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 Late Payment Fees (as described below) and are prohibited from accessing university services including but not limited to registration, grades, housing assignments, and diplomas. Students whose registration privileges have been revoked or canceled prior to the start of the semester for failure to make timely payments are not permitted to attend class or occupy university housing.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 and inactive may be subject to additional collection activity.

Per the Fair Debt Collection Practice Act, the purpose of this policy is to explain to students the importance of managing their accounts, the impact of not making timely payments, and to 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, health insurance charges, 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. Failure to attend classes does not exempt students from their financial obligation. 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. Late Payment Fees (assessed twice per semester).
2. Financial Encumbrance (HOLD)
3. Assignment to a collection agency (if account is more than 90 days past due)

Late Payment Fees: Late payment fees are applied as follows on any accounts with outstanding balances at the time fees are assessed. Fees will be assessed after the due date listed on the prior statement.

All accounts with outstanding balances are initially subject to a flat $75 late fee on the schedule above. If the account continues to have an outstanding balance as of the second month indicated, it will be charged a fee that is five percent (5%) of the outstanding balance as of that date. This cycle repeats each semester on the same system if there are outstanding balances at the indicated point in the semester.

The Late Payment Fees will be applied to the account after the due date listed on the prior statement.

Balance Holds: Current students with a past-due balance of $2,500 or more will have a financial hold placed on their accounts. Accounts related to inactive 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 inactive student accounts must be zero before the student’s privileges above can be restored. 

Returned Payment Holds: A hold will 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 the replacement 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, and diplomas. 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. Students whose balances are dismissed as part of bankruptcy proceedings will be required to prepay for any subsequent registration.

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 subject to additional collection activity. 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 saogwu [dot] edu (sao[at]gwu[dot]edu). If the university determines that a mistake has been made on the student’s bill, the student will not have to pay fees related to the questioned amount. If the initial bill by the university is determined to be accurate the student may have to pay late fees 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
• GW Disclosures
• GW Bulletin

Contacts

Contact	Phone Number	Email Address
Student Accounts Office	202-994-7350	saogwu [dot] edu (subject: Contact%20from%20Past%20Due%20Balances%20Policy%20Website) (sao[at]gwu[dot]edu)