One of the biggest differences between public high school and college is tuition.
In high school, the cost of going to class is typically paid for by the state through taxes. But in college, you pay for your classes, in addition to various fees.
“Tuition is the cost of the classes you attend, [while] fees will cover…activities and allow you to use campus facilities,” said Mateo Remsburg, associate director of the office of student recruitment and high school services.
Student fees also pay for fuel and power, the campus shuttles, campus newspapers like The Daily Utah Chronicle and the numerous computer labs around campus, among other things.
For the 2004 Fall Semester, tuition is due by Sept. 10.
One unique aspect about tuition at the U is that an initial billing statement is no longer mailed to students. Instead, they can view their bill online by going to gate.acs.utah.edu and logging into the Campus Information System. From there, select “Tuition Bill/Pay Tuition” to see the billing statement.
Even though the billing statement is not mailed out, all graduate and undergraduate students are responsible for for monitoring their tuition account. Paying tuition on time is important because failing to do so will result in deleted classes. Once students’ classes have been canceled, students will not be allowed to use late add forms or reinstate classes in any way.
Once a student has viewed his or her tuition bill, he or she can use any one of a variety of methods of payment the U has to offer. Students can pay online, by mail, in person or through a third party.
To pay online, students must go to the same Web site where they viewed their bill. Online payments must be made using a major credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express) between 7 a.m. and 9:28 p.m. Mountain Time.
To pay by mail, students must print out a copy of their bill and mail it with a check to University of Utah Income Accounting, 201 S. 1460 East, Room 165, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-9054. To pay in person, go to the Student Services Building (201 S. 1460 East) and pay for tuition at the cashier window, located on the first floor in Room 165.
Some students pay for their tuition using a third party, such as an employer, private scholarships, the military or a state agency. To pay through a third party, a student must mail his or her payment voucher to University of Utah Income Accounting, 201 South, 1460 East, Room 165, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-9054. The vouchers must be received by Sept. 3.
The U also has two payment plans for students who fear that they may not be able to pay tuition all at once: the Deferral of Tuition Plan and the Academic Management Services TuitionPay installment plan. By using the Deferral of Tuition Plan, students pay for 20 percent of their tuition and a $30 application fee. The remaining balance is due 60 days after the first day of school. Forms can be retrieved at www.acs.utah.edu/student/deferral.doc.
While the Deferral of Tuition plan separates a tuition bill into two payments, the AMS TuitionPay program cuts tuition into five smaller payments. To use TuitionPay, students must apply before Sept. 3. AMS then breaks down tuition into five equal monthly payments.
The U also offers student loans. In order to receive a loan, a student must first complete a loan orientation. During this orientation, the borrower will be given an overview of possible sources of financial aid, terms and conditions of loan programs, obligations of loan repayment, personal financial planning, borrower rights and responsibilities and the consequences of letting tuition go unpaid and/or failing to pay back the loan. More information regarding student loans is available at www.acs.utah.edu/tuition or from Student Loan Services at (801) 581-8786 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
For more information regarding tuition policy and/or payment, go to www.acs.utah.edu/tuition or call Income Accounting at (801) 581-7344 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4:45 p.m.