REG - 30.01.3 Student Account Balances Regulation

1.  Purpose

The North Carolina Office of the State Controller's Policy 200.4 (Accounts Receivable Collection) requires that each university implement procedures to collect tuition, fees, and other charges in a prompt manner. Students are responsible for paying the charges on their student accounts by the university’s due dates, as published in students' e-billing statements. It is communicated to students, in an email notification when holds are applied, that the non-payment of student account balances results in the prevention of class registration for future terms and the withholding of official transcripts and diplomas. The university has published deadlines and due dates for student accounts as well as established late fees and interest charges.

2. Scope

This regulation applies to all past due student accounts owed to NCCU.

3. Definitions

3.1   The following are definitions of terms used in this policy:

3.1.1   Past Due Account – A student account that has not been paid in full by the university's published due dates.  The dues dates are posted on the Student Accounting Forms and Documents website.

3.1.2   Hold – A flag set on a student account that prevents the student from completing certain actions (e.g. registering for classes, obtaining a transcript, obtaining a diploma) as specified by type of hold – see section 5 (Holds) for additional information on types of holds.

4.  Interest & Late Penalty fees for delinquent accounts

4.1    According to N.C. General Statute §147-86.23, a state agency shall charge interest at the rate established pursuant to N.C. General Statute §105-241.21 on a past due account receivable from the date the account receivable was due until it is paid. A state agency shall add to a past due account receivable a ten (10%) late payment penalty per the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office. A state agency may waive a late-payment penalty for good cause shown. Late-payment penalty fees and interest rates are posted on the Student Accounting Forms and Documents website and are communicated to students via their student accounts.

4.2    Interest begins to accrue on all delinquent accounts at the time the account was due and continues to accumulate until the delinquent portion of the account is satisfied. The amount of interest is based on the established current interest rates of the North Carolina Department of Revenue.

5.  Holds

5.1    The University will place the following types of holds on a student’s account who has a past due balance: official transcript hold, registration hold and diploma hold. 

5.1.1  An official transcript hold will be placed on a student’s account if the account balance is not paid by the due date for the charge.  

5.1.2  A registration hold will be placed on a student account if the account balance is greater than five-hundred dollars ($500) and is not paid by the due date for the charge.

5.1.3  A diploma hold will be placed on a student’s account if the account balance is not paid by the due date for the charge.    

5.2   Once a hold is placed on a student’s account, the hold will not be released from the student’s account until the balance on the student’s account is paid in full.

5.2.1  The university will not issue an official transcript to a student who has an official transcript hold on his or her account until the past due account is paid in full.  

5.2.2  A student with a registration hold on his or her account will not be permitted to register for class or to add a class to his or her schedule at a later date until the past due account is paid in full. 

5.2.3  A student with a diploma hold will be unable to receive his or her diploma until the past due account paid in full.

5.3  Cancellation

If a student fails to make satisfactory payment arrangements with the Office of Student Accounting by the end of the drop/add period, the student’s classes will be dropped from the Registrar's system for non-payment. The payment deadline is published in the student's e-billing statements, and documents listing the payment due dates are updated each semester and published on the Student Accounting Forms and Documents webpage.