Money Matters

A $240 advance payment must be submitted with the University of Arkansas Contract for Room and Board Accommodations even if the student is or will be on a scholarship or other financial aid that covers room and board. $40 is a non-refundable administrative charge and $200 will be applied toward the student’s spring University housing room charges. The University Housing contract page has additional information, including sample versions of the housing contract.

See Housing Rates for the current housing costs for University residence halls and apartments.  Housing rates are updated yearly in June.  Please consult Greek Life or your chapter president for any Greek housing questions.

No, housing rates do not include meals.  See Dining Rates for a variety of meal plan choices, including options for students who do not reside on campus.

The Razorbuck$ program works like a debit card account.  Funds are added to the student’s Razorbuck$ account, and students can use their ID card like a debit card at various places on and off campus.

The Razorbuck$ program works like a debit card account.  Funds are added to the student’s Razorbuck$ account, and students can use their ID card like a debit card at various locations on and off campus.
Students who purchase a University meal plan will receive Dining Dollars in addition to meals.  Dining Dollars can be used in any Chartwells retail location to buy food and drinks. Students can also use Dining Dollars to buy a guest meal in any residence hall. Meal Trades and “Late Night” allow students to use the meal plan to purchase food at particular retail locations on campus at specified times of day.

Although the priority deadline for general freshman scholarships is November 15, applicants are allowed to take the December ACT and/or December SAT for scholarship consideration.

An ACT or SAT “superscore” is a score calculated by taking the highest ACT subject score (English, math, reading, and science) from each of a student’s testing dates, adding the four scores together, and dividing by four.  The same calculation can be made by adding together the student’s highest SAT Evidence-Based Reading/Writing scores and Math scores and dividing by two. The old SAT and new SAT cannot be superscored together, nor can the ACT and SAT.
Some colleges and universities utilize a superscore, and some schools do not.  At the University of Arkansas, a superscore is used for purposes of admission to the University, the New Arkansan Non-Resident Tuition Award, and general freshman scholarships.  The superscore is not used for fellowship consideration or for admission to the Honors College.

The University of Arkansas is proud to offer academically talented freshmen and transfer students from across the United States reduced non-resident tuition rates based on academic merit through the New Arkansan Non-Resident Tuition Award.  Information and eligibility requirements can be found at nrta.uark.edu.

Eligibility requirements for the New Arkansan Non-Resident Tuition Award (New Arkansan NRTA) program can be found at nrta.uark.edu.

Students and families have the primary responsibility of paying for college.  A student’s eligibility for federal need-based aid depends on the student /family’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC), the student’s year in school, the student’s enrollment status, and the cost of attendance (COA) at the school the student is attending.  The Department of Education calculates the EFC based on the information submitted on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®).  Students are generally eligible for at least a partial Pell Grant when the EFC is below $5,329.  The maximum Pell Grant award for the 2017-2018 academic year is $5,920.  When the EFC is higher than the school’s COA, the student is only eligible for unsubsidized student loans.  For more information, see Financial Aid TV for short, easy-to-understand videos about federal aid and other money matters.

Students/families should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) on an annual basis starting on October 1.

It is recommended that students/families complete the FAFSA each year, as it serves as the application for federal student loans.  All students are eligible for federal student loans. In addition, some scholarship/grant providers require the FAFSA and the student’s Expected Family Contribution.  Generally, first-time Arkansas state aid applicants, including those applying for the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship, should also submit the FAFSA.

If a student lists a school on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) and has been offered admission by that school, the school’s financial aid office will provide a Financial Aid Notification (FAN) (often electronically). The offer includes the types and amounts of financial aid the student may receive from federal, state, private, and school sources. This combination of aid is the financial aid package. Because the financial aid package is created for the student and is based on the cost of attending a particular school, aid amounts will vary from school to school.

