Tuition Payment FAQs

Tuition Payment Frequently Asked Questions

What are the acceptable forms of payment?

Cash, personal checks, and money orders are accepted.

Checks can be mailed to Brookdale Community College, 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, NJ, 07738 Attn: Student Accounts.

Please make sure your student ID is in the memo field and also that the check will reach the College by the due date to ensure classes are not dropped.

Do you have a tuition payment plan? How does it work?

Nelnet provides the College with payment plan services which are available for all semesters except Winterim. There is no financial threshold or credit stipulation for eligibility. Plans are created directly with Nelnet via the Web or phone. There is a $65.00 non-refundable fee due at the time of application. This fee must be paid at the time of application.  If you sign up for a plan before the first payment is due, do not wait to include the plan fee with your first payment as this may result in classes being dropped for non-payment.  (Each term requires its own applications; however, summer terms can be combined along with Fall 11 & 15 week and Spring 11 & 15 week into one plan for each seasons terms.) Get started by visiting the Nelnet Web site or phoning 800-609-8056 to speak with a representative.

Who is eligible for a tuition waiver, and how do they work?

Tuition waivers are available to volunteer firefighters and first aid responders and to unemployed students. Students using tuition waivers may not pre-register for courses, but instead must wait until the first day of any term in order to register and have that tuition waived. Waivers will not apply to any classes for which the student has pre-registered. Students must pay application, general service, lab, and any other applicable fees at the time of registration. Waivers do not cover the cost of books. For information, call 732-224-2707.

Each student eligible for an unemployment waiver seeking to enroll in credit courses is responsible for filing a financial aid application and providing Brookdale with all information necessary to determine possible financial aid eligibility. If financial aid is awarded, the aid will be applied to the student account first and the waiver will only apply to the remaining balance. Any courses subsequently dropped will count first toward the waived balance and that portion will not be refunded. Financial aid will be used toward tuition and general service fees only unless there is excess aid which can then be used for books. Loans can be used toward books. Unemployed students residing outside of Monmouth County must also provide verification from their county college that the course(s) needed is not offered by their county college.

Click here for a copy of the Unemployment Tuition Waiver Request Form. Please read the request form thoroughly as it contains very important information. All students wishing to use an unemployment waiver must submit a signed waiver request form.

A person who is an active member of a volunteer fire company or volunteer first aid or rescue squad or association in good standing, and the dependent children and spouse of a volunteer, are eligible to receive a tuition credit not to exceed $2,400 (this is all persons inclusive not per family member) over a 4-year member service or up to $600 per year. To be eligible, the individual must sign an agreement with the municipality in which they are a volunteer, pledging four years of service in exchange for the tuition credit. To remain eligible, the volunteer, dependent, or spouse must maintain a “C” grade average.

A municipality which chooses to participate in the tuition credit program shall issue a letter of eligibility to the volunteer, to be presented to Brookdale, stating that the individual is a member in good standing of a volunteer fire company, volunteer first aid or rescue squad or association. All rules regarding pre-registration apply.

What is Senior Citizen registration? What is the cost?

As part of Brookdale’s commitment to the Monmouth County community and its constituents, we offer open seats each semester to residents of Monmouth County who are age 65 or older. The registration date for these open seats typically coincides with the last day to receive an 80% refund of tuition as noted on the Important Dates calendar. For the exact date for each term, please click here to go to Term Dates. Seniors age 65 and over who register on this date pay course fees only – tuition is waived. Please note: if you enroll in courses during Priority or Open Registration, you will pay full tuition and fees.

What is Out of County Chargeback Tuition Assistance?

If you do not live in Monmouth County and are a resident of NJ and would like to attend Brookdale, you may be eligible for tuition assistance from the county you live in. To qualify, your county college must not offer the program of study you wish to pursue.

Begin by registering at Brookdale. Once registered, obtain a letter from the Brookdale Registration Department indicating that you are registered in the particular program not offered by your home county college. Take the Registration letter and a copy of your registration statement to your home county college registration office. Each county college will provide further instruction on how to obtain chargeback paperwork and proof of residency. Rules vary from county to county and not all courses selected may be covered. Once these documents are obtained, bring them to the Student Accounts cashier’s office at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft for a reduction in tuition cost.

To be eligible for out of county chargeback tuition reduction, this process must be repeated for each semester. Chargebacks cannot be used for dropped classes.

For further information, please call Accounts Receivable at 732-224-2707.

I have been awarded money by a sponsor that requires verification of my enrollment status. How do I obtain this?

Please phone the Registration office at 732-224-2267

When is the Cashier’s office open?

The Cashier is in the Center for Counseling, Admission & Registration, CAR (use parking lot 4 or 5). Hours are 8:30 AM – 5 PM Monday through Friday. (Summer hours, June 15 through August 15, are 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM.)

A depository box is located on the wall by the cashier`s window, and is accessible at the above times. Only payment by check or money order are accepted. Make sure that your student ID number appears on the check or money order.

How do I get Health Insurance?

A state law signed by Governor Christie eliminated the requirement for community college students in New Jersey to have health insurance (effective Fall 2013).  Students who want to purchase health insurance should click here for information from the New Jersey Department of Insurance and Banking.

What is form 1098-T?

Each year that you are enrolled in classes for which you earn credits, Brookdale Community College must provide you with a 1098-T statement.  The 1098-T contains information you will need when filing your federal tax return only if you qualify for either the Life Time Learning, Hope, or other available education tax credits. For details on these tax credits or how to use the amounts listed on your statement, do not contact the College but consult either a qualified tax preparer or IRS publication 970 titled “Tax Benefits for Education”.  The publication is usually available on the web at www.irs.gov.

The 1098-T is not a statement of wages or a bill for tuition due.

Due to changes in IRS requirements, beginning with the 2018 1098-T Brookdale will be reporting payments received  (Box 1) instead of amounts billed for qualifying tuition and expenses (Box 2).  Box 2 will be intentionally empty.  The 1098-T covers activity for a calendar year beginning in January and ending in December of the tax year.

According to IRS regulations, Box 1 will be the total of all payments received less refunds paid.  Payments received are payments made by students directly to Brookdale or through Tuition Management Systems for qualified tuition and expenses.

Box 1 will also include loans, financial aid, private scholarships and amounts paid by employers or other third parties.  All Box 1 items mentioned, with the exception of payments received and refunds, will also be reported in Box 5, Scholarships and Grants.

Box 1 cannot exceed the total amount billed for qualifying tuition and expenses in the calendar year. .

To qualify as at least half time, you need to have taken at least 6 institutional credits in the year for which you are completing your taxes.  Developmental courses, those with section codes beginning with zero, do not count toward attendance for the 1098-T.

To repeat, the 1098-T does not reflect amount billed. Box 1 indicates payments received, loans, financial aid, private scholarships and amounts paid by third parties within the current tax year.   For information on how to use this statement when filing your federal tax return, please consult a qualified tax preparer.  For questions regarding the amounts shown on the 1098-T statement call 732-224-2707.