The University follows the directives of the Council for Higher Education and Higher Education, where applicable, with regard to tuition and fees.  The University provides as much financial aid as can be obtained from external agencies.  However, the costs of running the University continue to increase, and students must contribute their share to cover these costs.

The schedule of tuition and fees is published by the Finance Office each year and is subject to change as required.  Tuition and a fee schedule is published on http://buap.bethlehem.edu under the Finance Office section.

Tuition and fees are due in full at the beginning of the semester for first year students.  Other students can pay their tuition and fees by one of the following payment plans:

1. Payment in full before the first day of classes. 
2. Payment in four equal installments.  Those who chose this alternative will pay an additional amount of 20 JDs as an installment fee.
3. Payments should be made following deadlines. 

Students who have not fully paid their tuition and fees for the previous semester will not be permitted to register for the following semester, and are not entitled to receive their grade report.

Refund Policy

Tuition refunds will be made, as noted below, to students who officially withdraw from the University provided that:

1. The student requests the refund at the time of withdrawal,
2. The student turns in his/her BU identification card,
3. The student returns all materials borrowed from the Library.

 

During Fall and Spring Sessions:

Time of Withdrawal	Refund %
1.             Prior to the 1st day of class	Full Refund
2.             During 1st or 2nd week of class	75%
3.             During 3rd or 4th week of class	50%
4.             After the 4th week of class	No Refund

 

During Summer Session:

Time of Withdrawal	Refund %
1.             Prior to the 1st day of class	Full Refund
2.             During 1st or 2nd day of class	75%
3.             During 3rd or 4th day of class	50%
4.             After the 4th day of class	No Refund

 

Withdrawal and refunding is subject to the following limitations:

1. The refund policy does not apply to students in their first semester of enrollment at the University.  All tuition and fees paid by these students are non-refundable.                                                                                                                                                                 
2. Refunding applies to paid tuition only.  Fees are not refunded under any condition.
3. Refunding will be adjusted if students have not paid the full tuition charge at the time of registration using the refund policy stated above. 
4. Refunding is not allowable to any student for withdrawal from one or more courses after the add/drop period.
5. Any student want to withdraw from the university should provide supporting documents to demonstrate special circumstances, such as sickness, childbirth, imprisonment, and financial reasons. 

 

Add/Drop

Students who add or drop courses during the official add/drop period will automatically have their financial records adjusted.  However, those receiving financial aid must inform the Finance Office of such changes, so that an appropriate adjustment is made on the student account.

Late Registration

No registration is permitted under any condition after the announced registration period.  Please note that add-drop period is not open for registration.

 

Financial Aid Schemes

Scholarships:

Bethlehem University is most grateful to the generous alumni, friends, and benefactors who have kindly contributed funds to the University in support of various forms of financial aid which cover part of the tuition charges for students, such as Endowed Scholarships, Partially Endowed Scholarships, Annual Scholarships, and Semester Scholarships. Students remain responsible for fees, books, and other charges.  These gifts from generous donors support the educational costs of the University, making it possible for the University to provide quality university education to the students. 

 

University Sponsored Scholarships and Waivers:

1. Martyrs Scholarship: The University offers scholarships to the children of martyrs enrolled at the University provided they meet the financial aid academic requirements.  The Ministry of Social Affairs provides documentation supporting a martyr’s status. This scholarship is given unless the semester GPA falls below 2.00.
2. Tawjihi Scholarship: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education chooses 10 students from the highest Tawjihi score achievers admitted to the University on an annual basis.
3. Academic Merit Scholarship: These scholarships are awarded to students for the semester after having earned a GPA of 3.75 or higher. Students must maintain a full time status (or enrolled for at least 15 credits).
4. Students with Disabilities Scholarship: Students with Disabilities are awarded a 50% tuition waiver upon the recommendation of the Committee for Students with Disabilities. Such students must maintain the minimum academic achievement for financial aid.
5. Employee Relative Waiver: Children and Spouses of Employees of the University receive a tuition waiver provided they meet the minimum academic achievement set for financial aid.  The first such relative receives a 100% waiver, the second 75%, while the third attending school at the same time receives a waiver of 50%.  This is given unless the semester GPA falls below 2.5
6. Employee Graduate’s Studies Tuition Waiver: employees enrolled in master’s program at BU are entitled for tuition exemption on one three-credit hour course per semester plus the fees.
7. Children and Spouses of University employees studying masters at the University: are entitled for one third tuition waiver.
8. The Needy Student Fund: With revenues coming from student registration fees, this fund provides some assistance on an annual basis.  The criteria and restrictions of the fund are available at the Dean of Students’ Office.

