/Institutions/University-of-Texas-Rio-Grande-Valley/json/2024-2025/Student-Policies-local.json

/Institutions/University-of-Texas-Rio-Grande-Valley/json/2024-2025/Student-Policies.json

Student Bill and Methods of Payment

STUDENT BILL

Tuition and fees bill statements are available through the UTRGV ASSIST application two weeks prior to the first tuition due date as assigned on the academic calendar per term. Students are responsible for verifying their student account information before every tuition due date to confirm there are no outstanding balances.

State universities cannot extend credit. Students are expected to meet financial obligations to UTRGV within the designated time allowed. Tuition and fees are payable at the time the bill statements are available through ASSIST. Students are not entitled to enter class or laboratory until all tuition and fees have been paid or the student has established a UTRGV Payment Plan and the installments are current.

Incidental and other fees 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 may result in withdrawal from classes; the withholding of registration privileges, grades and degrees, university disciplinary action, and other penalties and actions authorized by law. If full payment of tuition and fees is not received by the first tuition due date, as assigned on the academic calendar, a non-refundable $50 late payment fee will be assessed to the student’s account for the assigned term the following business day.

A student is only considered registered within the university and entitled to university privileges after he or she has paid all required tuition and fees. A hold against reentry may be imposed on a student account for failure to pay a debt owed to the university. 

METHODS OF PAYMENT

Payment of tuition and fees may be processed by personal check, electronic check, money order, wire transfer, cash or credit card. Credit cards accepted are Visa, MasterCard, and Discover. Personal checks should be made payable to The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and must contain the student ID and student's driver's license or state ID number on the face of the check. Temporary checks will not be accepted.

Students are advised to exercise caution in paying charges by check. If a check for payment is returned to the university, a $25 non-refundable returned check fee will be assessed. The university may allow up to three returned checks or electronic checks throughout student enrollment with UTRGV. The University will not accept a check or e-check from an individual who has had three returned checks.

Wire transfers are also accepted as a method of payment for UTRGV tuition and fees. UTRGV has teamed up with TransferMate and PayMyTuition to provide a streamlined and secure payment method that reduces bank fees and improves international students’ payment experience. Wire transfers are free for international students but may carry a fee when funds are transferred domestically within the United States. Students who would like to pay via wire transfer domestically are encouraged to use the e-check option.

All payments should be made in person, mailed, or processed online. Phone payments will not be accepted. Mailed payments should not include cash or coins but should include the student statement along with the form of payment.

A listing of non-refundable fees is shown below:

Fee Description	Amount Charged
Credit Card Convenience Fee	1.9% applied to student bill
Emergency Loan Origination Fee	1% of loan amount
Payment Plan Processing Fee	$30 per academic term
Payment Plan Late Payment Fee	$30 per late installment payment*
Late Payment Fee	$50 per academic term
Returned Check Fee	$25 per returned check

*Payment plan late payment fee will be assessed after three consecutive days (including weekends) after the due date.

CREDIT CARD CONVENIENCE FEE

A credit card convenience fee is the processing fee charged by 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 be added to the student’s tuition and fee bill. 

For more information on the Credit Card Convenience fee, visit the UTRGV Bursar’s Office webpage to review the FAQ or contact the Bursar's Office directly at (956) 665-2719.

PAYMENT BY INSTALLMENT

Section 54.007 of the Texas Education Code provides for payment by installment of tuition and mandatory fees within the university’s Fall and Spring semesters. Students electing to sign up for the Payment Plan option must be eligible and enrolled for a minimum of one class. Students who wish to apply for a Payment Plan should do so online through the UTRGV ASSIST application.

Payment Plan enrollment is usually available once the student bill has been published for a term up to the day before the 12th class day. Once the Payment Plan option has been selected, it may not be changed. Advance payments will be accepted.

Students electing to sign up for a payment plan must acknowledge a promissory note via TouchNet. A non-refundable Payment Plan processing fee of $30 will be collected at the time the promissory note is acknowledged electronically. Students who make changes to their class schedule resulting in an increase to their Tuition and Fees, such as adding a course, will not qualify for a Payment Plan if they have received a Financial Aid refund for the term.

Upon acknowledgement of the Payment Plan promissory note, a payment schedule will be provided to students with payment due dates for each installment. Payment Plan payments must be made according to the dated schedule provided, which will follow the guidelines listed below:

• 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

If an installment payment is not received by the assigned date, a non-refundable payment plan late payment fee of $30 will be charged in addition to the installment amount. The payment plan late payment fee will be applied after three consecutive days (including weekends) of the class week indicated above and is assessed for each installment payment that is considered late.

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 discretion:

• Cancellation of classes or withdrawal from the university
• Denial of readmission to the institution
• Withholding of a student’s grades, degree, and/or official transcript
• Any and 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 prioritized and applied to student account balances as follows:

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

Students are usually awarded sufficient financial aid (sometimes 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 mandatory fees. However, in situations where this financial aid is not sufficient, students are responsible for 100% of the remaining balance by the payment due date.

If a student withdraws 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, where funding is reversed and a student account balance is created, if a student refund was issued to the student, the student may now be responsible for returning any funds processed as a student refund for the term. This balance is now considered 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 of funds, the remaining credit balances, if any, will be processed as a disbursement (refund) to the student.

OUTSTANDING BALANCES FOR STUDENTS ENROLLED AND NOT ENROLLED

Students with outstanding balances, that are currently enrolled students, are required to make payment of 50% of the total outstanding balance. Once payment of 50% of the total outstanding balance is received, any student balance holds will be temporarily lifted to allow access to university services such as release of a transcript. A payment agreement will be required to be signed by the student agreeing to payment of the remaining balance to be paid in four monthly installments (weekly for summer sessions).

Students with outstanding balances who are no longer enrolled at UTRGV are required to make payment to 100% of the total outstanding balance prior to requesting university services including but not limited to the release of a degree.

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

NOTICE TO STUDENTS REGARDING TUITION SET ASIDE FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is required by law (Texas Education Code, Section 56.011, 56.012, and 56.465) to set aside a percentage of designated tuition that each students pays each semester for financial assistance programs. Tuition set asides are required of all Texas residents at Texas public institutions of higher education.

To comply with Senate Bill 1304, passed by the 81st Texas Legislature, the university is required to report to each student the amount of tuition paid by the student that must be set aside to provide financial assistance to qualified students.

The set aside does not affect a student’s financial aid awards, nor does it guarantee that a student will receive financial aid assistance. Financial assistance eligibility is determined by the information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.