Student AR Practices at SMCCD

2008 - 3CBG Conference

Presenter – Raymond Chow, District ControllerPhone (650) 358-6742

Email – chow@smccd.edu

Introduction• San Mateo County Community College

District Consists of three colleges.• Enrolls over 25,000 students• Banner users since 1993

Background

• The District’s policy does not prevent students from registering nor does it drop them for non payment

• Student enrollment more important then A/R collection

• Colleges win and District losses• Conversion from EIS accounting to

Banner

Policy• District policies on AR balance prior to

2006– Internal Collection Efforts

• Send out schedule bill to students• Make SARS calls• Send past due notice

Policy– External Collection Efforts (after 2006)

upon exhaustion of all internal collection efforts• unpaid student fees accounts are then sent to

collection agencies• The COTOP program for financial aid

receivables• Franchise Tax Board sponsored Interagency

Intercept Collections program to offset unpaid parking citation receivables

• Working with District attorney office for returned checks collection

Collection Steps• Goal to reduce outstanding student and

non-student A/R• Hire outside collection agencies• Wrote off “old” uncollectable balances• Redefine A/R procedures, schedule

student billing, SARS calls and collection letters, etc.

Student Billing Procedures• Develop and implement a billing time-

table• Sample internal A/R collection schedule

Collection Agency Process

Initial Placement File• Balance over $50 and• with activities older than 2 years and

not older than 7 years

New placement File • Twice a year• Outstanding is older than 1 year

Collection Agency Process

AR Data Synchronization• Weekly download and upload of AR

payment information to and from collection agencies

Thank you !