SCOPE

 

This policy applies to all UC San Diego departments who offer goods and/or services to students and need to collect payment from students. 

 

 

POLICY SUMMARY

 

This policy describes the overall procedures for student debt management, which includes collecting payments, issuing refunds, and identifying accounts for write-offs.

 

 

DEFINITIONS

 

A.    Student means an individual for whom UC San Diego maintains student records, irrespective of the individual's current enrollment status.

 

B.    ISIS AR module is the Integrated Student Information System which is the central system being used to track accounts receivable (A.R.) for the campus.

 

C.    Accounts receivable means money owed to UC San Diego for services performed, goods sold, and/or programs or activities otherwise provided. Accounts receivable may include student tuition and fees, housing and food service fees (including rent), parking fees, library fees, returned check fees, contracts, services, and/or other rentals.

 

D.    Collections is the process of seeking payment for goods or services received, but not yet paid for.

 

E.     Write-off is the internal classification of unrecovered revenue as a bad debt, and removes the balance from the customer's University account and the University's general ledger. This balance is still owed and collectible by University or collection agency.

 

 

POLICY STATEMENT

 

The University Billing Services unit (UBS) of Student Financial Solutions (SFS) is responsible for the recovery of monies owed to UC San Diego by students. This collective debt includes outstanding student account balances for past quarters.

 

This debt is managed and monitored using the University's accounts receivables system for student debt known as ISIS-Accounts Receivable (ISIS-AR).

 

The student is responsible for payments of the resulting tuition, fees, and/or any other balance incurred after financial award(s) or student loan(s) may have been granted, regardless of any expected reliance on any third-party resources, such as financial aid, family gifts, employer reimbursement or any other external resource.

 

Students are expected to pay their outstanding balance in full or establish an internal payment plan with UC San Diego.

If the student's financial commitment to UC San Diego becomes delinquent at any time, the University Billing Services unit (UBS) may send notification to the student's official UCSD email and/or mailing address on file. It is the student's obligation to update the address UC San Diego has on record. If any notice is returned by the post office, the student account may automatically be placed with a collection agency.

 

Student Financial Solutions will endeavor to work with students to manage student debt and may offer partial repayment plans. Where debt becomes past due collections procedures may be instituted as described in this policy.

 

If an account is in a delinquent, a financial hold may also be placed on the account by Student Financial Solutions. Financial holds may restrict access to future University goods and services, including by preventing the student from registering for University classes. Such holds are in addition to any other rights or remedies that may be available to UC San Diego, whether by contract, by policy, and/or by law.

 

If a student becomes eligible for a degree, but has overdue accounts receivable that exceed $200, the Executive Vice Chancellor may direct that the degree not be awarded until the delinquent balance is paid in full or an agreed upon repayment plan has been implemented.

 

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

 

Student Financial Solutions is responsible for issuing billing statements, maintaining due diligence procedures, and initiating retrieval activities for accounts with open balances that exist in ISIS-AR.

 

A.    ROLES

 

UC San Diego's accounts receivable process includes three main roles:

 

1.     Responsibilities of Departments

 

a.     Provides goods and/services to students and assesses charges in ISIS-AR against students' accounts.

 

b.     Provides additional details regarding a charge upon request from a student.

 

c.     Uses the Negative Charge tool to reverse charges on a student's account if needed.

 

2.     Responsibilities of University Billing Services

 

a.     Generates and distributes electronic billing statements to students.

 

b.     Answers account related questions and provides assistance to students, authorized payers, and departments.

 

c.     At the discretion of Student Financial Solutions, a Time Payment Agreement (monthly installment arrangement) may be established for any debtor who is unable to remit payment in full.

 

·       Qualifications include, but are not limited to a full account review by UBS personnel; remitting monthly payments within an agreed upon schedule not lasting more than 12 months.

 

·       An administrative fee will be assessed and calculated as part of the total balance due.

 

·       Payment plans will be monitored for adherence. Any delinquent payment(s) will negate the agreement and the remaining balance due may be assigned to a collection agency.

