Accounting - Accounts Receivable Policy
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Policy on Accounts Receivable is to ensure the efficient and effective management of the collection of all Hudson County Community College (“College”) receivables and to establish a system of internal controls for managing the accounts receivable process.
POLICY
Accounts receivable is a significant asset for the College. The College and its Board
of Trustees (“Board”) are committed to efficiently and effectively managing the collection
of all receivables to the College. Receivables include any obligation arising from
consumer or financial transactions with the College including, but not limited to,
student tuition, fees, continuing education open enrollment courses, as well as sales
of products and services.
The Board delegates to the President the responsibility for developing procedures
and a system of internal controls for managing the accounts receivable process, including
procedures for addressing tuition and fees, payment options, payments, student billing,
collections, administrative write-offs, requirements for placing holds on student
records, refunds, form 1098-T and tuition statements. The Finance Office will be responsible
for implementing the policy.
Approved: June 2021
Approved by: Board of Trustees
Category: Accounting
Subcategory: Accounts Receivables
Scheduled for Review: June 2024
Responsible Office(s): Finance
Procedures
Accounting - Accounts Receivable Procedure
I. Introduction
Accounts receivable is a significant asset for Hudson County Community College. The College accounts receivable must be managed to ensure the efficient and effective collection of all debts owed to the College. This procedure applies to all students at the College.
II. Definition
Accounts Receivable: Any monetary obligation arising from a consumer transaction. Accounts receivable are the result of various types of financial transactions including, but not limited to, student tuition, fees, continuing education open enrollment courses, as well as sales of goods and services.
Accounts Receivable Correction: An accounts receivable correction occurs when a change in the amount of accounts receivable owed on an account has been canceled or adjusted because the College is not entitled to collect the money.
Administrative Write-offs: Student receivables that have been determined to be written off by the College, when a student challenges the debt due to unforeseen circumstances, and the appeal is approved by the Special Circumstances for Withdrawal Committee.
Debt: Any dollar amount owed to the College, including, but not limited to, tuition, fees, loans, and sales of goods and services.
Debtor: An individual, business, non-profit organization, or any other public or private entity including state, local, or federal government, that is liable for a debt or against whom there is a claim for a debt.
Restrictions: Limitations on current or future activities of students, faculty and staff imposed by the College.
Student: An individual whose application for admission has been processed and approved by the College Admissions Office. A student includes any person who enrolls in any credit or noncredit course offered by the College.
III. Management of Receivables
The College will establish a tuition due date for each semester. Those students who have not entered into a deferred payment plan, paid in full by the established date, or who have not been cleared by the Office of Financial Aid, risk being deregistered from their classes. The College will drop students from enrollment for non-payment of tuition. The dates for dropping students are determined by the Office of Enrollment Services.
The College has written policies and procedures for managing the accounts receivable process for the below categories:
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- Subpart A. Tuition and Fees
- Subpart B. Establishing Receivables
- Subpart C. Payment Options
- Subpart D. Payment Policy
- Subpart E. Billing
- Subpart F. Collections
- Subpart G. Administrative Write-Offs
- Subpart H. Requirements for Placing Holds on Student Records
- Subpart I. Refunds
- Subpart J. Form 1098-T, Tuition Statement
- Subpart K. Student Health Insurance
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Subpart A. Tuition and Fees
Standard tuition rates and fees are subject to Board of Trustees approval each academic
year. Other course-related fees are subject to Board of Trustees approval throughout
the academic year as well.
The three types of tuition rates include:
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- Hudson County Residents
- Out-Of-County Residents
- Out-Of-State and International Residents
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Subpart B. Establishing Receivables
It is the responsibility of the College to establish the terms and conditions for
payment at the time an account is created. The debt shall be acknowledged by the student
or other debtor at the time of account creation. The acknowledgement must be in writing,
or, by completion of the automated registration process indicating that the debtor
has accepted the terms and conditions for payment obligations.
The receivable obligation shall be entered into the Ellucian Colleague system (student
sub-ledger) at the time the account is first established.
Subpart C. Payment Options
1. Methods of Payment
The College accepts personal checks, cashier checks and money orders for payment. Credit card (MasterCard, VISA, Discover and American Express) payments are accepted as well.
Payments may be made through the College using our Liberty Link platform (online via
the following link: https://libertylink.hccc.edu/Student > Student Finance > Make a Payment), over the phone and in person. Cash payments
must be made in US dollars. To ensure proper posting, it is encouraged that all payments
include the student’s name and ID# on all checks or money orders.
All payments and correspondence sent by United State Postal Service should be mailed
to the address below. Payments are applied to student receivables within 24 hours
of receipt.
