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New MnSCU policy aims to streamline tuition payment statewide

Next fall, tuition payment rules will get stricter at all MnSCU colleges and universities because of a new MnSCU policy.

2006-04-09
By Robb Murray, Free Press staff writer [published in The Free Press, Mankato, MN, 3/13/2006]

Photo by John Cross
students on mall
Students at state colleges and universities will have to deal with a new tuition payment policy beginning in the fall that will drop students who have not paid their bill, applied for financial aid or made other payment plans.

MANKATO — Consistent application of a Minnesota State Colleges and Universities policy means that, come fall semester, tuition payment rules will get a lot stricter at all MnSCU colleges and universities.

The policy is called "registration cancellation for non-payment," and what it comes down to is this: The registration of any student who hasn't either paid at least 15 percent of their bill or $300, filled out a financial aid application or made payment arrangements through a third party — such as the military or scholarship-granting organization — will be canceled.

MnSCU says it's adopting the new policy — which will affect thousands of students across the state — for several reasons, the main one being efficiency.

"Essentially this is being done to bring consistency to the system," MnSCU spokeswoman Melinda Voss said.

Some MnSCU institutions already have this policy. And one of its key advantages is helping to eliminate empty seats in classrooms. In many cases where students haven't paid their bill, it is because they don't plan to attend classes. But their registration has taken up a seat that could otherwise have gone to someone who will attend.

By canceling the registration of students who don't pay, it gives institutions a chance to allow late registration by students who couldn't get into a class because it was full.

South Central College officials say about 200 students this semester would have been affected by this policy, i.e. dropped. To ensure 200 students aren't dropped next fall when the policy is implemented systemwide, they're planning on rolling new, outsourced payment plans for students who need help, and information campaigns to make sure as few students as possible enter fall semester not knowing about it.

"Our whole goal is to drop as few people as possible," said Stephanie Adams, SCC's assistant business manager. "The key thing is communicating to the students."

One thing SCC will try is bumping up the tuition payment due date. Instead of the first day of classes, payment will be due two weeks earlier. Hopefully, Adams said, anyone who needs to will have taken advantage of the payment plan the college will offer.

"The payment plan is very easy, but the students have to initiate it," she said. "We're giving them as many opportunities as possible."

At MSU, there are actually two dates by which students could potentially be dropped. Students who pre-register must comply with the payment rules by Aug. 11. Students who register late must comply by the rules by the fifth day of classes.

Garnet Cafourek of MSU's Student Financial Services department says the university plans to get the message out to its students through posters, media advertising and advisories on the Web-based registration system students use to sign up for classes.

All students will have to agree to the new policy before they can continue with the registration process.

"We don't want there to be any surprises," Cafourek said.

He said when he was a college student at MSU, there was minimal financial aid and all students were expected to pay in full for their classes when they registered. Today's tuition-payment culture allows for a little more leeway, and a lot more credit cards.

Cafourek concedes not everyone will be happy with the new policy, or even know about it.

"There will be students who will say they didn't know or weren't informed," he said. "There's no doubt that this will affect students."

MnSCU's Voss said the other factors for the policy include: it demonstrates fairness to other MnSCU students who have been living with this policy; it makes it easier for students enrolled in more than one MnSCU institution; it will reduce costs and make better use of tax and tuition dollars.

At least one school official thinks the new policy will be a good thing.

"I think it's a good plan," Adams said. "It's good for the MnSCU institutions as a whole group because we're all going to be on the same page for this."

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