spring 2015 cashier training. talking points interpreting bills financial aid review and bookstore...

Spring 2015Cashier Training

Talking Points• Interpreting bills• Financial aid review and bookstore &

REFUNDS• Running bills for CE students ***NEW***• Payment plans• Tuition estimate template• Reprinting receipts• Test-out procedure

Interpreting Bills

Interpreting bills

Interpreting bills is one of the most important functions for which we are responsible.When interpreting bills, there are four primary categories to evaluate:• Fixed fees• Variable fees• Course/modality-specific fees• Adjustments

Interpreting bills

Fixed feesFixed fees are fees that are charged a specific amount, typically once per semester. This type of fee is not subject to the refund schedule published in our catalog once classes have begun. Exceptions would be for complete drops and/or drops for nonpayment. Examples of fixed fees:• Registration fee - $48 charged once per semester• Dorm rent - $900 charged once per semester• Meal plan fee - Varies based on type of meal plan

Interpreting bills

Variable feesVariable fees are fees that are charged based on the enrollment of a student, or how many credit hours a student is taking. These fees are subject to the refund schedule published in the catalog.Examples of variable fees:• Tuition - $70 per semester credit hour• Out of district - $62 per semester credit hour• General use fee - $15 per semester credit hour

Interpreting bills

Course/modality-specific feesThese types of fees are tied to either the mode of delivery of the course or the course itself. They are refundable according to the schedule published in the catalog.

Examples of course/modality-specific fees:• Health science program fee - $250 once per semester• Internet fee - $53 per course taken via Internet• Distance learning fee - $50 per course taken via distance• Course fee - varies by course

Interpreting bills

AdjustmentsAdjustments are entries made to prior charges. They use identical transaction codes and depending on the date will credit in the amount according to the refund schedule.

Examples of adjustments you may see:• Four hours of tuition at 70% = 280 (70 x 4) x 70% = 196.00• Health science fee at 70% = 250 x 70% = 175.00• Internet fee at 25% = 53 x 25% = 13.25

Interpreting bills

Interpreting bills

• Billing activity can be viewed within the RECEIPT menu

• Entries are in date order and include all debits and credits

• Can be tough to follow• The STATUS option may be your best friend

Interpreting bills

Accessible from the main menu, the STATUS option is a helpful tool for breaking down activity by its respective semester. STATUS can be used to view term (semester) activity or all activity for a student. The option is available to either display your results to the screen or print them to a defined printer.

Interpreting bills

Interpreting bills1. Press enter once if you want to display your results to your screen.2. At Status: Option?, use

“term” to view only transactions for a specific term.

3. At the next prompt, input your desired termcode.

4. Last, enter the ID number you wish to view.

Interpreting bills

Interpreting bills

• The results of the STATUS report can be printed in addition to being displayed on screen

• You must define your printer name• Create a new version when prompted, and

choose paper type “Normal”• Go through the process and print

Financial Aid Review

Financial aid review

• Fun fact– Did you know that state, federal, and local financial aid

awards accounted for $5.8 million of our tuition and auxiliary revenue in FY14? • This doesn’t even include loans!


• You can view a student’s financial aid information via the RECEIPT menu

• You can view information for the entire academic year– To view a prior academic year, change the

termcode when you enter the RECEIPT menu• Use /rev command once in student’s account


• The first two columns are descriptions of the fund ID and the semester awarded

• The Disperse column (aka Net) displays how much aid is eligible for transmittal

• The award column is the gross amount• Transmitted is how much has posted to account• Remaining is the difference of the Disperse minus the

Transmitted


• For some awards, the Disperse column adjusts based on the enrollment of a student

• This student is enrolled ¾ time and is eligible for ¾ of the award amount ($2,865 x ¾ = 2,149 rounded up)

• Not all awards adjust in this fashion– Loans do not adjust (student must be in 6 hours)– TPEG only requires 9 hours to receive the full award– See Financial Aid Billing Definitions file for further info