The University of Arkansas does not prepare an official FAN until tuition and fees have been approved for the upcoming academic year.  The Board of Trustees normally approves tuition and fees in late May and FANs are emailed shortly after June 1.  New freshmen will receive an early estimate of financial aid eligibility in early March (and thereafter on a rolling basis).  Students/families can access the current academic year’s estimated Cost of Attendance and/or estimate tuition and fees based on the current academic year costs online. Also, visit Financial Aid TV for short, easy-to-understand videos about this topic and other money matters.

Pell Grants for each semester are pro-rated according to the student’s hours of enrollment.

Fall and Spring Semesters:
Undergraduates:
Full time: 12 hours
Half-time: 6 hours
Law/Agricultural Law Students:
Full time: 12 hours
Half-time: 6 hours
Graduate Students:
Full time: 9 hours
Half-time: 5 hours

Summer Term:
Undergraduates:
Full time: 12 hours
Half-time: 6 hours
Law/Agricultural Law Students:
Full time: 5 hours
Half-time: 3 hours
Graduate Students:
Full time: 6 hours
Half-time: 3 hours

Parental information should be included on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA ) until the student can answer affirmatively one of the dependency questions on the application.  See Parental Information to determine who is a parent for FAFSA consideration, and how to complete the FAFSA if a parent refuses to provide the required information.  Also, see Financial Aid TV for short, easy-to-understand videos about this topic and other money matters.

On average, adults with a college education have a significantly better income potential.  Federal financial aid is designed to assist students in reaching that higher earning potential, but also requires students to be intentional about the program of study and the courses they are taking.  The Department of Education does not want to fund programs that will not lead a student into a career that has a higher income probability.  See Eligibility Requirements for additional information.  Also, see Financial Aid TV for short, easy-to-understand videos about this topic and other money matters.

A student must be enrolled in an academic term to receive federal financial aid for that term.  Different federal aid programs have different “deadlines,” so it is important to check with the financial aid office regarding deadlines and priority dates.  However, the last day a FAFSA can be processed by an institution is June 30 of the following year. Students must have a valid FAFSA on file as of the last day of the student’s enrollment at that institution.

Also, visit Financial Aid TV, for short, easy-to-understand videos about this topic and other money matters.

It depends.  Institutions can review a student’s FAFSA data and supporting documentation to make adjustments due to unusual financial circumstances in some cases.  Students should contact the financial aid office if the student or a parent has recently lost his or her job.  Financial aid administrators are not required to accept special circumstances appeals, and the administrator’s decision is final.  The decision cannot be appealed to the U.S. Department of Education.

At the University of Arkansas, the following items are considered:

• Is loss of income involuntary?
• Was the parent or student laid off or let go due to the elimination of position, downsizing, company closing, etc.?
• The University of Arkansas will not approve a special circumstances appeal if the parent or student quit voluntarily or was terminated due to misconduct.
• Death of an income provider on your FAFSA.

If the financial aid administrator approves a special circumstances appeal, it only affects the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). An approval or adjustment does not guarantee more financial assistance. For example, if the student’s EFC is already $0.00, the financial aid administrator will not make any adjustments.

Also, visit Financial Aid TV, for short, easy-to-understand videos about this topic and other money matters.

It depends.  Institutions can review a student’s FAFSA data and supporting documentation to make adjustments due to unusual financial circumstances in some cases.  Students should contact the financial aid office if the family has unusually large medical bills or nursing home expenses not covered by insurance; the family is paying unusually high elementary or secondary school tuition or dependent care expenses; or the student or a parent has recently lost his or her job.  Financial aid administrators are not required to accept special circumstances appeals, and the administrator’s decision is final.  The decision cannot be appealed to the U.S. Department of Education. 

At the University of Arkansas, the following items are considered:

• Medical bills
• The University of Arkansas will only consider adjusting for medical expense that exceed 10% of the AGI; the parent/student must have already paid all medical bills.
• Private School Tuition
• The University of Arkansas will consider adjusting for private school expenses paid out-of-pocket by the parent for siblings in the previous calendar year. 

