Notices about the tuition deadline, in the form of fliers, e mails and reminders from officials and instructors, have been out since the beginning of Summer Semester.
In case anyone missed it, however, the consequences promised for missing the tuition deadline are real, according to Lisa Zaelit, manager for U Income Accounting and Student Loan Services.
It’s a change from the past policy.
The deadline to pay Fall Semester tuition and fees is Sept. 5.
Any undergraduate student who misses that deadline or fails to notify income accounting by then of any problems, questions or concerns will be dropped from all registered classes and won’t be charged tuition, Zaelit said.
The policy for graduate students will be the same as previous years. If the deadline is not met, a late fee is applied, followed by a record hold not to be lifted for the subsequent semester’s registration until tuition is paid in full.
That’s also what the undergraduate policy was until last semester.
About a year ago, U officials started the process of making changes to the policy for a variety of reasons.
First, while students who didn’t pay at deadline were assessed holds on their records, they were still able to attend classes and receive grades.
“It wasn’t fair to all the paying students,” Zaelit said.
Also, many students would discontinue attending classes, assuming they would be automatically dropped, only to later receive a bill for a service they didn’t end up using, Zaelit said.
The new policy also gives administrators the ability to make an actual count of paid students going to school for official records.
In addition, the policy is in line with policies of the other public institutions of higher education in the state of Utah, said Paul Brinkman, associate vice president for budget and planning.
“It’s time we did this,” he said.
The exact number of students who failed to pay tuition by deadline in the past in unclear. However, of the approximately 22,000 undergraduates at the U, “most students paid by the end of the term,” Zaelit said.
That’s not going to work anymore.
“Once your classes are dropped, they’re dropped,” Zaelit said. Except for any mistakes made by the office, “Those classes can not be re-added. And there are no exceptions.”
Under normal circumstances, that is.
Some students find themselves in limbo, waiting for their financial aid status to become confirmed.
Justin Francom, a senior in mass communication, is receiving financial aid, which he is confident will be confirmed by the deadline.
That confirmation, however, is still in the process.
All students who apply for financial aid fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, which is sent by the U Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to the U.S. Department of Education, said Kent Larson, director of the financial aid office.
A federal processor, after verifying information on the form, sends the U financial aid office an application of approval or rejection.
If the federal processor sends back an application to the U by Sept. 5, the student will not be dropped from classes, even if the application asks for some data or papers which were missing on the initial filing of the FAFSA form.
In fact, if a student anticipating financial aid learns on or after the deadline that federal aid has been denied, they still won’t be dropped from classes, Larson said.
Instead, a late fee and hold on the student’s record will be placed, which must be taken care of before the student can register for Spring Semester.
The reason for the exception is that the policy is on its first run, Larson said.
“We anticipate it won’t be as simple next year,” he said.
On the other hand, if the FAFSA form was originally turned in incomplete, students will be dropped, he said.
“That’s kind of nice information to have,” Francom said.
Francom says the new policy is not too much of a difference from last year, and the penalty of being dropped from classes is reasonable if there is any negligence on part of the student.
“I think that’s fair, as long as students know all the information,” he said.
Students who have financial aid, scholarships or any kind of tuition waivers need to remember that if any remaining balance, including student fees, is not paid, the students will be dropped, Larson said.
As one last effort to make students aware of the new policy, each undergraduate on the U database should receive a notice in the mail within the next two days, whether they have already arranged for tuition payment or not, Zaelit said.
For cash payments, students need to contact the income and accounting office before 5 p.m. on Sept. 5.
Those using a check or credit card can pay on the U Web site until about 9:28 p.m.-when Zaelit says the system turns off-on the date of the deadline.
Aside from paying the full amount, students have other options available, all of which need to be explored before the deadline.
The office offers a deferred payment loan-which requires a $30 application fee and a payment of 20 percent of the total tuition bill. The rest of the bill is due at the end of October, Zaelit said.
Also, Academic Management Services offers a monthly payment plan, which is planned out at five payments per semester.
Because the deadline to enroll for the plan passed in July, students interested would have to pay 60 percent of their tuition by Sept. 5, and then float the remaining amount for two payments in October and November.
“We know that there are going to be challenges,” Larson said. However, “students need to realize…it’s still the students’ responsibility.”
For information on any payment option of problems regarding the deadline, students can contact the income accounting office at 581 7344. For questions regarding financial aid, call 581-8782.