• Loans require special handling• All Direct Loans require two disbursements

– A student with a loan in fall and spring will receive one disbursement in each semester

– A student with a single-term-only loan (example) will receive two disbursements 30 days apart

– Take award amount less 1% origination fee and divide by 2 to estimate each disbursement ($1,500 – 1% ($15.00) = $1,485 / 2 = $742


• At the beginning of the semester, the Disperse amount is always zero

• THIS DOES NOT MEAN THE STUDENT HAS NO LOAN AVAILABLE– The funds are available for use at the bookstore and will be

applied toward bill after the disbursement process has been completed by the business and financial aid offices

– Be sure to factor in estimated loans (award amount minus 1%) when working up installment plans for students


• If a student has a zero balance, the amounts displayed in the remaining column can be used to provide an estimate for the refund the student will receive– Do not include workstudy awards in any estimates (FCWS,

TCWS, CWSP, etc)– Be sure to check the Financial Aid Billing Definitions file if

providing an estimate for a student enrolled less than full time


• If a student DOES NOT have a zero balance, the amounts displayed in the remaining column can be used to provide an estimate for the refund the student will receive.– Example: Student has $600 balance and zero in remaining

columns. However, he does still have the second disbursement of his loan, or $742. $600 balance less $742 loan will create a credit of $142 on his account. This is the estimated refund amount.


• We no longer have to provide validated statements for bookstore charging (Hooray!)– The Texas Book Co system interfaces with POISE

each morning with updated financial aid balances– A student who is awarded after this process will

not have available funds in the TBC system– Pay close attention to the award dates before

sending a student to the bookstore


• Refunds– Refunds of financial aid are part of a multi-step

process completed by our two departments– Learn the “lingo” to better understand the process

and convey the information to our students

Financial aid reviewREFUND FLOW CHART

AWARD ORIGINATION DISBURSEMENT REFUND


AWARD

The process starts when Financial Aid awards students based on the results of their FAFSA. No financial aid will be awarded without a completed FAFSA, so remember to stress its importance when dealing with students asking how to pay for college.


ORIGINATION

On census date, students are locked into their hours. This provides a snapshot for financial aid. This snapshot is used to validate students and determine their eligibility for state and federal financial aid.


DISBURSEMENT

After students have been verified as eligible, all financial aid awards not yet applied toward student accounts are liquidated. It is at this time that financial aid requests our Pell and Texas grant funds. Contrary to popular belief, we do not yet have the funds at this point in the process.


REFUNDS

Once funds are available to draw, refunds are worked up for students. Refunds on Cougar Cards are processed first and are followed by refund checks.

Running Bills for CE Students

Running bills for CE students

• This is a new function • Students are charged by the course– Fees are defined for each course similar to course fees for

SCH students– Codes 60000 – 69998 are used– Bills are charged to the students account and then

payment can be taken (No more payments in the 9s!)– Pay by FACTS available– No 1098-T for CE fees


Use “Q” instead of “S” when running a bill for a CE student.

Q is used since CE is on a quarter system instead of a semester system

YY1Q – First QuarterYY2Q – Second QuarterYY3Q – Third QuarterYY4Q – Fourth Quarter


The statement for a CE student looks similar to the bills you are used to

You will see the student’s demographic info and the schedule for the quarter

Running bills for CE studentsYou will see the charges associated with the course, and then the payment activity after it has been made


• IMPORTANT– This procedure will only work if all conditions have

been met• Course has been created• Student is in POISE• Student is registered for course


• If the student is in POISE and needs to be registered for the class, please assist them– Contact a CE representative if you need help in

determining the correct section to register

• If the student is not in POISE, please assist them in completing the CBC application– https://sis.coastalbend.edu/cc4_scripts/cc4_server.exe

https://sis.coastalbend.edu/cc4_scripts/cc4_server.exe

https://sis.coastalbend.edu/cc4_scripts/cc4_server.exe


• If the desired course section is not available, please collect the student’s contact information so that a CE representative can follow up with them once the course is ready– Katie Sherman, Director Ext 1203– Suzie Gaitan, Allied Health Ext 2549– Jenny Moore, General Industry Ext 1212– Debbie Cadena, CE Assistant Ext 3039– Yvette Hotchkin, CE Assistant Ext 1209– Linda Tyrone-Williams, CE AssistantExt 2310

