2024 Finance FAQ

Q: Are there administrative fees associated with J-term?

A: There is a $50/credit hour administrative fee. This fee is charged to offset additional costs of delivering the unique experiences that occur in the courses offered in a condensed format during J-term. 

Q: If a student is registered for 18 credit hours in the Spring 2024 semester, will a J-Term class create an overload billing fee?

A: Yes, J-term enrollment is counted as part of the spring semester for federal financial aid and for billing purposes for all students. If an undergraduate student is enrolled in 12 to 18 credits in a semester, they are billed full-time tuition based on their tuition guarantee rate. 

If students take a 3-credit J-term course and more than 15 credits in the spring the overload fee applies.  In any semester that a student takes more than 18 credits, and if they have exceptional circumstances, they can fill out a form (with their dean’s approval) to request a fee waiver. Also, if a student is required by their academic program to take more than 18 credits in any semester (e.g., pharmacy P2 spring, music ensembles) then the dean’s office sends an aggregated list of students’ names and the dean requests to waive the overload fee on behalf of the students.

Q: Are fulltime professional pharmacy, law and graduate students treated differently than fulltime undergraduates for J-Term?

A: No, for all students all classes taken in J-term and spring will be combined for billing and financial aid purposes.  You may view tuition rates here under the 2023-2024 Summary of Tuition.

Q: If an undergraduate student is registered for 9 hours for the Spring 2024 semester, plus a 3-credit hour J- Term course, will they be considered fulltime for billing purposes?

A: Yes, the J-Term is considered part of the spring semester. The student would be billed their appropriate full time tuition rate for the 12 credits.

Q: When will J-Term charges be billed and due?
A: On-campus J-Term course charges are billed in December and are due on the first day of term.

A: For travel courses, students pay a $500 non-refundable deposit and commit in Terra Dotta when they are ready to confirm their participation in the program.  Should a participant withdraw from the program after committing to the program, they will forfeit the deposit as it is non-refundable.

If a student withdraws prior to September 1st, they will be charged for all non-recoverable costs, and any additional fees or payments that were made on the student's behalf for their intended participation.  All withdrawal requests must be sent in writing to studyabroad@drake.edu.

If by September 1st, you have not requested in writing to officially withdraw from the program, you will be responsible for the full cost of the program.  No refunds will be issued after September 1st.  The full program cost is due by September 15th.

Charges related to tuition, such as the J-term fee or an overload fee, will be due the first day of the term, similar to on-campus courses.

Q: Is financial aid available for J-Term?

A: The Office of Financial Aid will work with students individually on cost of attendance issues and will combine J-Term and Spring enrollment, as allowed by regulation, to determine eligibility. Since many students use their maximum eligibility from institutional, federal and state financial aid programs in order to meet fall and spring costs, additional funding for J-Term may reside primarily in education loans. Students should contact the Office of Financial Aid to discuss specific financial aid awards.

For additional J-term 2024 questions that are directly related to billing, please contact:

Student Account Services
103 Carnegie Hall
2507 University Ave
Des Moines, IA  50311
515-271-4777

Updated 3/10/2023