Policies
Student Payment Policy
Purpose
The purpose of the Student Payment Policy is to ensure that all students have either paid their account balance in full or have made approved payment arrangements by the required payment due date for each term, which are defined below.
Scope
This policy applies to all Wilson College students and any student service-oriented offices (Student Financial Services, Business Office, Registrar’s Office, Residence Life, etc.)
Definitions
Student Accounts Workgroup – Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration, Accountant III, Director of Student Financial Services, Assistant Director of Student Financial Services, Student Financial Services Counselor, Assistant Director of Financial Aid. This group is supported by Vice President for Finance and Administration and Vice President for Enrollment Management.
Policy
Payment Requirements:
Invoices are not mailed to students. Students are required to check their student portal and Wilson College e-mail account for any balance related information.
Approved Payment Arrangements Include:
• Cash/Check
• Debit/Credit card payments
• Financial aid
• Approved payment plan (for details go to https://www.wilson.edu/paying-college)
Payment Allocation:
SFS Staff will apply received payments (ex. Cash, check) to the oldest balance first, prioritizing the student receivable balance (ex. Tuition, Required Fees, Housing, and Food) before considering non-required fees (Horse Board, Pet Fees, Fines, etc.). Students may direct their own payment by paying directly through Self Service.
NOTE: The College reserves the right to bar a continuing student from enrolling in a future payment plan if the student has a history of two or more incomplete, defaulted, or deactivated prior plans.
The Published Due Dates for Invoices Are as Follows*:
• Fall or Fall I Semester – July 30
• Fall II – September 30
• Spring or Spring I Semester – December 15
• Spring II – February 15
• Summer or Summer I Semester – April 15
• Summer II – June 15
*If the due date falls on a weekend or holiday, payment is due on the next business day
Students Who Register Prior to the Bill Due Date
Students must have acceptable payment arrangements for all previous terms prior to the billing due date for a subsequent term of registration. For the upcoming term, students must have their account balance paid in full or have approved payment arrangements by the published due dates listed in this policy.
Students Who Register After the Bill Due Date
Students must have acceptable payment arrangements for all previous terms prior to the billing due date for a subsequent term of registration. For the upcoming term, students must pay account balances within 30 days following the assessment of tuition charges or the last day of the add/drop period, whichever is first.
Failure to Pay
Any student account with an outstanding balance as of the due date may be administratively dropped at the discretion of Student Accounts Workgroup.
A student who is administratively dropped is not considered an enrolled student for the semester. As a result, an administrative drop restricts students from:
• Attending classes (both online and in person)
• Student housing and food plan
• Athletics or any other College sanctioned club or activity
If a student is administratively dropped from classes, and then is able to satisfy their financial obligations, the student will need to re-register for all classes. In such cases, returning students must electronically re-enroll in courses through the student self-service portal. New students will need to contact the registrar’s office to re-enroll. The College does not guarantee that students are able to re-enroll in courses previously selected.
Semester Charges
Charges applied to the student’s account during the semester (example: book charges, fines, etc.) must be paid 30 days after the charge is placed on the account.
Financial Aid will not cover certain charges; these charges are therefore assessed as “Non-Allowance Charges for FA” (ex. Horse Board, Pet Fees, Late Payment Fees, Secondary Vehicle Registration, etc.) Students may inquire with SFS Staff for a full listing of charges ineligible for financial aid coverage.
Failure to make payment will be subject to a Financial Hold and late fee policies. No carryover balances are permitted and therefore all outstanding balances must be paid in full in order to start the next semester. If a balance remains, the student will be dropped from all future courses on the last day of the current semester. Any charges applied after the end of the semester (example: room fine) must be paid no later than the payment due date of the next semester.