If the financial aid administrator approves a special circumstances appeal, it only affects the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). An approval or adjustment does not guarantee more financial assistance. For example, if the student’s EFC is already $0.00, the financial aid administrator will not make any adjustments.

Also, visit Financial Aid TV, for short, easy-to-understand videos about this topic and other money matters.

“Important Deadlines” are posted on the Treasurer’s Office homepage. For the Fall and Spring semesters, payment is normally due the fifth day of class.  Summer due dates are different depending on the session.  In UAConnect, due dates are listed in the Finances section. Selecting the “Charges Due” option will list the due dates and amounts due. If you are in a payment plan, the due dates will be posted in the eCommerce payment system, not UAConnect.

For the Fall semester, the first invoice will be generated in July.  For the Spring semester, the first invoice will be available in December.  Invoices are generated monthly if you have a balance due.  Student invoices are not created for students with a zero balance.  More information can be found on our Billing Statements page.

No. Student invoices are only available online in your Student Center or Parent Center in UAConnect.  Under the Finances section, select the “Student Invoice” link.  If you have a Parent Center, you can refer to the instructions for viewing invoices.

Student invoices are available in UAConnect; select the “Student Invoice” link in the Finances section.   If you have a Parent Center, you can refer to the instructions for viewing invoices.  A sample billing statement is available on our Billing Statements page.

To calculate an estimate for tuition and fee costs each semester, use the Tuition Estimator on the Treasurer’s Office website. Tuition and fees are charged per credit hour and will vary depending on the student’s career level, college, residency status, and number of credit hours.

Late fees are assessed twice for the Fall and Spring semesters and once during the Summer semester. A $50.00 late fee is assessed to any student who has an outstanding balance for registration-related fees and charges. More information can be found on our Payment Information page under “Late Fees.” Late fee notifications are sent to students via their uark email.

Financial holds are placed on the student account for outstanding balances more than 30 days past due and over $100. The hold will prevent registration for classes and the release of transcripts and diplomas. Information can be found on our Payment Information page under “Financial Holds”. More detailed information can be found at Fayetteville Policy 505.0.

To calculate an estimate of tuition and fee costs for a semester, use the Tuition Estimator on the Treasurer’s Office website. Tuition and fees are charged per credit hour and will vary depending on the student’s career level, college, residency status, and number of credit hours.

Account balances and detailed account transactions are available in the UAConnect Student Center.  Instructions on how to check your balance are available on our Check My Balance page.

Explanation of Fees

The tuition charge is the resident rate – this is the rate the residents get charged per credit hour. The separate Non-Resident Tuition charge is the differential amount that non-residents pay above the resident rate.

Since tuition and fees are charged on a per-credit-hour basis, there will be an entry on your billing statement for tuition, mandatory student fees, and the college fee each time you change your registration.

On Campus Services charges are charges/fines rendered from campus locations such as Pat Walker Health Center or Mullins Library.

If you are receiving the New Arkansas Non-Resident Tuition Award Scholarship, the 10%/20%/30%/50% portion of tuition that is not covered by the award will be indicated on the bill as a charge with the “Non-Res Tuit Schol AWD” description. More information can be found in the “Non-Resident Tuition Scholarship Award” section of  Tuition and Fees Information.

Assessment of the health insurance fee is mandatory for international students.  It ensures that any international student without health insurance receives coverage through the University for the term in which they have been assessed.  More information can be found at Explanation of Fees.

Electronic checks, debit cards, or credit cards are accepted online via UAConnect Student Center. No fee is assessed for e-check payments, but credit/debit card payments have a 1.8% convenience fee. Cash, checks, and money orders/cashier’s checks are accepted in the Cashier’s Office in Arkansas Union Room 214.

