For college students, it seems two things are inevitable in life - tuition and taxes.
The tuition is due first.
At MSU, students must make an initial payment for spring semester by Dec. 6 or pay a $50 late fee. They also risk disenrolling from their classes if they don’t pay by Dec. 28.
But while other Big Ten universities begin classes the same week as MSU, many of them don’t require tuition payment until later.
And some MSU students, such as Sara Neill, say they could use another month to pay for next semester.
“It is hard for me, I pay for school myself so I need to somehow come up with the money,” said Neill, an English sophomore. “An extra month would help because with Christmas break I can work more hours than when I have class.”
Tuition at The Ohio State University is not due until classes start Jan. 7. Purdue University changed its due date from 10 days prior to the start of class to just five because the first day of classes, also Jan. 7, is nearer the New Year’s holiday than typical.
However, both schools have late fees of $200 or more.
The University of Michigan doesn’t require payment until Jan. 31, more than three weeks after classes start. U-M officials said its policy is under review though.
Susan Waltersdorf, associate controller at MSU, said the Dec. 6 due date is typical for the university.
“Numerous processes take place between the billing date and the start of class,” she said. “It is not a good idea to be doing mail business during the busy holiday period.”
Waltersdorf said students who don’t meet the payment deadline will receive a warning letter reminding them to pay and telling them they have been charged a $50 late fee.
She said the policy is consistent with the $50 late fee charged to students who don’t enroll in classes by Nov. 9. Those students must then pay their bill by Jan. 3.
“We are attempting to bill and collect while (students) are still on or near campus,” Waltersdorf said.
This policy has been in place since 1992, when MSU changed to the semester system.
“Students commit to be an MSU student,” Waltersdorf said. “We have the system so we know which students will be here and who won’t, so classes will be available to students who will be here.”
Waltersdorf said tuition and any revenue coming into the university is invested and the earnings go to “support the university and indirectly lower tuition costs.”
But Kristin Bloink said she would rather hold on to her money.
“I am going to pay $5,900 on Dec. 6 and I would rather that be invested for me,” the second-year veterinary student said. “I work seven jobs to try to pay the tuition, those few dollars of interest are important to me.”
Bloink said holiday mailing shouldn’t be a reason for students to pay tuition in early December.
“People can certainly take it home with them and mail it back,” she said. “It should be due like five days before school starts.”