Financial Hold
The Financial Hold restricts student access to diplomas and precludes future term registration or scheduling adjustments. Financial Holds are applied to a student’s account if the balance has persisted past the due date or for 30 days from the date that charges were assessed AND the balance is $1,000.00 or more. All accounts will receive a Financial Hold on the 15th of the last full month of the term (November, April, June, July), regardless of the amount overdue. If a student separates from the College and has an outstanding balance at the time of separation, the Financial Hold will persist until the account balance is paid in full, even in instances where the student is enrolled in a satisfactory payment plan. Post-baccalaureate students who have elected to defer payment receive Deferred Registration restrictions according to the Deferred Payment Policy.
Implementation
Student accounts are regularly reviewed by the Student Accounts Workgroup.
Withdrawal and Refunds Policy
Students who reduce their course load (except for full-time undergraduates maintaining 12 semester hours or more) by dropping or withdrawing from classes during the refund period of the semester will have the tuition refund calculated as of the date of the course drop. Discontinuing attendance from class or notifying the instructor does not constitute an official course drop. Without an official course drop, students will be responsible for all tuition. The date of the drop or withdrawal is based on the date that the student notifies the Registrar’s Office in writing and is not based on attendance.
Tuition refund periods are based on the length of the course. Depending upon attendance and withdrawal dates, a student’s financial aid may be adjusted accordingly. Federal financial aid regulations require the college to prorate financial aid for students who withdraw from all courses through 60% of the enrollment period even after initial aid disbursement.
If you plan to withdraw from your course(s), please contact your Student Financial Services Counselor and/or Financial Aid, so that you are fully aware of how your withdrawal may impact your bill and financial aid. They can be reached at ssc@wilson.edu or finaid@wilson.edu.
Once the semester begins, there is no refund for any fees including but not limited to: bookstore (college store and/or electronic bookstore) charges, registration fees, lab fees, art studio fees, parking fees, equitation activity fee and any other special charges. Room charges are not refundable after the first day of occupancy. Meal plans are prorated through the last day on the Wilson College campus.
Tuition refunds for withdrawal from full-semester classes (14-15 week courses) are based on the following schedule:
|
Period of Withdrawal
|
Tuition Refund
|
Charge
|
|
*First week of semester
|
100%
|
0%
|
|
Second week of semester
|
75%
|
25%
|
|
Third week of semester
|
50%
|
50%
|
|
Fourth week of semester
|
25%
|
75%
|
Tuition refunds for withdrawal from compressed formats (7-9 week courses) are based on the following schedule:
|
Period of Withdrawal
|
Tuition Refund
|
Charge
|
|
*Days 1 to 3
|
100%
|
0%
|
|
Days 4 to 6
|
75%
|
25%
|
|
Days 7 to 9
|
50%
|
50%
|
|
Days 10 to 12
|
25%
|
75%
|
Please note that days reflect calendar days, not business days.
Courses that run on alternate compressed formats (less than 7 week courses) are prorated based on comparable periods. Please contact your Student Services Counselor to determine a refund, if any, before withdrawing from a course.
*The refund schedule does not follow the same schedule as the add/drop period.
Withdrawal and Financial Aid Policy
Withdrawal during a payment period of enrollment may be subject to federal regulatory requirements. Students receiving federal financial aid, such as a subsidized or unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan, Federal Direct PLUS Loan or Pell Grant, are also subject to a federal refund policy as well as Wilson’s refund policy.
Any student who withdraws from all classes during the semester before the end of 60 percent of the enrollment period (approximately the end of the ninth week) must have financial aid prorated.
Any student who stops attending all classes will be considered for financial aid purposes as an unofficial withdrawal. For example, if a student completed 30 percent of the payment period or period of enrollment, the student has earned 30 percent of the assistance they were originally scheduled to receive. Once the student has completed more than 60 percent of the payment period or period of enrollment, the student has earned all of their assistance. The financial aid office will determine the last date of attendance or participation in an academically-related activity in each course in determining the percentage of the enrollment period attended.
Military tuition assistance is also subject to proration through 60% of the enrollment period.
