All charges due to the University must be paid in full by the payment due date published each semester. Students enrolled and current with the tuition payment plan or those waiting for accepted and completed financial aid to be credited to their student account are able to defer that portion of their balance to be paid directly to the University.
Students whose accounts are delinquent will not be permitted to register for the next term or receive transcripts and diplomas. A student who wishes to transfer to another institution must pay in full all indebtedness to The Catholic University of America before a transcript will be released. The University may require payment of a delinquent account to be in the form of certified funds, such as cash, money order, or a cashier's check.
Holds
Students with unpaid balances may be subject to registration, transcript, and diploma holds. Transcript and diploma holds may apply to students with any outstanding balance. Registration holds may apply to students with outstanding balances of $300 or more.
Late Fees
Late fees are assessed once per semester on the following dates:
- Fall term - first Tuesday after end of add/drop period
- Spring term - first Tuesday after end of add/drop period
- Summer term - first Tuesday after the add/drop date for online programs session Summer II
The late fee is 5% of the total outstanding account balance for the current term, excluding outstanding charges that are less than 30 days old. This balance includes all unpaid charges from the current term that are at least 30 days old less any scheduled payments for the current term from university-disbursed financial aid or the monthly payment plan.
Interest
Interest is assessed on unpaid balances on the 15th of each month or the first business day thereafter.
Interest is assessed at a rate of 18% per annum and is assessed on the total outstanding account balance, excluding outstanding charges that are less than 30 days old. This balance includes all unpaid charges from the current* or prior terms that are at least 30 days old less any scheduled payments for the current term from university-disbursed financial aid or the monthly payment plan.
*unpaid charges from the current term will begin to accrue interest in the following months:
- October - first interest assessment to include unpaid charges from the current Fall term
- February - first interest assessment to include unpaid charges from the current Spring term
- June - first interest assessment to include unpaid charges from the current Summer term
Returned Checks
Upon notification by the University's bank of a returned check, a negative service indicator is placed on the student's account and an offsetting debit is applied to the account to cancel the original payment. A service charge will also be assessed to the account.
The University's bank does not allow us to present a returned check a second time; a replacement payment must be rendered to the University.
A personal check or e-check will not be accepted to replace the returned item; payment must be made in the form of certified funds (money order, cashier's check, wire transfer, or credit/debit card payment). If payment is remitted in non-certified funds, any service holds on the account will not be released until the payment has cleared the university's bank.
A history of returned checks may lead to a requirement that all future payments be made in certified funds, money order, or a credit/debit card.
Collection Process
If a student fails to pay any tuition, fees, charges, or expenses or a student fails to make acceptable payment arrangements to bring their student account current, the University may refer the delinquent account to a collection agency or report the student to credit bureaus. The student is responsible for all collection charges associated with the collection of the debt, including but not limited to: collection agency fees, reasonable attorney's fees, court costs, and all other charges allowed by law. These costs may add over 33 1/3% to the balance due. Once an account has been referred to a collections agency, the additional collections fee cannot be removed from the account and the student must make all payment arrangements with the collections agency.
Bankruptcy
Tuition, fees, charges, and expenses may not be dischargeable in bankruptcy and may survive after the bankruptcy has closed. A student may still owe the debt to the University after the bankruptcy.
Prepayment
The University reserves the right to require a student to prepay for future semesters based on the student's payment history, if a student has an open bankruptcy claim, or if a student has previously had debt forgiven through any chapter of bankruptcy. If the University requires prepayment, all payments for tuition, fees, charges, and expenses must be made prior to registration of the semester for which the student is enrolling.