2024-2025 Undergraduate Academic Catalog

Payment Information

Notification of tuition bills will be sent to your Lesley email address. To view your bill, you can log into the Student Account Center (SAC) through Lesley Self-Service. From Self-Serve, click on Financial Information, Student Finance, Student Activity. Tuition and fee charges can be paid online with an American Express, Discover, MasterCard or VISA credit card. All credit card and debit card payments are subject to a convenience fee.  Check/ACH payments can be made online without a fee.  Checks mailed to the University should be made payable to Lesley University. Please include the student’s full name and Lesley ID Number to ensure proper application to the student account. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure payments are made by the payment due date for each semester. Please allow at least ten business days for payments mailed to the University to avoid late payment fees.

In order to be in good standing at Lesley, you must meet your financial obligations with the Student Accounts Office by the tuition due date.

The student is responsible for updating their contact information and email address with the Support Hub. 

Any check drawn on a foreign bank may incur collection and/or bank fees for which the student is responsible.

If paying via wire transfer, please contact the Support Hub to obtain bank information by Flywire, pay.flywire.com.

All students must complete the Financial Responsibilities Agreement via Self-Service prior to the start of each academic year.  Students who have not completed the Financial Responsibilities Agreement or have not met their financial obligations to the University will not be allowed to register for additional courses until the balance is paid in full. Grades, transcripts, and diplomas will be withheld from students whose accounts show overdue balances. Students experiencing financial difficulties should contact the Support Hub to review the payment options available. If the unpaid balance is turned over to a collection agency, the student will be required to pay all reasonable collection costs and fees incurred while trying to collect the balance owed, including reasonable attorney's fees to the extent permitted by law. All student accounts turned over for further collection activity will be reported to all major credit bureaus.

Pending financial aid amounts shown on the student account bill are anticipated funds, not actual credits. Further action may be required on the student's part for these anticipated funds to be disbursed into the student account. Pending awarded financial aid is deducted from the balance on the first bill each semester. Please note that loan amounts may be a percentage less than the pending award amount noted on the student account statement. It is the responsibility of the student to check their Financial Aid Check List or with the Support Hub to ensure that all required documentation is complete regarding loans and other types of aid for disbursement to the student account. While the Support Hub staff is happy to assist students with determining tuition balances and arranging payment plans, it is the student's responsibility to make sure their balance is paid in full by the determined due date.

Confidentiality

The Support Hub communicates with you, the student. If you want or need members of the Student Accounts Office to speak with your parent(s), grandparent(s), guardian(s), aunt, uncle, or others, access must be granted by granting permission on the Student Accounts Center. We do not provide information to people who are not granted this permission.

Payment Plans

To help students and their families manage the cost of education, the University has made arrangements with Nelnet to offer interest-free monthly payment options.

Nelnet offers a flexible payment plan option that divides tuition and fees into monthly payments. The University offers semester-based plans for the Fall, Spring and Summer. Your payment plan must be established with Nelnet prior to the tuition due date to have met your financial obligation to the University. Each plan requires a non-refundable enrollment fee due to Nelnet with the first payment. Payment Plans are established online through the Student Accounts Center (SAC). SSO access to the SAC is available through Lesley Self-Service. The University sends semester billing statements in July, August, November, December, April, and May.  

Payment Plan payments are fee-free via ACH or can be made via American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa for an additional convenience fee. 

All payment options must be completed one month prior to your graduation date. Contact the Support Hub at 617-349-8760 for further information or submit a ticket via https://support.lesley.edu.

Sponsored Billing

If an outside agency or employer has agreed to pay all or part of a student's tuition and/or fees, billing authorization (purchase order) from the third party must be submitted to the Student Accounts Office prior to the payment deadline. The Student Accounts Office will then bill the agency for the amount they have agreed to pay. Any remaining balance will be billed to the student and is due prior to the payment due date.

Your sponsorship letter must:

  • Be typed on company letterhead
  • Include an authorized signature (not that of the student)
  • Include dates of sponsorship
  • Include which items will be paid (i.e. tuition and fees)
  • State that Lesley University must directly invoice the sponsoring agency
  • Include contact information for the sponsor:
    • Contact person name and email
    • Physical billing address

Sponsorship cannot be contingent upon grades. Please retain a copy of your sponsorship letters as you may be held responsible for tuition and fees if an authorization has expired or is invalid for any reason. Sponsorships 45 days past due will be removed, the charges added back to the student account and payment is due within 24 hours of the cancelled sponsorship. The student will be notified via email of this action. Please be sure that you actively view your Lesley email.

Tuition Refunds

The posted Refund Policies and Processes schedule is used to determine the portion of tuition that will be refunded depending upon the date a student withdraws from a course or from the University. University policy does not allow retroactive withdrawals or refunds.