If the student received (or Wilson College received on the student’s behalf) less assistance than the amount that the student earned, the student will be able to receive those additional funds. If a student received more assistance than they earned, the excess funds must be returned to the federal aid programs.
The unearned portion of financial aid will be prepaid first from the aid used to pay institutional charges in the following order:
Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans.
Subsidized Federal Direct Loans.
Federal Direct PLUS Loans.
Federal Pell Grant.
Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG).
Other federal aid programs.
Students who have received money from financial aid refunds for living expenses may be required to repay some of the money disbursed to them. Repayments will be applied in the following order:
Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans.
Subsidized Federal Direct Loans.
Federal Direct PLUS Loans.
Federal Pell Grant.
FSEOG.
Other federal, state, private or institutional sources of aid.
The student or parent (for Direct PLUS Loan only) must repay any unearned portion of federal aid that cannot be repaid by the College. Any loan funds that a student or parent must return are repaid in accordance with the terms of the promissory note. That is, the student or parent makes scheduled payments to the holder of the loan over a period of time.
If a student is responsible for returning grant funds, the student will not have to return the full amount. The law provides that the student is only required to return 50 percent of the grant assistance that has been received.
Students who fail all courses during the term will have the last date of attendance identified for each course to determine whether this refund policy will apply and their financial aid reduced or cancelled.
Deferred Payment Option
Wilson College offers an OPTIONAL deferred payment arrangement for students in post-baccalaureate programs.
BY ACCEPTING THIS OPTIONAL AGREEMENT, THE STUDENT CONSENTS TO PAYING THE $50.00 FEE, AFFIRMS THAT THEIR EMPLOYER PROVIDES TUITION REIMBURSEMENT/ASSISTANCE, AND THE STUDENT AGREES TO PAY THE SEMESTER BALANCE WITHIN 30 DAYS FOLLOWING THE END OF THE SEMESTER, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEIR EMPLOYER HAS REIMBURSED THEM. This agreement is between Wilson College and the student and must be accepted for EACH SEMESTER in which the student intends to defer payment. Please read all details outlined below and accept if you agree to these terms.
This agreement must be submitted before the end of the add/drop period. Students must complete the Deferred Agreement for each semester in which they intend to defer payment. Students who do not complete the Deferred Agreement must satisfy their account by the published due date. Students who register after the published due date must satisfy their account within the deadline outlined in the Student Payment Policy (https://my.wilson.edu/pages/financial-policies). Failure to satisfy account balances may result in a Financial Hold, Late Payment Fee(s), and/or third-party collection efforts.
The terms and conditions of the Deferment Agreement are as follows:
· There is a non-refundable fee of $50.00 per term (Fall, Spring, Summer). This is a processing fee that does not apply toward the tuition owed to the College.
· Students must submit the Deferment Agreement before the end of the add/drop period.
· Satisfactory payment is due to Wilson College no later than 30 days after the last scheduled day of the semester, regardless of whether the student has received employer reimbursement by this deadline.
· A late payment fee of $75.00 per month will be assessed for every month the bill is past due.
· After three late payment fees, the student will be sent to a third-party collection agency. Collection costs of up to 45% will be added to the student’s balance. All fees related to this expense are the responsibility of the student.
· If you are applying for/or receiving Financial Aid, please check with the Financial Aid Office PRIOR to accepting this agreement.
· All other college policies apply. You may access financial policies here: https://www.wilson.edu/policies-terminology
Collections Policy
Collections Eligibility
When a student fails to meet their required payment arrangements as per the approved Student Payment Policy, their student account is placed on a Financial Hold and they will begin to receive late payment fees in accordance with the late payment fee policy. Late fees are assessed to student accounts on a monthly basis. Once three late fees have been applied to the student account, the account is marked to be sent to a collection agency the following month. In extraordinary instances, special payment arrangements may have been made with students through their student financial services counselor. Should that payment arrangement be broken on a prior term bill, the account will be reviewed by Student Financial Services (SFS) and the Business Office (BO). In these circumstances, the SFS and BO may determine that the account should be placed in collections immediately rather than waiting the additional three months for late payment fees to be applied. This ensures timely collection of the debt and is in the best interest of the College to recover the funds. Accounts below the late payment fee threshold will continue to be monitored by both the SFS and BO until it is deemed that all internal efforts have been exhausted. At that time, students will follow the same path as other students identified for collections, beginning with the pre-collection period referenced below.
