submitting work and other correspondence to and from the school and to and from their mentors, although much of this can be done via email.


REFUND POLICY

No matter which tuition payment method students select, students are entitled to a 100% refund on tuition payments if they request such in writing (sent via U. S. mail, not by email) within 7 calendar days after enrollment.

Students are entitled to an 80% refund on tuition payments if they request such in writing (sent via U. S. mail, not by email) between 7 and 14 calendar days after enrollment.

Students are entitled to a 60% refund on tuition payments if they request such in writing (sent via U. S. mail, not by email) between 14 and 21 calendar days after enrollment.

Students are entitled to a 40% refund on tuition payments if they request such in writing (sent via U. S. mail, not by email) between 21 and 30 calendar days after enrollment.

Students are entitled to a 20% refund on tuition payments if they request such in writing (sent via U. S. mail, not by email) between 30 and 45 calendar days after enrollment.

There will be no refunds if more than 45 days have elapsed since the enrollment date. Enrollment into any of CES programs is explicit agreement with these refund parameters.


PROCEDURE OF WITHDRAWAL

All requests for refunds and student withdrawals must be in writing and sent through the U.S. postal service, or by other hand-delivered methods (e.g., FedEx or UPS) and sent prior to the next tuition-payment due date. CES monthly payments are set for the 15th day of each month. If a student fails to send his/her withdrawal letter by the 15th, he/she will be responsible for that month's late fees. E-mail and phone call withdrawals are not acceptable. All withdrawal letters must have the student's signature and be dated for verification purposes, and this cannot be done via e-mail or phone.


Student Obligations:
If a student has completed more credits than he/she has paid for at the time of withdrawal, the student shall be obligated to pay for all the credits he/she has completed, and any outstanding late fees.


Special Note:
In the past, some students did not submit letters of withdrawal, but they simply stopped making payments-not letting us know of their intent to withdraw. When this happens, the student is billed and responsible for three consecutive months of late fees. To avoid this, the student must send CES a letter of withdrawal via regular mail (not email) before the next scheduled payment date.


Nonrefundable Fees:
The application and evaluation fee, and fees for Ministry-Experience Credit transfer are nonrefundable.


Extreme Circumstances:
In rare cases, a leave of absence may be granted to students who have legitimate reasons for the suspension of their studies. There have been occasions when students have become ill, or lose their jobs, or encounter other life-changing events beyond their control. When this is the case, the student may mail a letter requesting a leave of absence explaining the reason for the request, and the Board of Regents will make a determination and respond to the student. Typically, a leave of absence is for a six-month period, during which time the regular tuition payments are suspended, but the student will pay a $25 monthly fee.


The Three-Month Rule:
It is for the student's benefit that we have set up the three-month rule: Sometimes, for whatever reason, a student might miss a monthly payment. If that happens, the student is not automatically removed from his/her degree program. There have been a few, rare occasions in which students have actually missed two consecutive months of tuition payments, but they have no intention of dropping out of the program.


However, CES policy says that if a student misses three consecutive months of tuition payments, it is a reasonable assumption that the student no longer wants to be a student, and upon the third month of consecutive non-payments, the student is unceremoniously removed from the active student status, forfeiting all previous tuition paid.


However, as stated above, the student is responsible for the compounded late fees for those three consecutive months. And, until that is paid, the student will have an outstanding bill with CES and no transcripts or any other official records of the student's work will be released until it is paid in full. Therefore, if a student makes no payments for a three month period, he/she will be automatically removed from the active student status, and he/she will no longer be a student. The late fee of $25 will be compounded monthly for three months (i.e., $25, $50, $100 for a total of $175). Any person who has not made a payment for three consecutive months shall forfeit all tuition and fees he/she has paid to CES.


Also, should the student desire to re-enroll at a later date and finish the degree program, he/she will be charged the new tuition rate in effect at the time of re-enrollment, and the student will be responsible to pay the compounded, outstanding late fee ($175) for the three months in question and the administrative fees that accrued during those three months, and nothing the student previously paid will be applied to his/her new enrollment.


Students may not arbitrarily suspend their studies and payments and then pick them up at a later date. If a student needs to stop working on a degree program, he/she must simply go through the withdrawal process and re-enroll at a later date, or request a leave of absence under extreme circumstances.

CES Graduate Re-Enrollment Discount
All CES Degree graduates who re-enroll for another degree within one month of completing their degree will receive a 5% scholarship on the next degree. This is applicable only to subsequent degrees that have at least 32 credits to complete.


CES Certificate Re-Enrollment Discount
All CES Certificate graduates who re-enroll for a degree within one month of completing their Certificate will receive a 5% scholarship on their degree; this is not applicable to a second Certificate. This is applicable only to subsequent degrees that have at least 32 credits to complete.
Tuition & Fees

Tuition and Fees

Cost

Application

$50

CS Diploma (per semester hour)

$100

Associate's (per semester hour)

$100

Bachelor's  (per semester hour)

$100

Master's  (per semester hour)

$110

Doctoral  (per semester hour)

$125

CES Writing Protocols (if auditing)

$200

Thesis (Bachelor's)

$125

Thesis (Master's)

$150

Dissertation (Doctoral)

$200

Program Extension (3 months)

$200

Transcript (each)

$25