Time of Withdrawal

For information on refunds for term-based courses please visit the Student Accounts Refund Policies website: https://www.lesley.edu/students/financial-aid-bills-payments/refund-policies-processes.

 

Tuition Insurance Plan

What happens when your education is disrupted by an unexpected injury or illness? Depending on the timing of the withdrawal, you may not be eligible to receive a refund of all your tuition and fees.

The Tuition Insurance Protection Plan helps students and their families overcome the financial losses that may result from events which force students to withdraw from the semester due to a covered medical reason. Helping families get the most out of your Lesley University experience is always our top priority. That's why we've partnered with GradGuard to make the Tuition Insurance Protection Plan available to our families.
This coverage strengthens and broadens the scope of our existing refund policy by ensuring reimbursement for tuition, housing, and other payments if a student withdraws for any covered medical reason at any time during the semester.

Please remember the deadline to enroll is the day before classes begin each semester.
Learn more at GradGuard.com/Tuition/Lesley or call 1.866.724.4384.

Lesley University is not compensated for this program and provides the Tuition Insurance Protection Plan as a valuable student benefit. The enrollment date is based on the academic calendar. If you are not a traditional semester-based student, sign-up dates may vary. Enrollment must be before the first day of class for your program of study.
Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Plans only available to U.S. residents. GradGuard is a service of Next Generation Insurance Group, LLC, the licensed agent for all insurance programs. Insurance benefits are underwritten by Jefferson Insurance Company (NY; Administrative Office: Richmond, VA), rated "A+" (Superior) by A.M. Best Co., under Jefferson Form No. 101-C series or 101-P series. Plan(s) may not be available in all jurisdictions. Allianz Global Assistance and Allianz Tuition Insurance are brands of AGA Service Company. AGA Service Company is the licensed producer and administrator of and an affiliate of Jefferson Insurance Company. The insured shall not receive any special benefit or advantage due to the affiliation between AGA Service Company and Jefferson Insurance.
*For our returning students, please note that this plan is offered through a different carrier and does not have the same opt-in/opt-out process. Please refer to the Student Account Center
for further enrollment details.
*Tuition Insurance is available to International Students as long as they use their US or college residence address when enrolling in the program. The insurance is not offered to those with addresses outside of the country. However, because the student will reside at the college during their education, they have a US residence.

 

Student Health Insurance Plan

Massachusetts state law requires all students enrolled at least three-quarter time have adequate health insurance coverage. To read the details on this law and health insurance requirements, go to massresources.org/student-health-insurance. Students who meet the above stipulation will be automatically enrolled in a student health insurance plan (SHIP) for coverage effective August 15 - August 14, serviced by Gallagher Student Health & Special Risk (Gallagher).

Your student account bill will include the charge for student health insurance. This charge must be waived provided you (the student) are covered by insurance of a comparable plan. Comparable plan information can be found at lesley.edu/students/health-wellness-safety/health-and-dental-insurance. Waivers must be completed online at gallagherstudent.com/lesley.  Confirmation emails are sent to your Lesley email when your waiver is received and confirmed.  Retain this email for your records.

Students taking course credits at any school under a Consortium Agreement, or by any other method, may not count towards their total credit load for automatic enrollment in the student health insurance plan.

Students must waive the Student Health Insurance Plan if currently enrolled in a health insurance plan of comparable coverage. Please note that Lesley reserves the right to re-enroll you in the student health insurance plan if it is determined that the plan you indicated on your waiver form is not deemed comparable coverage.  The student health insurance charge will be reassessed to your student account and payment will be due immediately.

Comparable coverage means that your current insurance plan provides access to local doctors and other health care providers in the Cambridge area, for diagnostic testing, lab and x-ray services, prescription drugs, mental health services, inpatient and outpatient hospital services, urgent care and emergency services. Out of state Medicaid programs, Commonwealth Care, and insurance plans that do not provide coverage in Massachusetts are not comparable coverage.

The policy must be in effect from August 15 to August 14. The deadline to waive annual coverage is August 15 to avoid late payment fees. The deadline to waive spring coverage is December 15 to avoid late payment fees.

Online Waiver Process To waive the Student Health Insurance Plan for the academic policy year, log onto: www.gallagherstudent.com/lesley.  On the left navigation, under “Student Access”, click on “Waive/Enroll”.  Log-in.  Your username is your Lesley email address.  Your temporary password is your student ID number preceded by two leading zeroes.  You will be required to reset your password for security purposes and will be sent an email to your Lesley email with a reset password link.  Complete the Health Insurance Decision Form.  You will immediately receive a reference number confirming the form was submitted.  If you waive the Student Blue Plan, the charge for it will be removed from your Lesley Student Account within 3-5 business days.

If you accept the insurance, you will receive an email confirming your acceptance. Gallagher will mail your new insurance card to you.

