Installment Payment Plans for Tuition and Fees

[The following provisions governing installment payment of tuition and fees were approved on June 10, 1983, with amendments on April 9, 1990, October 3, 1997, September 15, 2006, and July 9, 2007 as approved by SIU President Glenn Poshard.]

Tuition and fees for students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale may be paid in installments through the university Billing/Receivables System (BRS) under the plans described below. This statement of university policy and procedures with respect to installment payment of tuition and fees is to implement 4 Policies of the Board of Trustees, Appendix A-21, authorizing installment payment of student fees at SIUC.

I. Tuition and Fee Payment (Excluding Off-Campus Military Programs)

  1. General Policy
    1. All student fees and other financial obligations to the university are payable as billed either by school terms or in installments hereunder, and no student shall be allowed to register for classes in any educational unit if they have a past due balance greater than $500, except upon authorization of the Provost and Vice Chancellor.
    2. Students may pay obligations to the university in installments only for assessed tuition and general student fees and university housing contracts. All other debts owed the university are due when billed.
    3. The basic criterion for eligibility for installment payments is that the student must be attending classes on the Carbondale campus or School of Medicine campus in Springfield.
  2. Installment Definitions
    1. The student account statement will bill both the total amount and the minimum amount due for the month's billing period.
    2. The student may pay either the total of the bill or the minimum amount due for the monthly billing period. Payment of the minimum amount due places the student on the installment plan.
    3. The minimum amount due is calculated by the sum of the following:
      1. All unpaid charges from previous billing period in addition to charges other than registration and student housing for the current billing period.
      2. The appropriate installment amount for the current semester's net charges for tuition, fees, course charges and student housing, after deduction of financial aid. The installment amount will be calculated as approximately equal payments of the unpaid balance of the current semester's charges over the number of installment period available to the student at the time of registration. The number of installments are determined as follows:

        Registration Period

        Fall Semester Number of Installments
        Through July 15 4
        July 16-August 15 3
        August 16-September 15 2
        September 16-October 15 1
        Spring Semester  
        Through December 15 4
        December 16-January 15 3
        January 16-February 15 2
        February 16-March 15 1
        Summer Semester  
        Through May 15 2
        May 16-June 15 1

        [Above dates may vary slightly from year to year.]

      3. The minimum amount of an installment will be $10.00 or the account balance if that balance is less than $10.00.
    4. Payment Schedule
      The schedule of the initial installment payments will vary with the time the student registers.
      1. Registration: Students registering in this time period will be required to pay all past-due amounts greater than $500. The initial payment for all semesters will be due eleven days prior to the start of classes. [The 11-day period may vary slightly depending on the day of the week classes begin.] The balance of the assessment may be paid over the remaining installment.
      2. Late registration beginning on the first day of classes:
        Students registering in this time period will be required to pay all past due amounts greater than $500 and the late registration fee.
  3. Application of Adjustments
    Adjustments of tuition and fee charges caused by class adds or drops will be applied equally to the remaining installments at the time the change is entered into the receivables system.
  4. Inclusions/Exclusions from System
    All on-campus students, including the School of Medicine, Carbondale and Springfield, will be able to use the installment process. Off-campus students, and non-credit students in Continuing Education programs are excluded from using the installment process.
  5. Sanctions
    1. Registration: No student shall be registered until the student has paid all past due charges greater than $500.
    2. Charges: A service charge of 1.5 % will be assessed on the balance of the minimum amount due which is unpaid at the next billing cycle.
    3. Others: Other sanctions which will be applied to students who have past due balances in their accounts include:
      1. withholding enrollment;
      2. withholding future re-admissions;
      3. withholding transcripts;
      4. withholding diplomas.

II. Tuition/Fee Payment For Off-Campus Military Program Students

  1. Policies Common to All Students
    1. Basic Rule: Payment is the responsibility of the student. SIUC will assist the student wherever possible to process the paper work for the various financial assistance programs; however, the responsibility for payment rests with the student.
    2. Bar on Registration: A student may not register for the next semester if they have a past due balance greater then $500.
    3. Graduation: A student will receive neither a diploma nor a transcript until all receivables have been paid.
  2. Classification of Students
    1. For payment purposes, students are classified as Self Pay or Third Party.
      1. Self Pay (self-explanatory)
      2. Third Party
        1. Third party guaranteed: payment by a party (other than the student) directly to the university, e.g., military tuition assistance, some corporate tuition assistance plans, federal Pell grants, state of Illinois grants, student loans.
        2. Third party non-guaranteed: payment by a party to a student then payment to the university by the student; e.g., VA educational assistance, some corporate tuition assistance plans.
  3. Payment Schedules
    1. Self Pay: Self-pay students must pay the semester charge according to the following schedule. Payment may be made prior to these dates.
      Hours Installments Payment Dates
      1-3 1 Prior to the first weekend of classes
      4-6 2 Prior to first and third weekends of classes
      7-9 3 Prior to first, third, and fifth weekends of classes
      10-12 4 Prior to first, third, fifth and seventh weekends of classes
      3. Notes to payment schedule
      1. Installment payments are calculated by dividing the total due by the number of installments.
      2. Weekend of classes noted refers to weekend of classes of the semester or weekend of classes of individual resident training (lecture) courses, as appropriate.
      3. Independent Study/Internship courses do not have formal class dates. Weekends noted refer to resident training (lecture) course weekend of classes.
      4. When the class schedule causes two installment payment dates to fall within a calendar month, the second payment is not due until the first working day of the following month.
    3. Third Party
      1. Third party guaranteed students pay only the portion, if any, of the semester hour charge not covered by the third party guaranteed payment. Payment for this portion follows self pay rules.
      2. Third party non-guaranteed students are considered to be self pay students. These students follow self pay rules except during their first semester when they may elect to defer payment on one-half of the payment due for the first two installments and add the payments due to the last two installments.
  4. Exceptions
    Exceptions to this payment policy may be granted only by the Provost and Vice Chancellor or designee.