Office of Student Aid : Parents of Students : Parent Newsletter

Penn State Office of Student Aid Parent Newsletter
Volume 5, Issue 3--July 2007

eBills on the Horizon

Classes this year will begin at University Park on Monday, August 27, but the tuition bills are being distributed electronically beginning in mid-July. Responding to the tuition bill completes your student's registration. The Penn State registration process consists of two steps. First, your student will schedule specific courses. Second, registration is completed upon receipt of payment for tuition and fees, or processing a "zero bill" if applicable. A zero bill results when financial credits such as scholarships, loans, grants, or other forms of financial assistance meet or exceed the billable charges. Regardless of the balance due, your student must confirm his/her registration by responding to the tuition bill.

Your student will be notified of the availability of the tuition bill via his/her Penn State e-mail account once fall courses have been selected and the Penn State Access Account has been activated (for new Penn State students). An e-mail notification will advise your student to access the tuition bill electronically on eLion. By selecting Bills Tuition/Other from the "Students" menu, your student can finalize registration for the fall semester online and print paper copies of the bill, if needed. Alternately, you (or others who have been granted access) can view and pay the tuition bill from eLion by using your Friends of Penn State account. Please refer to our May 2007 article for details about the Parent/Other access option and the required student authorization.

Your student's balance can be paid online by having the amount debited from your checking account (eCheck) or credit card (MasterCard or Discover Card) on eLion. Alternatively, you may also print a payment voucher on eLion and mail it with your check or money order to the Office of the Bursar. You can find detailed instructions about tuition bill payments on the Bursar's Web site.

Registration confirmation is essential. Depending on your student's Penn State campus and campus-specific procedures, failure to complete the process could result in any or all of the following actions:

• Your student may not receive grades for courses.
• Your student will be blocked from scheduling courses for future semesters.
• Previous semester student loans may enter repayment status with the lender.
• Cancellation of some aid sources may result, and aid could be unavailable for reinstatement at a later date.
• If your student is residing in University housing, he/she could stand to lose the housing contract.
• Your student will not be able to add courses beginning with the first day of the semester.
• Your student will not be eligible to begin Federal Work-Study employment, if awarded.
• Faculty are not obligated to provide instruction or administer assessment.