Refunds of Credit Balances

Over-payment, scholarship credits, adjustments and financial aid payments may result in a credit balance on the student account. If an account indicates a credit balance, it will be refunded to the student. Federal Stafford Loan and private loan payments resulting in a credit balance will be refunded within 10 – 14 days of the date the credit appears on the student account. Credits resulting from a Federal Parent PLUS Loan will be refunded to the parent listed as the borrower, unless otherwise noted in the application. 

Lesley University students are enrolled in the Student Account Center (SAC) and eRefunding. Students are encouraged to enroll in eRefunding though the SAC. Access to the SAC is granted through Lesley Self-Service. After completion of the enrollment process, an email will be received by the student confirming the preference chosen.

Late Payment Fee

Lesley University reserves the right to assess late payment fees on past due balances. Students with financial aid covering their balance, enrolled in a payment plan covering their balance, or a combination of the two will not be charged a late fee.

If you want to dispute a late payment fee on your statement, contact the Support Hub by logging onto https://support.lesley.edu within 60 days of the bill on which the late payment fee appeared. The Support Hub will research your dispute and contact you with an explanation within 30 days of receipt of your email.

Include the following information:
• Your full name and Lesley ID number.
• The dollar amount of the late payment fee.
• Description of the late payment fee and explanation of why you believe there is an error. If you need more information, describe the item you are not sure about.

Veteran’s Affairs eligible students:
• The university adheres to the requirements of and complies with the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018, specifically S2248 PL 115-407 Section 103. The university permits any covered individual to attend or participate in the course education during the period beginning on the date on which the individual provides to the educational institution a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under chapter 31 or 33 of this title.
• In accordance with S2248 PL 115-407 Section 103 Lesley University will not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a covered individual borrow additional funds, on any covered individual because of the individual’s inability to meet their financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement of a payment to be provided by the Secretary under chapter 31 or 33 of this title.

Dispute of a Charge

If you want to dispute a charge on your student account statement, email The Support Hub (https://support.lesley.edu) within 60 days of the bill on which the charge appeared. The Support Hub will research your dispute and contact you with an explanation within 30 days of the receipt of your email.

 Please provide the following information in your correspondence:

  • Your full name and Lesley I.D. number
  • The dollar amount of the charge
  • Describe the charge and explain why you believe there is an error. If you need more information, describe the item you are unsure about.

Please Note: late payment fee disputes will be considered for review for the current semester only. Late payment fee disputes from past semesters will not be considered.

Returned Payments

The University automatically re-deposits returned checks received for payment of a student account. A $50 returned payment fee is charged to the student account if the check is returned after the re-deposit attempt. The University may require future payments be made by certified check or money order. Should a check be returned due to a bank error, a letter from the bank will allow us to accept personal checks and the returned check fee may be removed.

ACH payments returned by the bank are also subject to the $50.00 returned payment fee.  Electronic payments are only presented once to the bank for payment.

Non-Payment of Charges

Students who have not met their financial obligations to the University will not be allowed to register for additional courses until the balance is paid in full. Grades, transcripts, and diplomas will be withheld from students whose accounts show overdue balances. Students should contact The Lesley Support Hub immediately if they are experiencing financial difficulties paying their account. If the unpaid balance is turned over to an outside collection agency or attorney, the student will be required to pay all reasonable collection costs and fees incurred while trying to collect the balance owed, including reasonable attorney's fees to the extent permitted by law. All student accounts turned over for further collection activity will be reported to all major credit bureaus.

Financial Administrative Withdrawal Policy

The University reserves the right to administratively withdraw, without prior notice, any student who does not meet the stated financial requirements of the University.

 

Students may be reinstated upon meeting their financial obligations to the University.

Tuition Reimbursement

Students who are expecting tuition reimbursement from their employer are responsible for payment in full by the due date indicated on their ebill notification unless otherwise noted. It is the student's responsibility to ensure payments are made by the payment due date on each statement. Payments received after the due date will result in late payment fees.

Tuition Payment Statement (IRS Form 1098-T)

The federal government requires all colleges and universities to provide students with a yearly statement of payments made toward eligible tuition and fees required for enrollment and attendance. Eligible tuition and fees are “tuition for credit-based courses and mandatory fees”. Not included are student health insurance fees, room and board expenses, and non-credit university fees. Educational tax credits may be available to students who meet eligibility requirements. Check with a tax professional regarding your eligibility. More information is available at irs.gov/individuals/students.

Each October, in compliance with IRS regulations, Lesley University will contact all students who have not provided a social security number to the university.

It is the student’s responsibility to provide your full legal name and social security number, phone number and email address so the above information can be mailed to you in January of each year. You must ensure that you have an updated billing address. Students can change their address via Self-Service.

Instructions for accessing your 1098-T information can be found at lesley.edu/students/financial-aid-bills-payments/pay-your-bill.