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Home > Parents Handbook > Frequently Asked Questions > Accounts - Billing
Student Accounts Billing FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Mount Holyoke eliminating paper bills?
Why is Mount Holyoke eliminating paper bills?
By moving to an eBill, we reduce paper, allow viewing access by parents and other sponsors when a student chooses, speed up the delivery process, and reduce postage costs.
What if I need a paper bill or access to a prior bill?
Students or authorized users can print the official bill from CASHNet for their records or other agencies. They can also view current and past bills at CASHNet.
When will the online bill be available?
We began implementation in May with online bill access in addition to paper bills. All bills from May, 2008, on will be accessible electronically. By July 1, paper bills will be eliminated for active students. As of July 1, we will send email notifications only to the students and to anyone that students authorize to receive the notifications.
How will students be notified to log in and view the bill?
When the bill is ready for viewing (early in each month), students will receive an email with a url to view the bill. The link will take them to an ISIS login page and then to “Online AR Account Activity and eBill." They will choose “View/Pay eBill” under "CASHNet eBill and ePayment." They will then enter the CASHNet site. Parents and sponsors who were added as authorized users by the student will receive an email with the url link to the CASHNet log-in page: https://commerce.cashnet.com/mtholyokepay.
Who receives the bill?
The bill is available online to students and those whom the students designate as authorized users. Students and authorized users receive email notification when the monthly bill is ready to view. The July and December bills will include semester charges. Students are encouraged to add parents or others as authorized users if they are responsible for payment.
How do students add parents and other sponsors as authorized users?
After logging into ISIS, choosing “Online AR Account Activity and eBill” and then choosing “View/Pay eBill” under CASHNet eBill and ePayment, the student will enter the CASHNet site. Under Authorized Users, the student chooses “Add New” to create an authorized user log-in ID and password. Students can choose to give authorized users permission to view the bill only, pay the bill only, or view and pay the bill. The authorized user’s email address must also be added. The student must notify her authorized users of their IDs and temporary passwords. Once added as authorized users, the parents and sponsors will log in to https://commerce.cashnet.com/mtholyokepay using the user ID and temporary password provided by the student, changing the temporary password immediately.
Each month, authorized users will receive the email notification whenever there is a bill ready to be viewed provided the student selected that option for the user. Authorized users can update their email address used for notification and save payment methods such as ACH or credit card information. Students may also set themselves up as authorized users using their Mount Holyoke or a different email address, thereby having the choice of logging in through ISIS or through the CASHNet site directly.
How do students remove an authorized user that has been set up?
Students can disable authorized users by choosing “Edit” for the authorized user and “No” for the options to view the bill or receive notification.
What will the bill show?
The bill will show charges and credits in detail for the prior month as well as past due balances and the balance due. The July and December bills will include semester charges for tuition, room and board, and the Student Government Association (SGA) fee. The annual health insurance fee is billed for the full year in July; spring entrants are billed for seven months of coverage with the December bill.
Students access the eBill and Online AR Account Activity through ISIS. The Account Activity provides account detail (charges and credits) for the past 30 days of account posting. Students may also choose a different start date to display postings other than 30 days prior. The eBill and Account Activity only show posted charges. Most student charges for the month are not posted until the first week of the following month (e.g. course materials, physical education fees, bookstore, health services), but will reflect the date of service when posted.
Why doesn’t the balance on the bill match the current balance?
The bill balance is based on one point in time—the end of the month. The current balance will also reflect charges and credits since the bill was generated.
How do students or authorized users pay the bill?
Students and authorized users should print or download the bill first for financial records. The top portion of the bill can be returned with check payment, or students and authorized users can use one of the new online payment options: ACH or credit card payment. Our other payment options will also continue to be available (TuitionPay Payment Plan, wire transfers, and/or educational loans).
How do users save payment methods?
If ePayment is used, users can save the payment method for future use at the time they make the payment by “naming” the payment method. Only the authorized user will have access to viewing/editing the payment methods set up in that authorized user’s record. However, if the student changes the password for an authorized user, all saved payment method information will be lost.
When will late fees be applied?
Payment must be received by the due date to avoid late charges. Bills will be generated within the first 10 days of each month; the due date will be the last day of the month. Late fees of 1% per month will be assessed on past due balances (balance forward) before each bill is generated. In August and January, an additional $100 late penalty will be assessed on past due semester charges (tuition, room and board, SGA fee). Financial aid and certified loans that have not yet disbursed will display as pending aid for the first three bills of each semester. In those months, late fees will only be charged on balances due after pending aid is applied. Pending aid will expire in late September and late February. At that point, late fees will be applied on all past due balances regardless of the expectation of outstanding aid or loans.
How does pending aid affect the balance?
Bills with pending aid (expected but not yet disbursed, such as loan funds or expected outside scholarships) will show a balance with the pending aid taken into account. Therefore, the ePayment balance will be different than the Online AR Account Activity balance found at ISIS which only reflects actual charges and credits. At the end of September and the end of February, pending aid is no longer taken into consideration when determining the balance due. All required documents should be submitted and promissory notes and entrance counseling completed by the end of the first month of each semester. Once pending aid is no longer considered, late fees may apply.
Why hasn’t my pending aid disbursed?
