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	Student Accounts: FAQ

Student Accounts

Tuition Statement

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

How do I know how much to pay?

When do I need to pay?

When will I be assessed a late fee?

Is there an Installment Payment Plan?

How do I sign up for the Installment Payment Plan?

Is there a fee to enroll in the Tuitonpay monthly installment plan?

When are my installment payments posted to my student account?

Where are my payment plan invoices/statements mailed?

Are there alternative tuition payment plans available?

What happens if the minimum amount due on the payment plan is not paid by the due date?

I do not need or want a payment plan, what and when do I pay?

How does financial aid get applied to my bill?

Who can answer questions about my student account?

What is Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment?

What are the benefits of Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment?

Why has the College moved to Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment?

Where do I go to see my electronic bill?

May I have my statements/invoices mailed to my home?

What are the procedures to (opt in or opt out) of the electronic bill presentment Program?

Can my parents or other authorized users be sent my invoice/statement notification as well?

What is the process for setting up an authorized user?

My parents have stored payment information at the website, can I access this to make a payment on my account?

What is eCheck?

Do you accept on-line payments from non-US bank accounts?

Is there a fee for paying by eCheck?

Can I make my payment via credit card?

Why is VISA not accepted via e-payment?

Why doesn’t Otis College accept credit card payments online at no fee?

How can my parents or other authorized users make a payment on my behalf?

Who can answer questions about my student account or the payment plan?

Who can answer questions about my financial aid?

When are my payments posted to my account?

I received a notice that my e-check was returned. What do I do?

How do I know how much to pay?
If you log into your student account you will find the current balance on your account. The balance is the net of all charges, payments and financial aid posted to your account. Tuition Statements are mailed to student's mailing address. You will need to clear all outstanding balances for the current term prior to being able to register. The Tuition Statement shows the net to pay after financial aid and the payment plan.

When do I need to pay?
All balances due for the current or prior terms must be paid prior to being able to register for the upcoming term. The Registration Department will publish registration instructions that will provide the due dates for registration.

When will I be assessed a late fee?
You will be assessed a late fee if you do not pay outstanding balances by the dates published in the Registration Instructions.

Is there an Installment Payment Plan?
Yes. There are payment plans offered to U.S. residents through Tuitionpay. You can spread your payments over a period of 12, 11, or 10 months interest fee. If you have any questions or need more information, you can call (800) 635-0120. You can also get more information on-line at Tuitionpay.

How do I sign up for the Installment Payment Plan?
You may sign up for the installment payment plan online by clicking the link in the student in your on-line student account or by going directly to www.tuitionpay.com. You may also call tuitionpay directly at 800-635-0120 with your budget information.

Is there a fee to enroll in the Tuitionpay monthly installment plan?
Yes, there is a fee to enroll. The fee is $50.00 for an annual payment plan.

When are my installment payments posted to my student account?
Installment payments will be posted to your student account on the 15th of each month.

Where are my payment plan invoices/statements mailed?
The payment plan statement/invoices will be mailed to the address that you provide to our Payment plan provider.

Are there alternative tuition payment plans available?
No, there are no alternative payment plans available.

What happens if the minimum amount due on the payment plan is not paid by the due date?
If the minimum amount due on your payment plan is not paid by the due date, you will be charged a late fee.

I do not need or want a payment plan, what and when do I pay?

Referring to the Registration fee assessment form, you must pay the full amount of tuition and fees minus any financial aid either on-line through Otis E-Commerce.

How does financial aid get applied to my bill?
The Financial Aid Office disburses financial aid to your account after classes begin, all of your paperwork and required documents are complete and on file, and the aid is has been received by the College. If you have additional questions regarding your financial aid status, please contact the Financial Aid Office @ (310) 665-6880.

Who can answer questions about my student account?
Counselors in the Student Accounts office will be able to answer all of your questions at (310) 665-6838.

What is Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment?
Electronic Bill Presentment is a way to provide you with an electronic copy of your tuition statement and bills. When a new bill is available for viewing, you will be sent an e-mail informing you to log into your account. Electronic Payment is the option of paying your account from any location.

What are the benefits of Otis E-Commerce ( Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment)?
Benefits include:

Saves the student time. No more waiting for the bill to be received for waiting in line at the Cashier’s window to make payment.
Easy and convenience and secure.
Services are private and secure. All data is encrypted.
Services are available 24 hours a day/7 days a week.
Available world wide via the Internet.
Easy access for parents and other authorized payers to view billing information and make payments on behalf of the student.
Can view payment history.
More payment options available to the student. (ECheck (ACH), Master Card, Discover Card, Diners Club and American Express )

Why has the College moved to Electronic Payment?
The primary reason is to provide faster and easier service to our students, their parents or guardians. Electronic Payments allows the student, parent or guardian a secure environment to make payments to their account any time of day from any computer.