Payment Plans

Payment Plans

• Fun fact– Did you know that over 300 students took advantage of

our flexible in-house payment plans during the Spring 2015 semester? • This generated nearly $9,000 in additional revenue

(installment fees)• These auxiliary fees are part of what funds student

activities such as student government, Phi Theta Kappa, and the various clubs at each CBC location

Payment plans

• Setting up payment plans is an essential job function for a cashier

• Payment plans allow more students the opportunity to attend classes and pay according to a schedule they can afford

• A signed installment agreement should be completed for all students participating on a payment plan– Allows us to track outstanding payment plans– Provides the specific terms for the payment plan

Payment plans

• Be sure to assess the $25 installment plan fee each time you setup a payment plan

• Save the completed and signed payment plan to the corresponding folder in Dropbox

• Give a copy of the plan and the Terms and Conditions to the student– This will help the student and whoever will be taking the

future payments

Tuition Estimate Worksheet

Tuition estimate worksheet

• A useful tool for providing price quotes for new or current students

• Estimate can be provided for in-district, out-of-district, out-of-state and even dual enrollment students

• Can be printed out to give students an official, professional looking estimate

• Can be saved and emailed to students• Define number of hours, number of internet courses, and a

course fee estimate and the rest is history!

Tuition estimate worksheet

Reprinting Receipts

Reprinting receipts

• Receipts for payments that have posted can be reprinted so long as the payments have not been rolled into history– This typically only happens every 2-3 years

• When accessing a student’s account via the RECEIPT menu, use the /rep command to reprint a receipt– Depending on your keyboard, you will hit either End or Home to

reprint the receipt you select

• Activity detail reports can be printed using the STATUS or BILL options

Reprinting receipts

Test Out Subject Competency Petition

Test out subject competency petition

A service that is being further developed for students is the option to “test out” of taking a course. • A student who tests out does not actually take the

course• A subject test is administered• Students earning a grade of “C” or better are

considered to have tested out successfully


Students who successfully test out have two options• Receive competency in the subject• Receive transcripted college credit for the

course equivalent for the test


Top two sections should be completed before the student visits business office

Business office will initial and date when testing fee is paid

Business office will initial and date when credit by exam fee is paid


Student completes initial portion of petition form and get appropriate approvals

Competency/Credit

Student tests. Results are recorded on petition.

Student pays $25 testing fee at business office. Takes receipt to testing center

Results for a student choosing competency are sent by testing center to Registrar’s office.

Student requesting credit will pay fee of $60 per credit hour, plus any course fees. Business office will forward receipt and results to Registar’s office.Process Flow Chart


• Taking payment–Testing fee• Use the following codes– Beeville 90048– Alice 96048– Kingsville 97048– Pleasanton 98048– Debit/Credit Card 95048


• Taking payment–Course credit fee• $60 per credit hour, plus any course fees

specified by faculty/dean• Example: WLDG1307 – Intro to Welding–Three credit hour course (2nd numeric digit)–($60 x 3) + course fee ($100 in this case)


• Taking payment–Course credit fee• Use the following codes– Beeville 90049– Alice 96049– Kingsville 97049– Pleasanton 98049– Debit/Credit Card 95049

Spring 2015 Cashier Training

• Fun fact– CBC cashiers have combined for over $1.3 million in tuition and fee

receipts from September 1, 2014 through February 18, 2015.

• Your efforts are extremely important and very appreciated

• Call or email me with any comments or questions– Ext 2242– [email protected]

spring 2015 cashier training. talking points interpreting bills financial aid review and bookstore...

Documents

course slide

interpreting bills accessible

types of fees

semester credit hour

procedure slide

examples of variable

examples of fixed fees

semester internet fee