How about fixing the tuition payment process, USU?

By Whitney Russler

November 20, 2004 | It's that time again. I'm on the phone, sweating, worrying and anxious. I'm in a panic just like my fellow students because I have one day to call my bank, call my scholarship program, talk to my parents, and pay my tuition. I have to run up to campus before they close. I know you're probably thinking I'm a procrastinator, but I'm not. I only found out a day ago. If I don't get it all done in time it's my worse nightmare, my classes get dropped.

This is one issue at Utah State University that is highly upsetting. Every year I'm in a mad dash to try and get everything done in time to pay my tuition. And to top that off they now don't except VISA cards online. Almost every college student owns a VISA. College students are not VIP enough to own a Master Card or Discover. That leaves you with either paying in person on campus or you have to send a check by mail. The problem with paying in person is, for example, if you are gone for the summer on a beautiful island working on a yacht you won't be there in person to pay on time, and your mailed check probably wouldn't make it on time either. The result is your classes are dropped. Then you are back at square one with the anxiety that goes with registering.

It's difficult to get all your scholarship and financial aid information in on time. This issue causes a lot of stress for the scholarship offices and for the financial aid office. They get panicked calls every semester from students worried they are going to lose their registration.

Another example of this terrible policy is let's say a student decides to take underwater basket weaving. Assuming there's a class fee for the material the student has to pay for the class before the semester starts. They then decide they don't want to take this class. Now the school has to do a tuition reimbursement. If the school didn't make students pay tuition until at least one week after school starts then they wouldn't have near as many tuition refunds. This saves the school money and time.

This issue could easily be resolved. Allow the students to pay tuition two weeks after the semester has started. Every other school in Utah does this. I went to school in Colorado my freshman year and we didn't have to pay tuition until two weeks after the semester had started. This allows time for students to decide if they want to stay in the underwater basket weaving classes or not. This saves the school the time and money of fewer reimbursements. This saves the scholarship offices and financial aid the stress and the phone calls from panicked students. Overall, it saves students like myself less anxiety, stress, and panicking from the fear of being dropped.

NW
MS