Our mailing address for payments:
University of Arkansas
P.O. Box 1404
Fayetteville, AR 72702
Please include the name of the student, and their student ID, on the check.

The Cashier’s Office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.  There is a dropbox outside of Room 214 in the Arkansas Union next to the Treasurer’s Office, if you have a check payment you would like to drop off outside of office hours.  No cash payments are allowed in the dropbox.  If making a cash payment, please see a cashier during office hours.

If you have a Student Center, the “Secure Online Services” link from UAConnect will take you to the eCommerce Payment System. Instructions for online payments.

Students must grant permission to allow a parent to pay in the eCommerce payment portal. The student must add the parent(s) as Authorized User(s) on eCommerce before an online payment can be processed by the parent. Once access has been granted, parents can make an online payment by clicking on “Secure Online Services” from the Parent Center or logging in directly to the eCommerce Payment System. See our instructions for making payments as an authorized user.

If the error message you are receiving is “Unable to login because of invalid PARENT PIN or Password,” it is a password issue.  If you have forgotten your password, there is a “Forgot Password” link in the eCommerce login portal.  If the “Forgot Password” link does not appear on the login page, the student must reset the password for you from their eCommerce portal.

If you are unable to get to the login page at all, please try clearing your cache in your internet browser. Sometimes cookies also need to be enabled in your privacy settings. The payment system will work best in Internet Explorer.

No fee is assessed for e-check payments but credit/debit card payments have a 1.8% convenience fee.

The University of Arkansas accepts AMERICAN EXPRESS, DISCOVER, MASTERCARD, and VISA cards for credit card payments.  Credit card payments are only accepted online.  There is a 1.8% convenience fee for using a debit/credit card.

Yes, as long as your balance due is for current tuition, fees, and housing and you do not have balances from past semesters.  Payment plans are only available for Fall and Spring semesters.

Payment plan enrollment is available in the eCommerce payment system.  See our instructions on how to enroll in a payment plan.  There is a fee involved when enrolling in a payment plan.  Refer to our Payment Plans page for more information.

The fee to enroll in a payment plan is currently $35.00.  This fee is paid upon enrollment and is assessed each time you enroll in a payment plan.

Yes. Payment plans do not carry over to other semesters.  Students or parents must enroll each Fall or Spring semester.

Yes, you have the option to set up recurring payments when enrolled in a payment plan. In the eCommerce payment website, click on “Installment Payment Plans”.

Not all charges are included in the payment plan.  Only current regular Fall or Spring term charges are eligible to be included in the payment plan.  Charges that are categorized under Student Financials term will not be included in the payment plan and must be paid separately.  If you are in a payment plan, please check UAConnect to verify any amounts that are not included in the payment plan.  These charges will have different due dates and will generate holds and late fees if left unpaid.

The University of Arkansas has partnered with Flywire to streamline the tuition payment process for our international students. With Flywire, you can pay from any country and any bank. You are offered excellent foreign exchange rates, allowing you to pay in your home currency (in most cases) and save a significant amount of money, as compared to traditional banks. You will also be able to track where your payment is in the transfer process via a student dashboard and an email confirmation will be sent to you when your payment is received by the school. Go to uark.flywire.com to begin the payment process.

International credit card payments can only be processed through our partner Flywire.  International credit cards will not work in the eCommerce payment system.

Students with returned payments will be assessed a $30.00 returned payment fee, plus any additional bank charges for each item returned. Complete information on the University's returned payment policy is available at Fayetteville Policy 327.0.

In order for parents to view student account information online, “Parent Center” access must be granted by the student.  This will give parents their own login information to UAConnect.  Depending on the access given by the student, the parent will be able to view student account information, academic information, financial aid information, and personal information.  See our instructions for students to grant access to parents.  You may login to your Parent Center at uaconnect.uark.edu.

Parent Center passwords expire after 120 days.  Parents are encouraged to establish a security question and response to aid in password reset. If a security question was not established, the student will have to reset the password for the parent from their Student Center.

