Paying Tuition

I am just going to jump into this. I defiantly agree with BYU's approach for its tuition policy. I also understand students helped create it. Although it seems like too much justice and not enough mercy, the policy must be effective.

Students who do not pay for their tuition by the final deadline have their classes dropped for the semester. Students are either required to reapply for admission (if they are a new student) or can defer the semester (for student who are just continuing). So it is good to know that, "Tuition and fees are due 7 days before the first day of class each semester." Then the policy continues to say, "Failure to pay by the Registration Add Deadline will result in the student’s classes being DELETED automatically, and they will not be reinstated if tuition is paid after the deadline. Late fees will no longer be assessed." Here is a link to the BYU tuition website.

So this would totally suck to forget to pay, be irresponsible and assume it will be taken care of, or expect even a parent to pay--and had your classes dropped. Buck up son--pay your tuition. First of all, as students register for classes, they get charged tuition. So as soon as you have registered for your classes, go on ahead and pay that tuition. Second, it is so easy to pay tuition online. Students line up at offices at the beginning of each semester when most all services are easily found online.

All a student needs to do is login to Route Y, go to the School tab, go to My Financial Center, go to Account Summary, and then hit the 'Make ePayment' button. You can pay online with a echeck or credit card. PAY HERE.

Let's talk about your payment options though. An online echeck is really the way to go. The payment withdraws the money from your account just like a check or debit card. No fees. It was campaign on campus a 'free, easy, and safe'--and it is. (If you have a pop-up blocker on your computer, override it before clicking make ePayment.)

If you do want to pay with your credit card, you can, but you will be charged an additional fee. Paying with a credit card is really only a good option for international students (international student's can pay with an echeck unless they have a U.S. bank account).

Ok, I mentioned parents paying tuition. It is not a parents responsibility to pay a students tuition. This sounds hard but it is true. As a parent if you choose to help out your kids in school, give them the cash and make them be responsible to pay their bills. Leaning to manage your personal finances is a huge deal! Teach your kids!!

FAQ's

• Why is there a fee for credit cards? Whenever a merchant accepts a credit card payment, they incur a fee from the credit card company. BYU lets you pay the fee if you want that convenience. BYU tuition is not expensive--yes, it is extremely inexpensive for what you get!
• Why is tuition so expensive? It is not expensive. The LDS church heavily subsidizes the tuition. The official statement says, "Tuition and general fees for all academic programs are established annually by Brigham Young University's Board of Trustees. BYU is owned and operated by the Church, and significant portions of university operating costs are paid with the tithes of Church members." I do not have any actual data but I have heard the LDS church pays around 80% of the actual tuition costs for LDS students.
• How much is tuition? For 2009-2010 tuition for a full-time LDS undergraduate will be $2,145. Check the tuition website for other rates.