 

3.     Responsibilities of Central Cashier's Office

 

a.     Accept, process, and deposit cash, check, and wire payments

 

b.     Develop and implement standardized cash receipting and cash handling policy and procedures for cash and cash equivalents.

 

c.     Receipt, safeguard, report and record all University cash and cash equivalents and ensure that University assets are protected accurately, timely processed and properly reported.

 

 

PROCEDURES

 

I.       STUDENT DEBT PROCEDURES

 

Additional Guidelines are posted on TritonLink.

https://sfs.ucsd.edu/student-accounts/disputes/index.html

 

A.    FEE ASSESSMENT

 

1.     Student incurred charges are assessed and due on the due date of the first billing statement in which the charge appears. The billing is considered delinquent if any amounts remain unpaid after the due date. 

 

2.     If the student fails to resolve the debt, the student may be subject to administrative restrictions, including prohibition from registration for future terms.

 

a.     Exceptions include enrollments in Student Emergency Loans and the Triton Registration Installment Payment Plan (TRIP), which are due as specified on the appropriate statement.

 

3.     A Time Payment Agreement (TPA), subject to Student Financial Solutions Office approval, will not remove the holds, but may hold off the collections due process.

 

B.    BILLING STATEMENT LATE FEES

 

UC San Diego maintains a late fee assessment program for student accounts. The Student Financial Solutions office reserves the right to waive a late charge administered by our department.

 

Late fees:

 

1.     Are only assessed on past due accounts of $50 or more.

 

2.     Are charged at $25 per month for up to three months.

 

3.     Are not assessed on outstanding voluntary donation charges such as CalPirg, Gigpledge, etc.

 

4.     Are not assessed on outstanding billing statements if the late charge is the only detail outstanding.

 

5.     Are not assessed for late registration or similar reasons when another late charge has already been assessed (a late charge will be assessed on the second billing if the bill which had the late fee remains unpaid).

 

6.     Are not charged on a bill when the student delinquency was caused by an administrative error of the University.

 

C.    STUDENT REFUNDS

 

1.     Financial Aid

 

a.     A credit resulting from financial aid will generate automatic refunds.

 

b.     Credits from unearned/overpaid/ineligible Title IV financial aid payments are refunded to the Department of Education and may require the student to return funds to the University.

 

2.     Cash/Check/Credit Card/Wire/Deposits

 

a.     Credits will be held in the account for 90 days; thereafter, an automatic refund will then be initiated.

 

b.     Refunds may be returned by the original method that payment was received. 

 

c.     Credits that cannot be refunded by the originating method will generally be refunded by direct deposit or paper check.

 

D.    ACCOUNT OVERPAYMENTS

     

Student account overpayments may not be accepted and will be returned in the manner it was received.

 

E.     COLLECTION AGENCIES

 

Unpaid balances are subject to delinquent fees, academic and/or administrative holds, and other restrictions. Balances that remain unpaid are subject to collection action and fees. Delinquent accounts may be turned over to external, contracted collection agencies of the University.

 

F.     RETURNED CHECKS

 

A notification letter is sent to the account holder for returned checks (e.g. NSF, account closed, stale dated). The account is charged for the returned check amount plus a return check charge of $35.

 

II.     ISIS ACCOUNT WRITE-OFFS

 

Each month University Billing Services (UBS) produces a series of reports and letters identifying accounts that are reviewed for possible write-off.

 

Write-off is the process of determining whether the billing department can collect on the debt within the operating cycle (180 days). If not, the item is charged off of the accounting books for the department. A determination is made as to whether the account should be turned over to a collection agency contracted through the University.

 

To view the types of reports that are generated by UBS, please refer to the following Blink page. 

 

 

FORMS

 

None.

 

 

RELATED INFORMATION

 

UC San Diego Accounts Receivable Guidelines, located on Blink website

 

UC San Diego Cashiering Guidelines, located on Blink website

 

University of California Business and Finance Bulletin 49, Policy for Cash and Cash Equivalents Received

 

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ'S)

 

None.

 

 

REVISION HISTORY

 

2021-11-01 This policy was updated and reformatted.