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:

      1. Subpart A. Tuition and Fees
      2. Subpart B. Establishing Receivables
      3. Subpart C. Payment Options
      4. Subpart D. Payment Policy
      5. Subpart E. Billing
      6. Subpart F. Collections
      7. Subpart G. Administrative Write-Offs
      8. Subpart H. Requirements for Placing Holds on Student Records
      9. Subpart I. Refunds
      10. Subpart J. Form 1098-T, Tuition Statement
      11. Subpart K. Student Health Insurance

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:

            1. Hudson County Residents
            2. Out-Of-County Residents
            3. Out-Of-State and International Residents

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

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