When going into a place of business, regardless of the type, you know you will be paying for a product or service. Technically Yuba College is not a business but it does have similarities to a business: it provides educational services for a fee, and it has overhead costs that need to be met, such as: salaries, maintenance, etc.
As with most businesses Yuba College expects payment when the service is purchased. In the past there has been an honor system in place, you could sign up for classes in person, over the phone, or online and then come in and pay. Some students took advantage of the honor system: figuring out a way that enabled them to either not pay for classes or to pay for classes the following semester. An additional problem that came along with this was non-attendance of classes by the student, who would sign up, not pay and not attend class. Unfortunately class size is limited, so those who registered and did not attend a class eliminated the student who really needed the class to graduate or transfer, an opportunity to finish their education.
The 10 days to pay after registering for classes is to make the system equal for all students. As Dr. Kendyl Magnuson, Director of Admissions and Enrollment Services, states “This is more than just trying to get early payments.” This is “how to have open spaces in class for those who are serious about being in those classes”.
The 10 days to pay is a simple system. It gives you ten days from the time you register for classes to make a decision to either pay in full or to sign for a payment plan. If you do not pay during this time period, you will be dropped from those classes at the end of the ten days.
Many students have the California Bog waiver, which means they qualify under state requirements to have their fees waived, the 10 days to pay will not affect them. However, it is important to point out that the FAFSA must be completed every January for the fall semester and if not done, the student will be expected to pay for classes. Those students that pay in full at the time of registration will not be affected.
For students who are on a tight budget there are three payment plans available. The earlier you sign up for one of these plans the lower the down payment amount. The first payment plan must be signed up before November 21st and requires a down payment of 10% and then there will be four monthly payments. The other two plans require 25% down and remaining balance divided into three monthly payments. Payments can be made through automatic bank withdrawals or credit/debit cards.
If you do not pay for your classes in full or you do not pay the down payment on the payment plan, your enrollment in classes will be dropped after the ten days. Classes are dropped by section not by person. So there is a possibility that not all your classes would be dropped at the same time. For example, if you register for a math class on November 1st, you would have the option of deciding on a payment plan or to pay in full for the class at the time of registering. Then you decide on November 5th to sign up for an art class, at that time you decide how you will be paying for the art class. Each class has the 10 days to pay. So if you did not pay for the math class it would be dropped 10 days after registering. The art class may or may not be dropped depending on whether or not you take one of the payment options offered within ten days of that registration. So if you don’t pay for the math class, it is dropped and if you paid for the art class, you are enrolled in that class. It is not a wise idea to sign up for classes, drop them and resign up for them in an effort to buy yourself time. With the number of students attending Yuba College the likelihood of you getting back into a class that you need will be slim as classes and waitlists fill very quickly.
Some students question the non refundable fees: the $25 non refundable fee and the $10 refund request fee. Yuba College has a vendor, NelNet, who sets up the payment plans and collects all the funds. They in turn send Yuba College the funds for the classes. The $25 non refundable fee is the set up fee for bank withdrawals, and credit/debit card transactions. The college does not receive this fee. However, the $10 refund request fee is collected by the college. According to Adrian Lopez, Director of Public and Governmental Relations, this fee is in accordance with the Title 5 Section 58508 Subsection D of the California State regulations. This regulation applies to all community colleges and basically states that when refunding an enrollment fee the district is entitled to collect a fee not to exceed $10. To request a refund, log into MyCampus portal; however a refund will not be issued unless a credit balance is reflected in your account on WebAdvisor.
Transition is not always easy, sometimes it is down right painful. With the state tightening educational requirements and cutting back on funds to colleges, the administrators of Yuba College are trying to set up a system that meets the needs of the serious student who have to take required classes for transfers to universities and AA/AS degrees.
For more information on the 10 days to pay check Yuba College’s portal for FAQ or contract registration.
This article was featured in the Prospector Winter 2011 Print Edition.
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