New tuition payment plan to begin Nov. 1
Undertaking the burden of a lump-sum tuition payment was made easier for Utah State University students on Monday, said Fred Hunsaker, vice president for administrative services.
With the implementation of a tuition payment plan, students have the option of paying for tuition in five monthly increments, with the first payment due Nov. 1.
This will “equalize [students] monthly outlay for tuition and fees,” Clint Moffitt, controller for administrative services, said.
The tuition payment plan will more closely parallel student income, Hunsaker said.
“We think [the tuition payment plan] will accommodate students by spreading tuition out over several months instead of all at one time. The intent is that it will help those students remain in school and continue their education that otherwise couldn’t,” Hunsaker said.
A pilot program for the plan opens today at 1 p.m. at the Cashier’s Office in the Taggart Student Center for the first 100 applicants. Students wishing to apply for this interest-free loan must bring $50 in cash or check, which will cover the cost of operating the program, a voided check or savings account deposit slip, and must know the number of credits they expect to take spring semester, Hunsaker said.
Hunsaker said they will only take 100 applicants on a first come, first serve basis because the university currently does not have the software to accommodate such a program. The university will work on writing the proper programs and developing the necessary software to ensure the program will be available on the USU Web site to all students for Fall Semester 2002.
“We have to be able to override the purging of classes that are not paid for. That happens automatically,” Hunsaker said.
Hunsaker has people working on altering the system so it will hold classes for those students who are on the tuition payment plan.
The idea for a tuition payment plan was brought to administrative attention by Associated Students of Utah State University. ASUSU saw a great need to help the many students who were financially strapped and found the lump-sum tuition payment to be overly burdensome, ASUSU President Steve Palmer said.
Payments will automatically be deducted from a student’s checking or savings account on the first of each month.
The payment plan is “a win for students,” Palmer said.
Both ASUSU and administration “have high expectations,” Hunsaker said.
For more information about the tuition payment plan, contact the Cashier’s Office at 797-1075.