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Fees may change from semester to semester. The student is strongly advised to ascertain what fee is in effect the semester in which the planned courses are to be taken. All fees are paid in U.S. dollars.
Sofia University is approved by the United States Department of Education for participation in federal loan programs.
Undergraduate
Application fee is $50. (non-refundable).
Registration/Maintenance is $100. per semester (non-refundable).
Graduation Fee: $100
Courses: $130 per credit (distance learn); $130 per credit (on site). (These SU courses with transcript may be transferred over to other colleges e.g. Excelsior College for its degree.)
Certain courses (e.g. above) may be somewhat higher where additional faculty are involved and special examinations (e.g. CLEP) are required. These higher fees are indicated to the student before Registration.
Tuition refund policy: Cancellation (after payment, but before the first class) for whatever reason, there is a 10% penalty; 90% is refunded. There is a 50% refund for withdrawal from a course before one-fifth of the duration of the course has expired; there is no refund after this time period.
In the unusual event that both Dean and Instructor give permission for an extension beyond the agreed duration of any course, the full tuition is again due for that course.
Evaluation and Transfer of previous Study: $10 per credit awarded by IU.
Transcripts: At the completion of each course a student is provided a cumulative transcript without fee. Any requests beyond this, there is a $5. fee.
Graduate
Fees and fee policy are the same as Undergraduate except:
The Graduate tuition at Sofia University (not Ignatius University) is approximately 3300 Euros per year for the master’s degree and this is a period of two years; and 3300 euros per year for doctorate which is for three years; if dissertation is not ready for defense after three years, then an additional 3300 euros are due. Sofia University fees are paid directly to Sofia University and Ignatius University fees are paid directly to Ignatius University. Where dual degrees are involved between Ignatius University and Sofia University, the student is responsible for tuition at both institutions.
Ordinarily, students are only accepted into the Graduate programs on a full time basis; they take their entire course load in two semesters per year. However, if there is good cause, students may be permitted to spread out their course work over three semesters in a twelve month period.
Dissertation
Before the dissertation is undertaken , the approval of both SU / IU is necessary on each of the following : the topic; and a detailed outline of the proposed work. After these are approved, then one chapter at a time is submitted both to SU / IU . subsequent chapters should not be submitted till prior chapters are approved by SU / IU.
From the time the Dissertation Proposal is initially submitted to Ignatius University, there is a monthly fee of $100 until the time the Dissertation is successfully defended including additional time when corrections are necessary following the oral defense. These fees are applied to the stipend of the five members of the student’s Dissertation Committee.
Doctoral Candidacy Examination: $60.
Dissertation Proposal: In cases where human subjects are involved in research the Proposal must go before the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for consideration.
Proposal Review ruled as exempt, the fee is $150.
Proposal Review ruled as non-exempt, the fee is $250.
The student will be assigned a Mentor for the Dissertation. In the event the Mentor reports that, even after serious and repeated efforts on the part of the Mentor, the student’s work remains unsatisfactory for a Dissertation, the student will be terminated from the program. The student may appeal ($250 fee) to his/her particular School of IU for reinstatement and the appointment of a second Mentor. If upon investigation and review, the appeal is successful, the student may be reinstated on a probationary basis with a second Mentor. If the second Mentor reports, after serious and repeated efforts, that the student’s work is unsatisfactory for a Dissertation, the student will be permanently terminated from Ignatius University.
Ignatius University
Oral Defense:
When the Dissertation Committee members and the student are not all able to meet at one specific site for the oral defense, the student bears the cost of the conference call. However, the Administration will do everything possible to reduce the number of sites from which the oral defense will be conducted so as to curtail costs e.g. Committee members are expected to journey up to a maximum of fifty miles to the site.
Sofia University
Since SU and IU are autonomous institutions, neither institution is responsible for the regulations of the other. It is the student’s responsibility to know the regulations and fees of both. IU strongly advises its students to be fully cognizant of all the regulations and fees of Sofia; an inquiry would be advisable before enrollment e.g knowing fees for translation of dissertation, published articles, oral defense in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The times that a student is required to appear at Sofia University in Bulgaria in order to defend a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation is regulated by both Sofia University and the Bulgarian Government. These regulations may vary from year to year and it is the student’s responsibility to remain updated on the number of on site visits required by contacting the authorities at Sofia University.
The following applies only to Sofia University: After Sofia University approves the dissertation for Public Defense, the following three steps are not under Sofia University regulation but the government of Bulgaria:
1. Specialized Scholarly Council.
2. Sub-Commission on Social Sciences to the Highest Assessment Commission -attached to the Council of Government Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria.
3. Presidium of Highest Assessment Commission.
These activities surrounding the Dissertation are linked with certain financial expenses such as translating and photocopying the dissertation, translation and publication of 50 copies of the autoreferat, publishing an ad in daily newspaper, remunerating the reviewers, etc.. Upon successful completion, the doctor is issued an official certificate signed by the Chair of the Presidium and sealed with the coat of arms of the Republic of Bulgaria. This certificate is internationally recognized. These expenses are borne by the doctoral candidate. Accordingly, these costs may vary approximately between 2200 and 3300 euros.
Communication
When the Administration of the University communicates with a student by any modality ( postal service, telephone, fax, e-mail etc.), IU assumes the cost. Communication of the student to IU is the student’s cost. The cost of all communications between Faculty and student are borne by the student.
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
The University has on faculty professors who are qualified to supervise didactic and clinical studies so that the student may earn CPE units. In cases where the student wishes CPE units, the fee is arranged between the student and the approved supervisor.
Malpractice Insurance
Any student that meets with clients in a counseling or a related capacity must obtain Malpractice Insurance at his/her own expense. A copy of the policy must be filed with the University. No student, under any circumstances, is to do counseling with a client outside the facility of a bona fide agency. All counseling is conducted under the supervision of a bona fide agency and in that facility. There is no “private practice.” The only exception to this important regulation is in the case of a student who is licensed at the independent practice level in the discipline in the jurisdiction in which he/she is rendering the service. Of course, the private practitioner must have malpractice insurance. Any infraction of this regulation may lead to dismissal from Ignatius University.
Ignatius University cannot accept responsibility for the work of a student at any facility because it is the responsibility of that facility to supervise its own workers. Ignatius University is solely involved in didactic training and it is impossible to provide supervision for anything other than strictly academic work.
The student is further expected to provide a letter from the agency with which he is involved stating that the agency has read the statement on Malpractice set forth by Ignatius University. This statement is also to be filed with the University.