 

Student Employment on Campus

The University has a very limited number of employment opportunities for full-time students who are willing to work part-time while continuing their full-time studies.  Partial tuition reduction is granted for 3 or 6 hours of work per week throughout the semester.  Student-workers are expected to comply with all directives of their supervisor and to follow all regulations with regard to hours, absences, and so on.  Selection is made on the basis of competency for the job in addition to the general rules mentioned below.  The Student Finance Office in the Finance Office has information on work-study opportunities.  Freshmen may apply during the Spring semester.  Students are notified of work-study grants during the registration period.  Interested students must apply through the Department he/she intends to work at.  Applications are made available on the intranet by the Finance Office.  The Department sets the schedule of working hours according to its needs under one of the two possible arrangements of either 3 or 6 hours of work per week. 

 

Two types of work study programs are available:

1. Full time: the student works 90 hours per semester, which is equivalent to 6 working hours a week for a tuition deduction of JD 180. 

2. Part time: the student works 45 hours per semester, which is equivalent to 3 working hours a week for a tuition deduction of JD 90.

 

General Rules in Governing Financial Aid and Scholarships:

Financial aid and scholarships cover tuition charges.  The student remains responsible for fees, books, and other charges.

a. General Restrictions

i.No financial aid will be given to any student whose previous semester GPA is less than 2.50.

ii. No financial aid is offered to freshmen in their first semester at the University.

iii. No financial aid is offered during Summer Sessions except for donor designated summer school scholarships.

iv. Financial aid could be for one semester, one year, or even four years. This depends on the type of the scholarship and the academic achievement of the student.

 

b. Criteria

i. The most important consideration is the financial need of the student and his/her family.  Need is assessed by the University’s Financial Aid Advisory Committee based on the completed and submitted social survey and a follow up visit to the social survey office with all needed documents.  In most cases, a home visit will be conducted.

ii. Other considerations are the student’s academic ability as demonstrated by the GPA and personal conduct as assessed by cooperation with instructors and respect for others.

iii. A major factor in allocating financial aid is the amount of money available to the University for Financial Aid.  Regrettably, the University does not have sufficient funds to provide financial aid to all students in need and must restrict itself to giving aid to the most needy.

iv. The amount of financial aid awarded to students is determined by the donations received by the University for this purpose.

v. Donors’ stipulations and criteria are followed in the selection of students receiving scholarships.

 

c. Process

The University determines the socio-economic status of its students from the information available through the social survey, which represents the official database used by the University to determine financial need for the purpose of awarding scholarships. In addition, a number of external donors request such information in awarding financial aid to students. Accordingly, all University students are requested to fill out the social survey form and present all supporting documents to the Finance Office in order to be considered for financial aid. Students who do not fill out the survey waive their right to any internal or external financial aid. 

 

d.Other Financial Aid Schemes

In some cases, external agencies provide financial aid to individual students or groups of students whom they choose.  This is, however, coordinated with the University’s general financial aid restrictions and criteria listed above.

 

Loans

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) initiated a revolving loan scheme a few years ago to assist students in paying for their university education. Students must complete an on-line application that is on the MOEHE website.  Selection of loan recipients, as well as the amounts granted, is determined at the MOEHE level.  The Finance Office reviews the list generated and furnished by the Ministry for accuracy and provides information that is asked for by the MOEHE.  Some of the main conditions for the scheme are:

1. Students must maintain a full time status and have financial need.
2. Students must have successfully completed one semester.
3. Students must be in good academic standing and not be on academic probation.
4. Students may apply for up to 7 semesters for a maximum of 75% of the outstanding tuition in each semester.
5. In the last semester before graduation, the student has two options:
   1. Decides to pay future installments: in this case the student and a guarantor commit to repay the loan through signing a promissory note at the Dean of Students’ Office.
   2. Decides to pay the full amount before graduation and receives a clearance from the Finance Office after making the payment at the bank to the order of MOEHE.  All of the arrangements are made at the Dean of Students’ Office.
6.  Repayment starts six months after graduation.
7.  Repayment is in the form of monthly payments that is determined by the MOEHE based on the amount of the loans.
8.   If a student leaves the University for whatever reason before graduation, the loans become payable immediately.

Full details of the student loan program, deadlines, and procedures are available in the Dean of Students’ Office.