<p>Is it common for colleges to charge an "enrollment fee" if an accepted applicant chooses to enroll? I know of one that is charging $450.00!! Where does that go, toward tuition?</p>
<p>I had never heard of such a thing until now!</p>
<p>We paid an enrollment fee. I think it was $150. That covers the cost of the summer orientation for the student (4 meals and one night’s lodging in the dorm.) And we paid a $300 deposit on the dorm room to secure the spot.</p>
<p>Yes…almost all colleges have a fee for enrollment, and private schools range from $300-$450. Usually in these amounts, it goes towards tuition/room and board/whatever costs. It’s designed so students don’t accept at multiple schools</p>
<p>If it’s a state U be prepared for lots of additional fees. It a way to collect $ without raising the sticker price which has to get voted on by public legistlature.</p>
<p>It goes straight towards what you’ll be expected to pay for tuition and fees, so it’s kinda like the down payment on a car. I don’t know of a school that doesn’t ask for an enrollment fee.</p>
<p>Be prepared. This is just the beginning!</p>
<p>Some schools are $500-$700!</p>
<p>My younger daughter’s school charged $500. Half came off her first tuition bill and the other half comes back to us when she withdraws or graduates.</p>
<p>Ours was $800! Four hundred for a tuition deposit, and four hundred towards room and board. It all counts as payments though, so it’s not just an added fee.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses.</p>
<p>I spoke with someone in the Admission Office and found her to be a bit evasive when asked what the fee was for, wavering here and there. Apparently none of the fee goes toward tuition or anything like it. Rather it is (as she said) “to hold the spot” and for the “orientation program”…hmmm, dubious, very dubious…</p>
<p>Are you talking about the deposit due with your final decision on the May 1 national reply date? If “yes,” I never heard of a school that doesn’t collect one. Colleges need you to put your money where your mouth is; otherwise, it would be too easy for an undecided senior to check the “I accept your offer” box for 2+ schools. As it is, some people have been tempted to “double deposit,” which is not allowed.</p>
<p>If your complaint is lack of transparency re: how the deposit is spent and/or accounted for, that may be valid. But sometimes, a deposit is just a deposit, i.e., a fee assessed to insure future performance. So it may not be an advance on tuition or payment for orientation. It may be more like a deposit you pay to set up a utilities account or secure a vacation rental. Colleges should tell you if it is refundable or non-refundable (most are non-refundable if paid or left on deposit May 1). </p>
<p>You are smart to scrutinize fees excess of tuition, room & board. They can add up!</p>
<p>I can understand having a fee of sorts upon accepting an offer of admission, as long as it is then used towards tuition, room & board or any other legitimate costs that would be incurred. But, when it is used for “orientation”, that is a lot of dough and it makes one wonder how an orientation program eats all that and how such apparent exrtravagance ($450 times, maybe, 2000 incoming freshmen?) is justified…I think it is not.</p>