/Institutions/University-of-Texas-Rio-Grande-Valley/json/2022-2023/Student-Policies-local.json

/Institutions/University-of-Texas-Rio-Grande-Valley/json/2022-2023/Student-Policies.json

Student Bill and Methods of Payment

STUDENT BILL

Tuition and fees bill statements are available through ASSIST two weeks prior to the first tuition due date. Students are responsible for verifying their student account before every tuition due date in order to make sure there is no outstanding balance.

METHODS OF PAYMENT

State universities cannot extend credit. Students are expected to meet financial obligations to the University within the designated time allowed. Tuition and fees are payable at the time of registration, and students are not entitled to enter class or laboratory until all these charges have been paid unless the student has established a payment Installment Plan.

Other charges are due within 10 days after a bill is rendered by the university, or according to the special payment instructions that may be printed on the bill. Failure to pay the amount owed in the allotted time can result in withdrawal from classes; the withholding of registration privileges, official transcripts, grades and degrees, university disciplinary action, and other penalties and actions authorized by law. When full payment of Tuition and Fees is not received by the first tuition due date, a non-refundable $50 late payment fee will be assessed to the student’s account.

A student is only registered in the university and entitled to university privileges after he or she has paid all required tuition and fees. A hold against reentry is imposed on a student who fails to pay a debt owed to the university.

Initial payment of tuition and fees may be made by personal check, money order payable to The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, credit card (Visa, MasterCard, and Discover only), or cash. Students are advised to exercise care in paying charges by check. When a bad check for tuition and fees is returned to the university, a $25 non-refundable returned check service charge is assessed, and the student is given 10 days from receipt of notice to make full payment by cash, cashier’s check, or money order. Failure to comply will result in the penalties described above.

A listing of non-refundable fees is shown below:

Credit Card Convenience Fee 1.9% added for credit card payments applied to student account billings

Emergency Loan Origination Fee 1% of loan amount

Emergency Loan Late Payment Fee Balance up to $500: $10 per month
Balance $500.01 - $1000: $20 per month
Balance greater than $1000: $30 per month
Maximum Charge: $90

Installment Plan Processing Fee $30 per academic term

Installment Late Payment Fee $30 per late installment payment. The late fee will be assessed after three consecutive days (including weekends) after the due date.

Late Payment Fee $50 per academic term

Loan Application Fee $5

Loan Late Payment Fee $5 per month; $30 maximum

Returned Check Fee $25 

CREDIT CARD CONVENIENCE FEE

A credit card convenience fee is a processing fee charged by the credit card companies for utilizing credit cards as a method of payment. As UTRGV continues to offer this service to students, a convenience fee will now be added to the student’s tuition and fee bill. 

A 1.9% non–refundable fee will be added to all credit card payments made towards tuition and fees. All credit card payments must be processed online. The Bursar Office will no longer accept credit card payments in-person or over the phone for tuition and fee payments.
For more information on the Credit Card Convenience fee, see the FAQ on the Bursar website.

PAYMENT BY INSTALLMENT

Section 54.007 of the Texas Education Code provides for payment by installment of tuition and mandatory fees in the fall and spring semesters. Students electing to sign up for the Payment Plan option must be enrolled for a minimum of one class and must apply online through ASSIST.

Eligible students have the following Payment Plan option during fall and spring registration:

• One-fourth payment on the first tuition due date.
• One-fourth payment on the first business day of the month after the fifth-class week.
• One-fourth payment on the first business day of the month after the tenth-class week
• The final one-fourth payment on the first business day of the month before the last class day.

Once the Payment Plan option has been selected, it may not be changed; however, advance payments will be accepted.

Students that make changes to their class schedule that increase their Tuition and Fees will not qualify for a Payment Plan if they have received a Financial Aid refund for the term.

Students electing to sign up for a payment must sign/acknowledge a promissory note via Touchnet. A non-refundable Payment Plan processing fee of $30 will be collected to defray the cost to the university of providing this delayed payment service.

The second and any subsequent installment must be made before the class week indicated above a non-refundable late payment fee of $30 will be charged in addition to the installment amount. The late fee will be applied after three consecutive days (including weekends) of the class week indicated above. A late fee is assessed for each installment payment that is late. Payment Plan enrollment will still be available after the first day of class and up to the 12th class day.

A student who fails to provide full payment of tuition and fees, including assessed late fees, to the university when the payments are due is subject to one or more of the following actions at the university’s option:

• Being withdrawn from the university.
• Being barred from readmission to the institution.
• The withholding of the student’s grades, degree, and official transcript.
• All penalties and actions authorized by law.

APPLICATION OF INSTITUTIONAL FUNDS TO OUTSTANDING BALANCES

The use of institutional funds, such as Texas Grants and scholarships, will be applied to student account balances as follows:

• Tuition and mandatory fees
• Additional course fees
• Incidental use fees

Some students are normally awarded sufficient financial aid (mostly referred to as Title IV funds; examples include Pell Grant, SEOG, Direct Loans, etc.) and non-Title IV funds or institutional funds (Texas Grants, scholarships, etc.) to cover all tuition and related fees. However, in situations where this financial aid is not sufficient, students are responsible for 100% of their remaining balance.

When students withdraw before the end of the semester, this may result in the reversal of Title IV funds that were previously awarded and may create a balance in the student’s account. In most cases, this student account balance is created after all student refunds for the term have been processed. This balance is now owed to UTRGV and known as a student account receivable.

To address student account balances stemming from Title IV reversals, UTRGV reserves the right to apply pending institutional refunds from the current term retroactively to any unpaid prior term balance(s). After this application, remaining credit balances, if any, will be processed as a disbursement (refund) to the student.

OUTSTANDING BALANCES FOR STUDENTS NO LONGER ENROLLED

For students with outstanding balances, that are no longer attending UTRGV will adhere to the following policy for requesting University services, including but not limited to transcripts – payment of 100% of total balance must be paid prior to release of transcript.

For students with outstanding balances, that are currently enrolled students, will adhere to the following policy, including registration– payment of 50% of total balance, hold will be lifted to allow registration and the remaining balance will be paid in four monthly installments (weekly for summer sessions).

Effective August 1, 2018: Students who do not pay their outstanding balance in full after one year from the date of last attendance will be sent to an external collection agency and subject to credit bureau reporting.

NOTICE TO STUDENTS REGARDING TUITION SET ASIDE FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

UTRGV is required to set aside a portion of a student’s designated tuition to provide financial assistance. Effective Spring 2010, notice of the specific amount required to be set aside will be included with the student’s tuition bill (Texas Education Code, Section 56.014).