Hudson County Community College
Attn: Student Accounts/Bursar Office
70 Sip Avenue, 1st Floor
Jersey City, NJ 07306
Monthly Payment Plan
A Deferred Payment Plan is available to students enrolled for Fall and Spring semesters,
in order to assist in the payment of tuition and fees and to secure classes for the
semester. There is a $25 (Non-Refundable) Deferred Payment Fee per semester to cover
the cost of administering this program. Students may arrange Deferred Payment Plans
through the College Liberty Link platform (online via the following link: https://libertylink.hccc.edu/Student > Student Finance > Make a Payment > Create Payment Plan ), over the phone and in
person. Students must be prepared to make their first payment before the payment plan
becomes active. There are no payment plans available for Summer terms, Winter Sessions
or for past due balances. After a student enrolls in a payment plan, and makes their
first payment, they will not be deregistered from their classes for that semester.
Financial Aid
Students may elect to apply for financial aid to assist with the payment of their
tuition and fees. The Office of Financial Aid determines eligibility for various kinds
of financial aid and the actual disbursement of most funds administered by the Office.
If a student’s financial aid awards are not yet complete, and/or are reversed for
any reason, the student is still responsible for the payment of the balance of tuition
and fees owed. If students have questions regarding financial aid, including loans,
they should contact the Office of Financial Aid directly.
Subpart D. Payment Policy
Students with unpaid receivables, who have not made satisfactory arrangements with
the Student Accounts/Bursar Office to pay the receivable, or who do not have financial
aid awards in place by each term’s deadline, may be deregistered from classes. Payment
deadlines are stated on registration and billing statements, and can be found electronically
at https://myhudson.hccc.edu/, and at https://www.hccc.edu/tuition.
Upon graduation or other withdrawal from the College, students are responsible for
the prompt payment of any outstanding balance owed to the College. If payment is not
made, the account will be sent to one of the collections agencies servicing the College.
Subpart E. Billing
Students may view their accounts online; and paper invoices are issued monthly.
The College mails a uniform printed invoice to the debtor at least 30 days before
referral to any collection agency.
For delinquent accounts, the College will mail a uniformed printed invoice to the debtor at least 30 days before referring the account to a collection agency.
Subpart F. Collections
Unresolved delinquent accounts in excess of $500 shall be sent to one of the collection agencies, Allied Account Services or Transworld Systems, split by alphabetical order. Aged balances shall be noted in the Ellucian system, indicating to which collections agency the debt is sent. Students with delinquent debt will have Registrar and registration restrictions until such time as the debt is paid in full.
Upon providing confirming documentation sufficient to the College, student debts discharged in bankruptcy may be written off by the College and collection proceedings will cease.
Subpart G. Administrative Write-Offs
Students who experience unforeseen circumstances may request grade changes and/or tuition charge adjustments by completing a Special Circumstances for Withdrawal Request. Completed requests are reviewed bi-weekly by a committee consisting of the Director of Student Accounts/Bursar, the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment, the Associate Dean of Financial Aid and the Associate Dean of the Center of Student and Academic Success. If approved for tuition adjustment, an administrative write-off shall be completed for the class(es) requested.
Subpart H. Requirements for Placing Holds on Student Records
Students who have balances on their accounts shall be denied access to receiving Registrar records. Additionally, students with balances on their student account over $500 shall not be permitted to register for future academic terms.
Students whose accounts are sent to collections shall have a registrar and registration hold placed on their accounts until the balance is paid in full.
Returned Checks
A $25 charge will be assessed to students for each returned check issued by the student to the College. Further, students whose checks have been returned shall have restrictions placed on their accounts preventing those students from paying the College with checks in the future.
Subpart I. Refunds
The Student Accounts/Bursar Office processes student refunds weekly. Refunds that are generated from credit card payments shall be credited back to the credit card used for the payment. Financial Aid refunds are generated in the form of mailed checks and e-checks. All checks are processed by the Accounts Payable Department.
Subpart J. Form 1098-T, Tuition Statement
Each January, the Student Accounts/Bursar Office prepares Form 1098-T, Tuition Tax Statements for students. Students with missing social security numbers shall be mailed, and emailed, notifications to submit this information to the Student Accounts/Bursar Office twice each year.
Subpart K. Student Health Insurance
Following legislation signed into law on July 5, 2013, the College is no longer required
to provide health insurance for students.
Students who wish to purchase health insurance are encouraged to visit the following
two websites to learn about their health insurance options:
http://www.state.nj.us/dobi/division_insurance/ihcseh/shop_ihc.htm
https://www.healthcare.gov/
Approved by Cabinet: July 2021
Related Board Policy: Policy on Accounts Receivables
Return to Policies and Procedures