Angelina WagnerRegistration for the spring semester has arrived, and many students will find that they cannot register for their classes because they have a financial hold on their student record.
This hold can be due to any number of situations, such as the additional charges that students incur throughout the semester, not making payments through the payment plan or financial aid that falls through.
At the beginning of the semester a statement is sent to each full-time student regarding current tuition and fees and the payment that is due. With this statement are contacts for the Business and Financial Aid Offices to contact with any concerns the student may have.
If a student does not make the payment by the due date by the date that he or she is assigned to register, he or she will not be permitted to register for classes.
As long as a student does not have an outstanding balance of more than $350, he or she will be permitted to pre-register. However, grades will not be released until all bills are paid in full. Unless arrangements are made to pay in full, students are not permitted to enroll in classes.
According to Stephen Lightcap, vice president for finance and administration, the faculty was concerned about students who have business holds coming to class. Students who have not paid their bills are not allowed to attend the classes that they signed up for because they are no longer enrolled in the classes. “Students who continue going to class without paying are in violation of college policy,” Lightcap said. This will inhibit students from going to classes that they are not enrolled in.
In order to register for the spring 2003 semester, students must pay health service fees, registrar fees for dropped classes, unreturned athletic equipment, unpaid phone bills, traffic tickets, etc.
If a student has special circumstances, he or she may not be flagged with a business office hold. He or she must prove that they intend on paying their bill in a timely manner. However, if a student is delinquent in his or her Tuition Management Systems payments, he or she will be flagged. Very few students qualify for this option. It is for students who would normally have the funds to pay their bill, but due to extreme circumstances such as a parent’s death and assets are being temporarily held so they cannot pay. The school has to be convinced that the bill will be paid in full. This is only for severe cases.
Students who have financial aid in the form of loans and grants that have not yet been processed or received may gain clearance, and will not be flagged with a hold. A student receives clearance from the Financial Aid Office.
If a student is not sure if he or she has a business hold he or she can go to the Business Office to find out if he or she has them and the sum that he or she owes before he or she can register for classes.