Where do I go to see my electronic bill?
You must check your Otis email account for your e-bill. Around two weeks prior to the start of registration, all students will be notified via their official College assigned email address that their bill is ready to be viewed online through the Otis E-Commerce .

Once the student has logged into the secure website their will be a link to view the statement.

This bill can be downloaded or printed as a PDF file. You can also forward your e-bill to someone via email. You will be responsible for checking your otis email account for your electronic bills. To keep all data secure and confidential, do not share your passwords with anyone and make sure to log out and close your browser when you are finished with e-bill or e-payment.

May I have my statements/invoices mailed to my home?
The College will only send Electronic Tuition Statement to sthe student's mailing address on record.

What are the procedures to (opt in or opt out) of the electronic bill presentment Program?

There are no procedures to opt in or out of the electronic bill presentment program, as electronic bill is not optional.

Can my parents or other authorized users be sent my invoice/statement notification as well?

You will have the option to designate another party to view and pay your bills. This third party, a parent, other relative or your company, will need to be authorized by you on Otis E-Commerce.

They can login into the website to view the student’s billing information and make a payment. (Please note that electronic billing will be available for fall 2008 registration).

What is the process for setting up an authorized user to make payment on my accounts and / or view my invoices?

You can lon on to the Otis E-Commerce website through the Self Service. This will log you on directly to Otis E-Commerce, otherwise you will need you X ID nubmer and Registration PIN that changes every semester.

From the Otis E-commerce website, you will be able to set up the authorized payer and provide the authorized payer with a login name and password. Once you have provided the authorized payer with their login and password, they can then access the system directly through the Otis E-Commerce. Once the authorized payer has logged into the system, the payer can change their login name and password, setup and store their own profile and account information, review the student’s current and past billing information and make on-line payments on behalf of the student. (Please note that electronic billing will be available for fall 2008).

My parents have stored payment information at the website, can I access this to make a payment on my account?
Unless you know the current user ID and password. Stored payment information cannot be accessed.

What is eCheck?
Echeck is the option of processing a check electronically via the web rather than writing a traditional check and mailing it to the Cashier. Please be advised that eChecks issued from credit card companies, money market accounts, home equity or other lines of credit cannot be processed as an e-Check. In addition, some small banks and credit unions may also not accept e-check, which they may call a one-time ACH payment.

Do you accept on-line payments from non-US bank accounts?

No. Any e-payment must be directly debited from a U.S. bank account. We are unable to accept payments from foreign banks. You may contact the Business Office if you would like wiring instructions.

Is there a fee for paying by eCheck?
No, this payment option is at no cost to the student.

Can I make my payment via credit card?
Otis College will only accept Visa credit card payments at the cashier’s window for Tuition and Fees. As a convenience to the student and their parent, the College has contracted with a third party vendor to accept MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit card payments via the web. A convenience fee of 2.9% may be assessed by the vendor to payers making credit card payments via the web.

Why is VISA not accepted via e-payment?
Visa’s rules will not permit the vendor to charge a percentage service fee, and would require the College to charge the same fee for e-check payments.

Why doesn’t Otis College accept credit card payments online at no fee?
The merchant fees that the College pays to accept credit card payments have increased every year and have become prohibitively expensive. The cost savings to the College will be used to improve student services and other academic needs.

How can my parents or other authorized users make a payment on my behalf?
You will have the option to designate another party to view and pay your student bills. This third party, a parent, other relative or your company, will need to be authorized by you one time on the payment web site. Thereafter, unless you cancel the authorization, the third party will be notified via his or her own e-mail address the at the student’s e-bill is available for viewing. They can login into the website to view the student’s billing information and make a payment.

Do I, my parent or authorized users have to make payment on-line over the Internet?
No. Referring to the Registration Fee assessment form, you may pay the full amount of tuition and fees due, minus any unposted financial aid either at the cashier’s window or by mailing payment to:

Cashier
Otis College of Art and Design
9045 Lincoln Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90045

Who can answer questions about my student account or the payment plan?
Counselors in the Student Accounts office will be able to answer all of your questions. You may come in person, email studentaccounts@otis.edu or call (310) 665-6838.

Who can answer questions about my financial aid?
Counselors in the Financial Aid Office will be able to answer all of your questions regarding Financial Aid.

You may stop by in person, email otisaid@otis.edu or call (310) 665-688-6880.

When are my payments posted to my account?
Payments are posted in real time when the student website is accessible. When the website is not accessible, the payments will be posted by 8 a.m. the first business day the system is available.

I received a notice that my e-check was returned. What do I do?
If your e-check was returned, you will need to make payment immediately. Depending on the reason for the return, you may be assessed a $50.00 returned check fee you’re your ability to make future echecks and to submit handwritten checks will be denied for at least one year. Please refer to the returned check policy for more details.

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Emergency Procedures

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