In order for university staff to answer specific questions on a student account, the parent will need to be listed on the FERPA 3rd Party Release form in UAConnect.  Parent information will need to be added to the “3rd Party Parental Release” section of the form.  The form is found in the Personal Information section in the Student Center in UAConnect; we offer instructions on filling it out.

The form only needs to be filled out once during a student’s career.  It will be on file even after the student graduates from the university.  The student can update the form at any time, whether to add or delete an authorized person or third party.

Parent/Family Authorization only gives the parent online access to the information.  If the parent is corresponding with a university department by phone or email, the parent will need to be on the FERPA 3rd Party Release form in UAConnect before any information is released to the parent.

Information regarding student education records are considered confidential and may not be released without written consent from the student per FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974) regulations.  FERPA is a federal law designed to protect the privacy of student education records.  The protection of college education records begins when the student enrolls in a higher education institution regardless of the student’s age.

Once a student accepts federal financial aid, the financial aid information will be shown in Anticipated Aid in UAConnect until all requirements are met for the financial aid to disburse to the student account and pay on tuition and fees. See our Financial Aid Disbursements page for more information.

Disbursements from financial aid may begin ten days prior to the start of the semester.  See our Financial Aid Disbursements page for more information.

For the Perkins Loan award to disburse, the Entrance Interview and Master Promissory Note must be completed on www.ecsi.net. You will need your social security number and PIN.  The loan will disburse once all requirements have been completed on ECSI.  More information can be found on our Perkins Loans page.

Federal funds may only be used for current academic year tuition and fees (as described in Section 472 of the Higher Education Act) and housing.  In order for federal funds to apply to other current charges that a student has incurred for educationally-related activities, the student must give written authorization to the school.  This is called “Student Permissions” in UAConnect.  It will be available in your Student Center To Do List if you have not already set it up.  More information on federal loan disbursements can be found on our Disbursements page.

Some university scholarships, such as the Chancellor’s, Honors, and Sturgis Scholarships, may not disburse until the 11th day of class (Census Date).  Other university scholarships will disburse after funds are released by the Scholarship Office and all processing requirements have been met.

Our mailing address for scholarships:
University of Arkansas
214 Arkansas Union
Fayetteville, AR 72702

* Please include the award letter if applicable.  The student name and student ID number should also be included.  More information can be found at Processing Information.

Outside scholarships received in the form of a paper check may require an endorsement after the check is in the possession of the University Cashiers Office before it can be disbursed.  Once endorsements are received, the check is receipted and is processed by the Scholarship Office.  Upon receipt of the check, it can take 7 to 10 days for the scholarship to be posted due to the processing period. More information can be found at Processing Information.

In UAConnect, in the Financial Aid section, follow the “Outside Scholarship Messages” link and you will be able to view the comments regarding your outside scholarship.

Payments from third parties such as Texas Guaranteed Tuition Program or Arkansas Rehabilitation Services will begin to disburse after the 11th class day.  If the billing is processed from the Treasurer’s Office, the amount billed will be deferred on the student account until payment is received from the third party.

Overpayments are refunded to the student. The University of Arkansas has partnered with BankMobile to handle our refunding needs. Refunds from Parent PLUS Loans are refunded to the parent via refund check.

The most common type of money BankMobile disburses to students are funds left over from financial aid awards, loans or grants after tuition has been paid. Students receiving these funds have usually requested this additional support to help with books and living expenses. Other types of money may include reimbursement for tuition overpayment or a dropped class.

BankMobile is a refund processing company that the University of Arkansas has partnered with to deliver financial aid and other school refunds to students.

You will use your personal code to make your BankMobile refund selection online at www.refundselection.com.

You will receive your personal code in the mail at your check address on file with the U of A. If no check address is available, the permanent address will be used. Just look for the bright green envelope and please make sure your address is up-to-date.  BankMobile will also send you the personal code via uark.edu email.

