Billing Information
FALL 2010 BILLING INFORMATION
STUDENTS AND PARENTS SHOULD READ THIS MATERIAL!
Our student information system, HomerConnect, allows you to access your billing, financial aid, room and board, insurance and academic information by using your student Homer ID and PIN number. Once in the system, students may perform many tasks online, especially those related to your enclosed billing statement.
WHEN IS THE DUE DATE?
Payments must be RECEIVED by Tuesday, August 10, 2010. This includes monthly payment plan contracts. Be sure to resolve any outstanding financial aid issues prior to this date to allow sufficient processing time. Bills not paid by the due date are subject to a $200/month late fee, so please plan ahead to be sure your payment arrives on time!
Throughout the course of the year, we will send monthly bills on the 15th of each month. Although Fall and Spring semester bills have specific due dates, all other bills generated during an academic year are due upon receipt.
WHAT ARE THE WAYS BY WHICH I CAN PAY MY BILL?
Our preferred method of payment is by electronic means which is posted immediately to your account. Electronic payments when processed from your checking and/or savings account HAVE NO SERVICE FEE from Ithaca College!
We also process payments via credit cards (American Express, Discover and Mastercard). Our third party payment processor, Nelnet Business Solutions, assesses a 2.75% transaction fee for credit card payments. This is not a fee assessed by the College. You can make electronic payments by going to HomerConnect and following the instructions. As a student you may grant your parent(s) and others the ability to view and pay your account by designating an individual as an “authorized payer” via HomerConnect. We highly recommend that you do this!
Checks and cash are always accepted, but are not processed as quickly as online payments.
WHAT IF I AM IN A DIFFERENT HOUSING SITUATION NOW THAN WHEN I WAS BILLED?
You should pay the amount billed until the housing rate can be adjusted. New entering students are assumed to be in a double room and on the 14 meal plan.
WHAT DINING OPTIONS DO I HAVE? HOW DO I CHANGE THEM?
If you are a student residing on campus, but not in campus apartments, you must be on a meal plan. All new entering students are billed initially for the 14 meal plan. Returning students are billed for the plan they were on in the previous semester unless they are now assigned to a residence hall that does not require them to be on a meal plan or are residing off campus. There are 6 plans offered with Bonus Bucks, which are tax free dollars students can use for food anywhere on campus. Plans are offered at the Blue Level for $2882/semester and at the Gold Level for $3032/semester. The number of meals offered is the same for both levels, but the Gold Level includes a higher number of Bonus Bucks. Blue Level options are: Carte Blanche (unlimited dining) plan + 100 Bonus Bucks; 14 meals/week plan + 180 Bonus Bucks, and 10 meals/week plan + 270 Bonus Bucks. The Gold Level options are: Carte Blanche + 250 Bonus Bucks, 14 meals/week plan + 330 bonus bucks, and 10 meals/week plan + 420 Bonus bucks. Students residing in the College Circle or Garden Apartments or off campus are eligible for any of these plans or may choose a plan that has 7 meals/week + 110 Bonus Bucks at the Blue Level or 260 Bonus Bucks at the Gold Level. The cost for the 7 meal plans are $1165 for Blue Level and $1315 for Gold Level. Students have until September 7th to change plans, and can do so online through HomerConnect. Those wishing to add a plan must pay in advance. Please note that there is not a meal plan option for 10 meals without Bonus Bucks this year.
I ALREADY HAVE INSURANCE…DO I HAVE TO KEEP THE COLLEGE’S POLICY?
Our Health Center carries policy brochures which are available to all students. If, after reading the brochure, you feel that our policy duplicates or exceeds insurance you already have, you may waive our insurance charge online using HomerConnect. Go to the “Health Services” area under the “Student, Financial Aid, and Residential Life” menu choice. All students must have insurance coverage. The deadline to waive our insurance is September 19, 2010. Waivers must be done each year.
HOW DO I PAY FOR TUITION IF I AM PART TIME?
If you have handed in a completed “Request to Enroll” form at the Registrar’s Office, your tuition should be adjusted to the part time rate of $1,120/credit. Those billed for full time tuition who intend to be part time will have their tuition adjusted only after a completed “Request to Enroll” form is submitted to the Registrar’s Office. Financial aid eligibility may be impacted if your aid awards were based on full-time attendance.
HOW DOES FINANCIAL AID APPEAR ON MY BILL? CAN I DEDUCT IT?
Financial Aid awards should be listed either as “Authorized” (aid is all set and ready to be disbursed) or as “Possible Additional Financial Aid” (memoed aid). Possible Additional Financial Aid means in some cases that further action is needed on your part. Both will be deducted from the balance due on your account. The column to the right of the listed possible aid tells you the documents you still have outstanding before your aid can be processed. Loans will appear under this column even if all of your required forms have been completed. Please note that if you are borrowing a loan you must accept your loan offer online through HomerConnect, and that you need to do an entrance interview and Master Promissory Note (MPN) if you are borrowing for the first time. The process is not finished until you complete these steps. If you are using a PLUS Loan, you must complete a PLUS Loan Request form (PLRF) to begin the process. Download this form at www.ithaca.edu/finaid/docs.
I NEED MY AID CREDIT, BUT IT IS NOT HERE YET…WHAT DO I DO?
When the combination of financial aid yet to be applied to your account and payments on your billing statement exceed your charges, you may be eligible to request an Aid Advance to provide you with money to meet expenses for the start of the semester. Forms for this are available on the billing portion of our website (www.ithaca.edu/bursar) as well as at our office. You may apply to receive up to $2,000 of your anticipated credit as either a check or a deposit to your ID Express account. Two advances are allowed per semester (60 days apart). Requests will be reviewed for eligibility (have you done your part for all aid sources you are receiving, for instance). You will be contacted if your request is not approved. Check turnaround time at the start of each semester is typically up to 5 business days. Actual credit (money received in excess of your amount due for expenses) can be requested at any time. The full amount of your credit must be taken when requested.
HOW DO I CONTACT YOUR OFFICE OR OTHER OFFICES?
The Office of Student Financial Services is located on the second floor of the Peggy Ryan Williams Center. Here are phone/fax numbers for various offices:
Student Financial Services: 1-800-429-4275, (607) 274-1895 (fax), e-mail is sfs@ithaca.edu
Registrar: (607) 274-3127
Residential Life: (607) 274-3141
Health Center: (607) 274-3319
International Programs: (607) 274-3306