Tuition and Fees

Tuition, fees, and other charges paid by the student cover approximately 80 percent of the educational costs at Butler University. The University provides the remaining funds through income from its endowment and gifts from foundations, business and industry, alumni, and friends. Tuition and fee levels are set by the Butler University Board of Trustees and are subject to change by action of the Board.

The college year consists of two semesters and a one-session summer school. The academic year includes the fall and spring semesters. The unit of instruction is the semester hour, which normally signifies one recitation a week throughout a semester or an equivalent.

Educational Costs 2023-2024

Tuition charges are based on the number of credit hours (with the exception of PharmD, 6th year and PA Masters Program) and the college of enrollment. The rates are as follows:

Undergraduate Tuition: LSB, COE, JCA, LAS, CCOM

COPHS/Health Sciences

Full-time (12-20 hrs)

Graduate Tuition

Tuition is based on the college of enrollment and program:

Miscellaneous Fees

** May be waived by providing evidence of comparable health insurance coverage in an online insurance waiver process. For details, visit Health Services.

Housing and Food Plan Rates

The charges above do not include the cost of books, supplies, parking fee, or other incidental expenses students may incur during the course of the academic year.

Acceptance of Financial Responsibility

Butler University policy requires all students to complete the Acceptance of Financial Responsibility (AFR) process each semester prior to enrollment. The AFR statement outlines the student’s commitment to pay ALL expenses incurred at Butler University, including any penalties that result due to past due payments. Student navigation via my.butler.edu: select Self Service Student Homepage, click on tile marked TASKS then click on Butler Accept Financial Responsibility. Review the text thoroughly before clicking NEXT (upper right of screen), Accept Terms & Conditions then SAVE. Click NEXT then FINISH to complete the process.

Payment Terms

Students who enroll prior to July 12, 2023, for fall 2023 will receive an electronic billing statement (E-Bill), July 12, 2023, for tuition & applicable fees. Housing and food plans will also be included, provided Residence Life has confirmed the charges and forwarded to the Office of Student Accounts prior to billing. (The E-Bill notification is sent via student’s Butler email address.) Payment is due in full August 3, 2023 if the student is not enrolled in the Monthly Payment Plan.

Students not enrolled in the Monthly Payment Plan who have NOT paid in full by the first day of classes will be assessed a monthly finance charge of 1.5 percent (18 percent APR) and a Student Financials Hold All indicator will be added to the account. (The indicator prevents schedule changes and may prevent the release of grades and transcripts.) Course registration may also be canceled.

Monthly Payment Plan Option

Butler University offers a payment plan that allows students and families to divide the semester charges (e.g., tuition, fees, room, board, etc.) into manageable monthly payments. There is a nominal participation fee of $25 (four payments) each semester (fall and spring). Further information regarding the 2023-2024 payment plan is available on the Student Accounts website. A late fee of one percent of the past-due amount will be charged to the student account if payment is not received by the due date on the E-Bill or if the amount received is less than the payment indicated on the E-Bill and a Student Financials Hold All indicator will be added to the account. Payment plan participation may be jeopardized and discontinued after two missed payments or payments submitted late and/or less than the amount billed. If the payment plan is discontinued, the balance will accrue interest and will be due in full immediately. Students with past-due balances may also have classes canceled. Individuals with past-due balances or poor payment histories with the University may be denied participation in the plan.

E-Pay and E-Bill

The Office of Student Accounts utilizes electronic billing (E-Bill) and offers an electronic payment (E-Pay) option. Payments are accepted electronically by check (no fee) or credit card (a fee applies). MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and Visa are accepted. Details are available on the Student Accounts website. Note: The Office of Student Accounts also accepts paper checks including 529 savings plan checks and money orders.

Prepaid Tuition

The University provides a tuition prepayment plan, which guarantees a fixed tuition rate for all prepaid semesters. The prepaid tuition rates are based on the first term in which the student participates in the prepaid program. This program applies only to students enrolled full-time in an undergraduate degree program. The prepayment plan does not apply to graduate programs and does not apply to summer tuition charges. Additional information is available on the Student Accounts website. 

Federal Student Permissions

Federal regulations require that Butler University apply federal (Title IV) financial aid funds first to “allowable charges” which include tuition, mandatory fees, and room and board charges contracted with Butler University. To apply any remaining federal funds to miscellaneous charges (e.g., bookstore charges, parking fee, health services charges, traffic fines, interest charges), the University is required to obtain student authorization. If authorization is not received before financial aid funds post to the student account, the federal Title IV funds will not be applied to miscellaneous charges. This may result in an outstanding balance on the student account, resulting in late fees and services restricted until the outstanding balance is paid in full. Students may grant permission for federal Title IV funds to pay miscellaneous charges by logging in to my.butler.edu, selecting Self Service Student Homepage then Student Center and under FINANCES, select View Student Permissions then Grant Permissions. Once federal student permission is granted, it continues to be valid for future years. The permission can be revoked only if the student submits a written request directly to the Office of Student Accounts.

