Wow, it's hard to have scholarships applied to your college bill!

[MrsPete]

Or maybe we're just having bad luck. I'd be interested to hear whether this is at all typical. My daughter won two scholarships, one a small local thing, the second a rather large state scholarship. It's my first time paying a college bill (well, since I was a student myself, but that's been two decades, and things certainly have changed), and I was caught by surprise:

On the appointed day, the bill appeared on her online account . . . but neither scholarship was credited to her account. The bill was for the full amount.

Usually I maintain an "it's your college education, you do the legwork -- I suggest you start here" attitude, but this one got me on the phone in a hurry. Five phone calls later, here's what I learned:

We're going to a dinner for the recipients of the small scholarship in about a week. At that dinner she'll be awarded a check -- an actual check -- made out to both her AND the university. She'll need to endorse the check, add her school ID number, and mail it to the university. Then it will be deducted from her bill. That sounded reasonable; the school has no way to know that she won that little local scholarship.

The second is more confusing. It's a big state scholarship, so I'd expect at least a handful of other students at her school should be receiving it. Student Accounts said they had no knowledge of it. Financial Aid said they knew nothing. The scholarship group said that they were waiting for the school to verify that she's in good standing (reasonable -- they need to know that she's actually a student, enrolled full-time and all), and they were waiting for the school. So I called Financial Aid again and asked to speak to a superviser. They said that they had the list of recipients . . . but they hadn't verified them yet. Wouldn't you do that BEFORE you sent out the bills? Wouldn't it just make sense? Wouldn't it be less work for them to avoid all the phone calls from parents like me?

Silly me. I thought winning the scholarships was the tough part. It seems that getting them applied to your bill is just as challenging!

Has anyone else had troubles like this?

 

[amykathleen2005]

They often do the same with loans. Watch out for finance charges now for not having paid in full by the due date.

 

[laurafergie]

After three kids in college and two still in grad school....Yes, they send out the bill on time. You have two choices if you are either waiting for a scholarship, grant or loan to post. You can go ahead and pay the bill and there will be a refund (and this is important) made out TO THE STUDENT, not you, when everything finanlly posts.

Or, you can just wait it out. It will eventually straighten out as long as the student stays on top of the requirements. It also works better if the student actually goes to the office and camp out if there are severe problems. But in OP's case, it should straighten out about mid September.

We have gone almost to the end of the semester several times. I could write a book about Financial Aid.

 

[tar heel]

They often do the same with loans. Watch out for finance charges now for not having paid in full by the due date.

Nope. At the North Carolina public universities, you don't get finance charges -- your child gets her schedule cancelled. Our 529 plan overseer mailed a check for the wrong amount one semester and my son's classes were cancelled and he had to re-register. Since then, I've requested the money ahead of time and mailed the check myself.

We've also had trouble keeping the health insurance payment from appearing on the bill at two different schools. It does get credited back, but it would be easier if it just wasn't there. If you've managed to avoid that on her bill, then you're doing great.

 

[clh2]

I don't know if this tops your story at all...DD won a small scholarship from DH's employer. No one knows what to do to get that check. Not even the VP of HR. DH has asked many people. And - yes, I would rather DD do the legwork on that one...but who should she contact - no one knows.

OP - I feel your pain!

 

[Sadie22]

After three kids in college and two still in grad school....Yes, they send out the bill on time. You have two choices if you are either waiting for a scholarship, grant or loan to post. You can go ahead and pay the bill and there will be a refund (and this is important) made out TO THE STUDENT, not you, when everything finanlly posts.

Or, you can just wait it out. It will eventually straighten out as long as the student stays on top of the requirements. It also works better if the student actually goes to the office and camp out if there are severe problems. But in OP's case, it should straighten out about mid September.

We have gone almost to the end of the semester several times. I could write a book about Financial Aid.

I feel the same, although there were never any real problems with my children's finances. There was a small scholarship through my husband's work that sometimes would be deposited to one son's financial aid account well after the entire bill had been paid. I think he would then get a refund check. I don't remember now.

OP, you have brought memories of being a first-semester freshman in college and not being able to get scholarship check(s) to pay my bill because I needed student ID in order to pick up the check(s) which I could not get until my bill was paid. Paying the bill with other funds was not an option. Someone finally gave me a break and let me have one or the other first, but I don't remember which department it was.

 

[MineMail]

I can give you the view from the other side of the admissions/financial aid desk. Between now and the first day that college starts, there will be "melt." That's when students who have deposited and expect to enroll suddenly change their mind for one reason or another. That leaves empty seats to be filled and a lot of scrambling for last-minute enrollments from the waiting list.

That large scholarship comes in electronic form and someone in financial aid has to retrieve the file and apply it to their computer system. It usually takes 5-6 passes if it's a small school because students spell their names differently, mix up SSN's and use Dad's address on one document and Mom's on the other. It's tedious and time-consuming to get everyone's scholarship recorded properly and everyone has to wait until all the awards are in before the department can issue a revised document to the family.

