Student Accounts Past Due Balances Policy

Policy Summary

The payment of tuition and all other applicable fees becomes the responsibility of the student upon registration at the university. All balances are due by the first day of the semester. Student accounts that are past due are encumbered and subject to interest, late fees, and are prohibited from accessing university services including but not limited to registration, grades, housing assignments, diplomas, and transcripts.  Students whose registration privileges have been revoked or canceled prior to the start of the semester for failure to make timely payments are not permitted to attend class or occupy university housing.

Student Accounts that are past due more than 90 days after the end of the semester and who are inactive, will be referred to a third party collection agency and/or attorney for collection. 

Per §805 “Communication in connection with debt collection” of the Fair Debt Collection Practice Act, the purpose of this policy is to explain the importance of students to managing their accounts, impact of not making timely payments, and provide communication in connection with collection and management of student accounts.  

Related Regulations

Fair Debt Collection Practice Act

Who is Governed by this Policy

• Faculty
• Staff
• Students

Policy

Upon registration, the student incurs a financial obligation to the university. Tuition, room and board and other fees are due and must be paid in full by the first day of the semester or upon registration if later, unless a student is actively participating in a GW monthly payment plan. 

Student accounts that are not paid in full by the first day of the semester and / or not actively participating in a GW monthly payment plan are considered past due and are subject to the following:

1. Interest (assessed once per month on the outstanding balance).
2. Late Payment Fees (assessed once per semester).
3. Financial Encumbrance (HOLD)
4. Assignment to a collection agency (if account is more than 90 days past due)

Interest: Interest accrues monthly at an ANNUAL PERCENTAGE RATE of 12% on past due balances.

The university has an average of a 28-day billing cycle, depending on the timing of the semester start dates. The university has the right to bill at any time during the billing cycle, but will only assess interest after the previous due date has lapsed. Interest and late fees may be waived if financial aid posted late due to no fault of the student.

Late Payment Fees: A Late Payment Fee of $150 is assessed on any account with an outstanding balance after the due date of the firstcmonthly statement of each semester.

Financial Holds: Current students with a past due balance of $2,500 or more will have a financial hold placed on their accounts. If the student receives tuition benefits from the University, a hold will be placed on the account if there is a past due balance of $75 or more. Accounts related to former students, (students not currently enrolled or registered) with a past due balance, regardless of the amount, will have a financial hold placed on their accounts. The balance of these accounts must be zero before the student’s privileges above can be restored. Additionally, a hold will also be placed on an account if a payment, previously credited to the account, is returned unpaid by a financial institution for any reason, in any amount. The student must remit a replacement payment; if payment is made via ACH or other non-certified funds, there will be a 10-day waiting period for the payment to clear before the hold will be removed. Students with a financial hold on their account are restricted from accessing university services including but not limited to registration, grades, housing assignments, diplomas, and transcripts.  Students whose registration privileges have been revoked or canceled for failure to make timely payments are not permitted to attend class or occupy University housing.

Accounts Past Due Semester End (more than 90 days): At the end of each semester, accounts with balances greater than $2,500 and all balances that predate the semester that has just completed enter the university’s pre-collection service.  Students whose accounts are in pre-collection process/cycle are eligible to enroll in a payment plan, depending on their balance, and may request the financial hold be removed in order to register for future semester classes. Accounts in the pre-collection service for 90 days or more and not enrolled in a payment plan will be referred to a third party collection agency and/or attorney for collection. Accounts placed with a collection agency may make payment agreements with the agency but are prohibited from accessing university services until the balance on their account is zero.

Billing Disputes: The University will assume that the billing statements provided to the students are correct and that the student agrees to pay the amount due if the university is not informed in writing of an error within 60 days of the initial receipt of the statement on which the disputed amount appears.  Written disputes can be submitted via email to [email protected]. If the university determines that a mistake has been made on the student’s bill, the student will not have to pay interest related to the questioned amount. If the initial bill by the university is determined to be accurate the student may have to pay interest and will have to make up any missed payments on the questioned amount. In either case, the student will receive a statement of the amount due and the date that it is due.

Definitions

Encumbrance: A restriction placed on an account.

Related Information

GW Monthly Payment Plan
Student Accounts Website: Past Due Accounts

Contacts