Refund options include direct deposit to your personal bank account or deposit to a BankMobile account.

Although you might not currently expect money from the U of A, you may receive money back in the future. After all, you may drop a class, make an overpayment or simply receive assistance you did not expect. Making a selection now ensures you’ll always have this money without a delay.  If no selection is made, your refund can be delayed up to four weeks.

Yes. Just log in to your BankMobile account at www.refundselection.com and select “Refund Preferences” from the Refund menu option. Once on the page, simply make your new selection and use the Update Preference button to complete the process. Be aware that your new selection will only impact future money you receive from the U of A.

BankMobile will send an email to the address you entered during setup. You can also view the status online at www.refundselection.com or sign up to receive text messages sent directly to your cell phone with convenient mobile alerts.

For the Fall or Spring semester, if you drop individual regular term courses during the first five days of class, you will receive 100% adjustment of tuition and fees for the dropped course(s).  However, any individual regular term classes dropped AFTER the fifth day of class will have NO tuition and fee adjustments.  Always refer to the Academic Semester Calendar for important deadlines.

You will receive a 100% adjustment of tuition and fees for an official withdrawal (no longer enrolled at the University for the semester) before the first day of class.  The official withdrawal adjustment schedule can be found in the Academic Semester Calendar.

Depending on the withdrawal date, you may receive partial cancellation of fees up to a certain date during the semester.  Refer to the Academic Semester Calendar for more information on the official withdrawal schedule.

Yes, the withdrawal fee is $45.00. There are also other non-refundable fees such as the New Student Fee and ID Card Fee that will need to be paid if you attended Orientation and received a university ID card.

Official withdrawal means you are no longer enrolled in any courses at the University for the semester.  Dropping individual courses mean you may still be enrolled in other courses and have decided to drop a course or several courses.  If you are swapping courses, there is still a drop that occurs, so be aware that the drop can have repercussions on your tuition and fees, depending on when the drop occurred.

A Return to Title IV aid calculation is processed whereby the amount of federal aid that a student earned for the actual time enrolled during the period for which the aid was awarded and disbursed is calculated. If a refund has already been issued from the federal loan disbursements, the student may end up owing a balance on the student account depending on how much of their loans will be returned to the Title IV programs.

The Treasurer’s Office handles the billing for several prepaid plans such as Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan (TGTP), Florida Prepaid College Plan, College of Illinois Prepaid Tuition Program, Alabama Prepaid Affordable College Tuition Program (PACT), Kentucky’s Affordable Prepaid Tuition (KAPT), Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition Plan (MPACT), Nevada Prepaid Tuition Program and Michigan Education Trust (MET).  Each prepaid plan has its own processing requirements, but if a bill from the university is required for payment disbursement, the student will need to add the third party to the FERPA 3rd Party Release form before any billing will occur.  Other prepaid plans will not require billing directly from the university, so please refer to your plan provider for specific questions on how to use your prepaid state tuition plan.  For billing questions, please contact the Treasurer’s Office at 479-575-5651.

The university employee from University of Arkansas-Fayetteville will need to submit the Dependent Tuition Waiver form. This form will need to be submitted each semester. More information about Tuition Waivers.

Students now have the ability to receive the tax form electronically by giving the university e-consent.  The IRS 1098-T Tax Form e-consent option will be available in your UAConnect To Do List.  If e-consent is not given, the tax form will be mailed in January of each year to the address on file.  Students can also view and print the tax form from the Treasurer’s Office website once it becomes available.

This is a financial agreement that must be accepted prior to any registration activity each semester. The student is agreeing to accept responsibility for payments on all financial obligations to the University of Arkansas. There is a Pre-registration Hold that is placed on a student account each semester until this agreement has been accepted.  More information on how to complete the financial agreement can be found in the Financial Agreement Activity Guide.