Financial aid may not be disbursed until all verification is complete; loans may not be disbursed until promissory notes have been received and the loan has been certified.
Please note that work study will never appear as pending aid since students earn those funds and are paid directly. If a student is expecting a scholarship from an outside source that has not been credited by the September invoice in the fall or the February invoice in the spring, please call 413-538-2291 or email Student Financial Services, as paperwork may be missing from the file.
For the fall semester, all required paperwork should be received and promissory notes signed by September 30 to assure that all aid and loans can be disbursed by the time the October statement is generated. For the spring, the notes should be signed by February 28. Pending aid will only be displayed in the first three billing cycles of each semester. Once pending aid expires, late fees will be applied on all past due balances regardless of the expectation of outstanding aid or loans.
When do registration holds, room draw holds, and transcript holds take effect?
Registration holds and room draw holds take effect when a student has a significant past due balance. A student may not register for the next semester, add or drop classes, participate in the room draw or singles lottery or receive her diploma until her past due balance is paid in full or satisfactory payment arrangements are made. Transcript holds are invoked for any current student with a past due balance of $100 or more. Former students may not order transcripts unless the balance is paid in full.
What happens if I don’t receive notification of the bill?Bills must be paid by the due date to avoid late charges. The first email notification is sent when the eBills are published for viewing. If students do not log in to view the bill within five days, a reminder email will be sent. Students are responsible for making sure electronic mailboxes are not over quota and that spam filters are not excluding emails from sfs@mtholyoke.edu. The MHC email is used for official communication to students including billing notification. We expect all students to check their campus email and ISIS accounts regularly and, even if email notification is not received, to check for a bill within the first week to ten days of each month.
I am a First Year student. Where is my $300 enrollment deposit?
Your enrollment deposit is credited in its entirety to your first semester’s tuition bill.
May I pay by credit card?
You may pay the tuition bill by credit card through the TuitionPay Payment Plan or by using the ePayment option through CASHNet. CASHNet assesses a service charge of 2.9% on all credit card payments through ePayment. Please contact TuitionPay at 1-800-635-0120 for fee information on their credit card option. Mount Holyoke College does not receive any funds from the service charge.
What is the “service charge”?
When a credit card is used to pay a balance, CASHNet assesses a 2.9% service charge on the payment that will also be charged to the credit card. The service charge will be clearly shown on the payment screen (shopping cart) as a separate item, but will not be broken out as a separate charge on the credit card statement. Only the total transaction (account balance paid plus the service charge) will be recorded on the credit card. Mount Holyoke does not receive any funds from service charges.
Why can’t we use VISA?
VISA only allows flat fee service charges. As balances vary significantly in amount from bill to bill, the flat fee is not practical and we therefore cannot offer VISA.
Why am I billed for health insurance? Or, I already waived it last year!
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that all regular full-time students be billed for injury and sickness insurance. Domestic students who have comparable coverage with a U.S. insurance carrier and who do not wish to accept this coverage must complete the online Koster Waiver Form by the waiver deadline for the health insurance charge to be reversed. You will be billed each year and must verify coverage each year in order to waive the insurance.
Students who have been covered under Mass Health should not waive health insurance, especially in the year in which they turn 20 years old. Mass Health will not cover students who are eligible for campus health insurance and may drop coverage in the middle of the academic year when student dependents turn 20 or are audited for college enrollment. Students who must enroll in health insurance after being dropped by another insurance carrier will be billed the full year's premium if enrolling prior to January 15 and the spring only premium if enrolling after January 14. Health insurance coverage cannot be prorated for the semester.
What is the SGA fee?
The Student Government Association fee is required for all students. These fees make up the total budget of the SGA and are allocated to special monetary funds and approximately 160 student-run organizations that help to provide the campus with its rich and diverse life beyond the classroom. In addition, a portion of the activities fee is contributed to the University of Massachusetts Fine Arts Center, enabling Mount Holyoke students to obtain subscription and individual tickets at half cost and helping to bring special events to Mount Holyoke's campus. The activity fee also supports the Five College bus system that enables Mount Holyoke students to participate in the Five College academic exchange program and to take advantage of events in the Pioneer Valley. The amount is determined by students annually. Why are there additional registration fees later in the semester?
Departments may assess registration materials (packet) fees for certain courses. Packets are additional course materials distributed to students enrolled in the course. SFS bills for the packets when requested by the department. While the charges are usually assessed in October and March, additional course materials may be required later in the semester and will be billed at that time. Other course registrations, such as riding or music lessons for non-majors, include additional registration fees as well. Full information on fees may be found in the Catalogue.
When will I receive a check for any overpayment?
Credits that occur during a semester will be refunded upon request, either via email (with specific instructions on where the refund should be sent) or by completing a Credit Balance Request form (PDF) and returning it to Student Financial Services, 16 Skinner Hall. For students who are living off-campus or Frances Perkins students who are awaiting living expenses, refunds will be done as quickly as practicable following the add/drop period. Students who are studying abroad should complete a Study Abroad refund request.
What is Advanced Tuition or Horse Board?
In addition to paying the current balance, students or authorized users may pay the Horse Board deposit or pay for future charges on the bill.
Still have questions about billing and financing options or student/parent loans and financing options?
On the Web: Student Financial Services
Phone: 413-538-2291
Email: Student Financial Services
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