Not making excuses or accusations, just saying that's the process for the state and nationals scholarships. Patience is difficult, I know, but at least you received a straight answer.

My DD's college aid office actually lied to me, saying they "never received" her scholarship award and there was "no way" it could have been overlooked. I work in college admissions and the scholarship award is one of my benefits. I was on the phone with the clearing house within a minute. DD's school was red-faced when the scholarship organization called them out on the fib, saying they had receipts with timestamps. Turned out, their main campus in another state was supposed to be processing them and they forgot to apply the awards for DD's campus.

 

[monarchsfan16]

Financial aid and business services were my two most hated departments at the school I got both my undergrad and grad degrees at. During grad school I had an assistantship (tuition waivers) and a preservice training grant. Both were being overseen by the university. Both were actually deposited into my account late every semester. This required face time in both offices, so that I could get cleared to register for classes. This all came after hunting down letters from my department that the money was coming.

 

[DisneyHumbug]

I always found it easier if you had one "go to" person in the financial aid office. This way you could explain the whole story the first time and the 2nd (and 3rd) time you call you would at least be familiar to them! Make sure they don't charge you a late fee while you're waiting for that scholarship money to post.

 

[MrsPete]

They often do the same with loans. Watch out for finance charges now for not having paid in full by the due date.

After three kids in college and two still in grad school....Yes, they send out the bill on time. You have two choices if you are either waiting for a scholarship, grant or loan to post. You can go ahead and pay the bill and there will be a refund (and this is important) made out TO THE STUDENT, not you, when everything finanlly posts.

Or, you can just wait it out. It will eventually straighten out as long as the student stays on top of the requirements. It also works better if the student actually goes to the office and camp out if there are severe problems. But in OP's case, it should straighten out about mid September.

We have gone almost to the end of the semester several times. I could write a book about Financial Aid.

Finance charges . . . refund made out to the student . . . these are things that hadn't come to my mind yet.

It's only two hours to her college. I've talked to them, but if it's not credited by August 1st I will drive up there. The bill is due August 8th.

Sounds like I'm writing Chapter 1 of my Financial Aid book. I just never thought this would be a problem. I thought you won a scholarship, the school said, "Great, you being more able to pay certainly help us! Let me credit that to your account." Naive, I suppose.

Nope. At the North Carolina public universities, you don't get finance charges -- your child gets her schedule cancelled. Our 529 plan overseer mailed a check for the wrong amount one semester and my son's classes were cancelled and he had to re-register. Since then, I've requested the money ahead of time and mailed the check myself.

We've also had trouble keeping the health insurance payment from appearing on the bill at two different schools. It does get credited back, but it would be easier if it just wasn't there. If you've managed to avoid that on her bill, then you're doing great.

Yes, I read -- was it an email? -- about how in past years they've allowed a grace period, but for whatever reason that is now impossible, and they will cancel her schedule on August 9th if the bill isn't paid. I can pay -- I'd just rather get it right the first time.

No trouble with the health insurance thing.

I can give you the view from the other side of the admissions/financial aid desk. Between now and the first day that college starts, there will be "melt." That's when students who have deposited and expect to enroll suddenly change their mind for one reason or another. That leaves empty seats to be filled and a lot of scrambling for last-minute enrollments from the waiting list.

That large scholarship comes in electronic form and someone in financial aid has to retrieve the file and apply it to their computer system. It usually takes 5-6 passes if it's a small school because students spell their names differently, mix up SSN's and use Dad's address on one document and Mom's on the other. It's tedious and time-consuming to get everyone's scholarship recorded properly and everyone has to wait until all the awards are in before the department can issue a revised document to the family.

Not making excuses or accusations, just saying that's the process for the state and nationals scholarships. Patience is difficult, I know, but at least you received a straight answer.

My DD's college aid office actually lied to me, saying they "never received" her scholarship award and there was "no way" it could have been overlooked. I work in college admissions and the scholarship award is one of my benefits. I was on the phone with the clearing house within a minute. DD's school was red-faced when the scholarship organization called them out on the fib, saying they had receipts with timestamps. Turned out, their main campus in another state was supposed to be processing them and they forgot to apply the awards for DD's campus.

Yeah, having taught seniors forever, I've known more than a few students who changed their mind at the last minute: Either they realized that they just couldn't afford the cost, or they decided they didn't want to leave home, or they really weren't ready for college . . . I understand the melt thing.

I have more trouble understanding why a department of professional people would screw up large numbers of scholarships -- and what I'm hearing here is that my daughter's situation isn't unusual. It's just addition and subtraction.

Thanks to all for your advice.
I do think this will all be resolved, but I'm not sure it'll be resolved by the time the bill is due.

 

[Debbie7452]

Wow, our school always applies the scholarships before the due date. It's really late and only a few days before the due date but at least they get there! I had to learn to be patient. However, our bills aren't due that early either...so I guess it works out better. Our bills are due right before classes start. I always set up a payment plan.