Billing and Finances for AY Blocks Away
TUITION: No additional tuition is billed for a block away during the academic year. Your standard tuition for the semester is unchanged by the decision to travel with CC for a block.
PROGRAM FEE: While tuition for a semester includes tuition for off-campus blocks, the travel expenses for the off-campus block is not included in a student's tuition, room & board charges. These costs are paid through a program fee specific to each off-campus block course. This fee covers travel-related expenses such as local housing, excursions, entry fees, guest speakers, local transportation, etc.
MEAL FUNDS: Students who live on campus and have a standard meal plan will receive a refund of that meal plan for the block they are away. These funds can then be used to cover meal costs while away on the off-campus block. Students living off-campus are expected to pay for meals while on the off-campus block just as they do while enrolled in on-campus courses.
AIRFARE: Airfare is not included in the AY Off-Campus Block program fee, however the cost of airfare is calculated and included in financial aid awards for the block away for students who qualify for a block away aid award (see below).
WITHDRAWAL DEADLINES: Each Academic Year Off-Campus Block has a set Student Withdrawal Deadline, typically 90 days prior to departure, but variable by program. All program withdrawal deadlines are posted on the Blocks Away website for the academic year in question. It is an important date to remember as withdrawals from a program after the posted deadline can lead to substantial nonrefundable charges.
FEES FOR LATE WITHDRAWAL : Withdrawal charges for Academic Year Blocks are defined by the withdrawal date as it relates to this deadline as well as the program departure dat
- Withdrawal prior to the published deadline for the program will incur no charges.
- Post-deadline withdrawal will incur charges ranging from a minimum of $100 to a maximum of 100% of the program fee.
- The withdrawal charge increases to a minimum of 25% of the program fee for any withdrawal occurring within the block prior to departure
FINANCIAL AID AND PROGRAM WITHDRAWAL: Financial aid awards cannot be used to cover withdrawal charges. in some cases a student with a substantial aid award could potentially pay more to withdraw from a program (particularly within 1 block of departure) than to remain on the program with an aid award intact.
WITHDRAWAL DUE TO MEDICAL NECESSITY: Students may have a portion of the late withdrawal charges waived with appropriate documentation that the withdrawal was attributable to medical necessity. CC is not able to guarantee a 100% reimbursement or cancellation of fees for even medical withdrawals, however all efforts will be made to minimize the nonrefundable charges should a withdrawal be the result of a medical necessity.
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AID BASICS: Financial aid for AY blocks is awarded at the conclusion of the two annual Application Windows. The primary Application Window is from February through March, with specific dates announced each year as part of the reveal of the next year's block offerings. This is the only App Window for Blocks 1-6. Students applying for Block 7-8 programs are also encouraged to apply at this time. A second application and aid window for Block 7-8 programs is also open in each Fall during Block 1. Because the amount of aid in the Fall App Window depends upon the number of applicants who received Block 7 or 8 aid in the March window, it is recommended that students applying to Block 7-8 programs do so in the earlier window, when the aid pools are fully stocked.
AWARD ELIGIBILITY: Aid is available to all Colorado College students who have completed their first semester of study and who are currently on need-based financial aid at the College (FAFSA for U.S. students and CSS Profile for international students). If you have previously received a financial aid award for a CC AY Block Away (Blocks 1-8) you are not eligible to apply again. Note that AY aid awards are separate from CC Summer Block Away aid awards, so if you've been awarded a summer award before, you CAN apply for an award towards a block during the academic year. Each CC student is eligible for one summer award and one AY award during their degree program.
AWARDS & STUDENT ACCOUNTS: If you have an outstanding balance on your student account, no award will be made until the balance is cleared. Awards are not transferable; if you drop your course you must re-apply for an award for a different course (unless your original course was canceled).
Block Away Aid awards appear as a credit on a student's CC account. If the aid award is less than the full program fee, then there will remain a portion of the program fee to be paid by the student, but if the aid award is larger than the program fee charge, the remaining funds after the program fee has been paid in full are available to the student. Students can request these funds from Student Accounts and they will be direct deposited to the student's indicated bank account. Funds are made available at the beginning of the semester which contains the study away block, typically in late August or early January. If students wish an earlier distribution of these funds they can request a 1-month advance from the Financial Aid Office. Payment in July or December is the earliest possible distribution of aid award funds.
Awards are granted at the conclusion of each application window. Several factors are used to determine the awarding of aid. These are:
- Eligibility: Student receives need-based aid and has not received an AY Block Away Aid Award in the past.
- Program Status: Aid is awarded after program rosters have been selected. Students approved for a program are eligible for aid. Students who are waitlisted for a program are also waitlisted for aid consideration until they are invited to join a program. They then may receive an immediate award or, if no aid remains available, are moved into a waitlist for aid.
- Academic Year: Preference is given to upper division students as they have fewer future opportunities to join a block away.
- Need Level: Preference is given to students with higher financial need designations as defined by the Financial Aid Office.
Because the Off-Campus Block Aid Pool is limited, CC cannot guarantee aid to all students for any particular program. We try to accommodate as many students as possible, but it is not uncommon for students with low need or who are in the early years of their CC career to be waitlisted for aid due to a large number of rising seniors or juniors eligible for aid awards.
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