Institutional Tuition Refund Schedule

The official schedule is available on the Student Accounts website. Students should refer to the tuition refund schedule prior to making any schedule changes. Also, it is critical for students receiving financial assistance from any aid program (University, federal, and/or state) to contact the Office of Financial Aid before changing enrollment. Contact the Office of Student Accounts to obtain information about the Summer Institutional Tuition Refund Schedule.

Withdrawals

Students who fail to attend class and/or pay tuition charges are NOT considered withdrawn from the course(s). All past-due balances must be paid before a student will be permitted to enroll for a new semester/term. For further information please visit Registration & Records.

Butler University Return of Funds Procedures

Federal regulations require that, as a part of an institution’s Return of Funds Policy, an office or offices must be designated as the point of contact for students to begin the withdrawal process. The designated office(s) must document the date the student withdraws or otherwise provides official notification to the institution of the intent to withdraw. At Butler, the student’s college dean’s office is the designated office at which a student must withdraw. For medical withdrawals, the student should contact the Office of the Dean of Students. The date of withdrawal will be utilized by the Office of Financial Aid in determining the amount of financial assistance that may be retained by the student, based upon the percentage of the enrollment period (semester) that the student completed to that point in time. In the case of a student who does not withdraw or otherwise notify Butler University of the intent to withdraw, the date used will be the midpoint of the payment period for which assistance was disbursed, unless the attendance records document an earlier or later date.

Credit Balance Accounts

The Office of Student Accounts requires students to complete a Refund Request to receive the funds for a credit balance on the account. However, if the credit on the account is due to federal (Title IV) financial aid funds, the Office of Student Accounts will issue a refund without a written request. If the credit balance is due to a federal Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), the refund check will be issued to the parent borrower and mailed to the home address on file for the PLUS borrower. Students, with credit balances due to federal funds, who do not want refunds issued without written request, can provide written documentation to the Office of Student Accounts. Students can submit a Refund Request when logged into their my.butler.edu account from the Self Service Student Homepage by clicking on the Refund Request tile and following the prompts. Enrolling the direct deposit option is recommended which is also available on the Self Service Student Homepage and clicking on the Student Refund Direct Deposit tile.

If the student is anticipating a credit balance, it is recommended that a Refund Request be submitted regardless of funding sources. Refunds are available after the 100% Institutional Tuition Refund Schedule for each term and processed weekly while classes are in session. Requests must be submitted by end of day on Tuesday to receive the funds by Friday of the same week.

With the exception of PLUS refunds, checks are issued to students only.

Refunds are not processed when classes are not in session.

Unpaid Items

A student who is past due in any debt to the University will have a financial hold placed on their student account. The student is not permitted to register in any school or college of the University and may not be entitled to an official or unofficial transcript or grade report from the Office of Registration and Records and will NOT receive a diploma or be permitted to apply for readmission to Butler University until the indebtedness has been paid in full.

Any check (electronic or paper) presented to the University that fails to clear the bank shall be subject to a nonrefundable

$25 returned check fee–The fee and the returned check amount will be posted to the student’s account. If the check is for payment of a debt, it also will be considered as nonpayment. A “Returned Check” indicator will be added to the account which prevents enrollment changes, check cashing, the release of diplomas and may prevent the release of transcripts and  grades.  The indicator will be removed when the insufficiency has been satisfied. Students may also be held responsible for reasonable collections fees, attorney fees, and court costs without relief of evaluation and appraisement law to collect outstanding balances.

When a student is in possession of University property or owes a particular department for charges not applied to the student account, the department may request a hold be placed on a student’s account. The hold prevents processing of student refund checks, enrollment changes, release of diplomas and may prevent the release of University transcripts and  grades. The Department Requested Hold is removed when the requesting department confirms receipt of the University property with the Office of Student Accounts.

Delinquent Bill Accounts

Anyone who fails to pay monies owed to Butler University by the scheduled due date will have a financial hold placed on their account. The financial hold prevents schedule changes, future registration, the release of diplomas, check cashing and may prevent the release of official and unofficial transcripts. Butler University charges interest of 1.5% monthly (18% APR) on the past-due portion of the account until the account is paid in full. Accounts that remain past due may be placed at a third party collection agency and reported to national credit bureaus. If the account is placed at a collection agency, the individual is responsible for payment of all collection fees.

Outside Billing

The University will bill a third party for tuition, room and board, and miscellaneous fees, provided:

1. A voucher and/or written authorization is received by the Office of Student Accounts prior to the beginning of each semester
2. Payment will be made on or before the first day of the semester. The University will NOT bill any employer or third party who pays upon completion of the course(s). Any balance remaining unpaid on the first day of the semester will be assessed a monthly finance charge of 1.5 percent (18 percent APR). If the third party will not pay the finance charge, the student will be responsible for payment. Students will continue to receive a billing statement directly from Butler University until the account balance is paid in full. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the third-party payer to determine why a delay in payment has occurred.