International Students
SFS and BO will collaborate with the Director of International Scholar Services and/or Vice President for Student Development/Dean of Students in instances when an international student fails to uphold the Student Payment Policy. International students with delinquent accounts will receive late fees and a Financial Hold, as outlined above. This hold precludes student registration for future terms. Because the U.S. Department of Homeland Security requires F-1 visa holders to maintain full-time enrollment, the Director of International Scholar Services may be required to terminate a student’s SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) record if a student is unable to maintain full-time enrollment due to delinquencies and registration holds. Once an international student is notified of these consequences and fails to resolve their delinquent account they will follow standard collection procedures, as outlined below.
Pre-Collect
Once students are identified for collections, Student Financial Services sends the listing of students to the Business Office. At that time, the Business Office sends the student one final notification and statement, a 10-day final demand letter. If, at the end of 10-day period, the student’s account still remains unpaid in full or acceptable payment arrangements have not been made, the Business Office liaison for the collection agencies compiles the data on the required templates and uploads the file to the collection agency for the pre-collect period. At this time, the collection agency sends students a letter on their letterhead notifying the student of the debt owed to the College. The pre-collect period is 30 days. During this time, students are still able to contact Wilson College directly for help rectifying their debt before the pre-collect period expires.
Full Collect
After the pre-collection period has expired, student accounts are reviewed and identified as paid/unpaid and any remaining unpaid students are sent into full collection with one of the College’s contracted collection agencies. At this time, the student’s balance is transferred in the Ellucian Colleague software system from “student receivable” to the respective collection agency receivable type with a description of “move to (collection agency name)” so that any College employee with account access can see that particular account has been placed in collections. At the same time, a listing of those students, along with the collection agency’s contact information is submitted to Student Financial Services from the Business Office, notifying the counselors that these students are in full collect and any future contact should be directed to the specific agency in which they were sent. In addition, the Registrar’s Office will be notified that any student placed in full collection should be administratively withdrawn from the College. For reporting purposes, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Research will also be notified. Once a student account has been turned over to full collection, the student is responsible for paying their original debt plus any late payment fees and any additional fees associated with collection efforts. In addition, collection agencies may report delinquencies to a national credit bureau.
Payments Received
Student accounts remain on hold in the Ellucian Colleague software system until their debt has been paid in full. Depending upon the payment method used and the guidance of the collection agency, the College reserves the right to keep a student account on hold for up to 10 business days from the date that the payment was made to the collection agency. This timing is to ensure that the payment is valid and verified and will not be returned or rescinded. Once the account balance has been resolved and the hold is removed, academically eligible students may return to Wilson College. These students must reapply for admission to the College. In some cases, students may attempt to make a settlement offer to Wilson College for their past due balance plus applicable fees. These offers are submitted to the Business Office liaison, who will calculate the College’s potential loss/write-off on the account. The account is then reviewed with the Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration and/or the Vice President for Finance and Administration, who accepts, denies, or counter-offers the initial offer. The Business Office liaison then continues communications with the collection agency until the account is either resolved or at an impasse, at which time the student will be expected to pay their balance in full to the collection agency.
Credit Risks
If a student with prior collection agency activity (full collection only) wishes to return to the College, they must be able to pay in advance for their upcoming semester. Payment in advance can be considered cash, a certified check or money order payable to Wilson College or approved financial aid covering their entire balance or a combination of the three. The student will not be permitted to register prior to providing approved payment in advance.