& Student Handbook - Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

24 Saint Maryʼs University of Minnesota
Business Office
All tuition payments should be sent to the Business Office:
Business Office
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
700 Terrace Heights #8
Winona, MN 55987
Phone: (507) 457-1444
Toll-free: (877) 304-4273
To express concerns contact:
Student Services
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
2500 Park Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55404-4403
Toll-free: (866) 437-2788
E-mail: tc-studentservices@smumn.edu
Insufficient Funds Checks
A service charge of $20.00 will be assessed against the student’s
account for each check returned for insufficient funds.
Delinquent Account Policy
The university reserves the right to modify the terms and conditions of
this policy prior to registration for any semester by sending a written
notice to students at their last known billing address. Students are
responsible for providing the business office with an accurate and
current billing address, telephone numbers, and e-mail address.
Students with balances on their accounts on the billing date of any month
will receive a statement with the amount owed designated as the new
balance. Payments are due on or before the 15th day of the following
month after the course begins. Payments, credits, or charges received or
made after the billing date will be reflected on the next monthly statement.
If the new balance shown on the monthly statement is paid before the
15th of the following month, no finance charge will accrue. If full payment
is not made by the 15th, a finance charge is imposed on the adjusted
balance of the account. The university will use a monthly periodic rate
which corresponds to an annual percentage rate of 12 % to compute the
finance charge. The university calculates the finance charge by applying
the periodic rate to the adjusted balance of the student’s account. The
adjusted balance is calculated by taking the balance owed at the end of
the previous billing cycle and subtracting any unpaid finance charges
and payments or credits received during the present billing cycle. The
student may pay the balance in full at any time.
Accounts are delinquent when the payment terms on a student’s account
have not been met. When an account becomes past due, a past due
notice will be generated on the student’s billing statement.
The university has the right to take steps to collect the balance owed
including, but not limited to, prohibiting the student from registering for
classes; withholding course credits, official academic transcripts, and
diplomas; remanding the student’s account to a collection agency; and
taking legal action to collect the amount due. The university is authorized
to release financial information to those concerned with collecting the
balance owed. The student shall pay all costs incurred by the university
in association with collecting monies owed. This may include collection
agency fees, attorney fees, and court costs.
Student’s Billing Rights
If a student believes a bill is incorrect, or if a student needs more
information about a bill, the student should contact:
Business Office
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
700 Terrace Heights #8
Winona, MN 55987
Phone: (507) 457-1444
Toll-free: (877) 304-4273
The student must contact the university in writing within 60 days of the
charges in question. In the letter, the student must provide the following
information:
• Student name and account number.
• Dollar amount of suspected error.
• Description of the error or an explanation of why the student believes
there is an error. If the student needs more information, describe the
item about which the student is unsure.
The university will acknowledge the student’s letter within 30 days,
unless it has corrected the error by then. Within 90 days, the university
will either correct the error or provide explanation as to why it believes
the bill to be correct.
After the university receives the student’s letter, it may not attempt to collect
the amount in question or report the student as delinquent. However, the
university may continue to bill the student for the amount in question,
including finance charges. The student is not obligated to pay the parts of
the bill in question, but is responsible for the remainder of the balance, if any.
If the university finds an error was made, the student will not have to pay
the amount or any finance charge which may have accrued on the
amount in question. If the university finds no mistake, the student is then
immediately responsible for the amount, and may be responsible for any
finance charges accrued. In either case, the university will send out a
new statement which reflects the amount the student owes.
If the university’s explanation does not satisfy the student, the student
must inform the university within 10 days that he or she still refuses to
pay the bill in question. The university will then tell any party to whom it
reports the student’s nonpayment that the student has a question about
the bill. The university will further tell the student the name of anyone to
whom it reports nonpayment information. The university is further
obligated to report to all parties when the matter has been resolved.
If the university fails to follow the above rules, it cannot collect the first
$50 of the questioned amount, even if the bill was correct.