Office of Student Accounts
Haven-Warren Hall, Room 204
Telephone: (404) 880-8037

The mission of the Office of Student Accounts is to effectively manage and monitor student accounts receivable processes and services that successfully facilitate their continued matriculation at Clark Atlanta University. The vision of the Office of Student Accounts is to enhance the integration of technology-based student financial management services to support the students’ financial enrollment obligation.

The Office of Student Accounts is responsible for handling all transactions affecting accounts receivable including billing students, recording payments, processing refunds, coordinating payment plans, collecting outstanding balances, and documenting the receipt of funds necessary for processing students’ requests to have official transcripts mailed out.

Each semester the office ensures that students have met their financial obligations to the University before being permitted to register for classes, reserve housing or receive a transcript. The Office of Student Accounts is the final exiting point that each student must clear in order to graduate from the University.

https://www.cau.edu/division-of-finance/student-accounts/index.html

Graduate Tuition and Fees

https://www.cau.edu/division-of-finance/student-accounts/Grad-fee-sheet-2021-2022-updated-9.241.pd

Residence Hall and Meal Plan Rates

https://www.cau.edu/division-of-finance/student-accounts/tuition-and-fees.html

• All tuition and other charges are due and payable on or before enrollment deadline date. Failure to satisfy this requirement or make satisfactory financial arrangements for each academic term will result in cancellation of registration.
• Financial aid awards and other payments made on account may be counted toward satisfying a student's financial obligation to Clark Atlanta University. Otherwise, students must pay outstanding charges from other resources by the deadline for enrollment.

Note: Federal financial aid in the form of Pell Grants and loans is normally not sufficient to cover the entire cost of tuition, fees, room, and board. Students should expect to pay a portion of these charges not covered by financial aid and loans, depending on students’ financial aid eligibility, available funds, and housing arrangements.

Tuition Payment Plans

https://www.cau.edu/division-of-finance/student-accounts/payment-information.html

Students who have selected to enroll in the Tuition Payment Plan will receive monthly invoices regarding their installment plan payment. Failure to comply with the terms of the Tuition Payment Plan agreement will result in the cancellation of their payment plan. Any cancellation in payment plan or failure to accept a revised payment plan agreement will result in a hold being placed on the student’s account at the end of the term which will prevent the student from registering for a future term.

Tuition Payment Plans are subject to change if additional charges are assessed to the student’s account after the initial setup of a payment plan. Notification will be sent to the email address of the “Payer” on record. 

Payment plans are offered to students each semester to assist in paying the remaining balance for a current semester. The payment plan requires an enrollment fee of $70.00 along with the first month’s installment to activate your payment plan. Installment payments are subsequently due on the 1st of every month regardless of what day you enroll in the tuition payment plan. Students must set up a new payment plan at the beginning of every term. The University does not offer payment plans during summer semesters.

To Enroll in Tuition Payment Plan

Students must log on to Banner Web and complete the following steps:

1. Select Student Services and Financial Aid
2. Select Student Records
3. Select Tuition Payment Plan

Note: If students fail to pay their balance in full for the semester in which the charges are incurred, they will not be allowed to register for classes or receive additional services until all financial obligations have been met.

BILLING INFORMATION

All tuition, fees, housing and meal plan charges must be paid each semester by the dates as published in the University’s Academic Calendar. Failure to meet payment deadlines may result in course cancellation.

Note: Students should activate their CAU email address as soon as possible as this is the University’s official method of communicating with students.

Responsibility for Paying Charges

Students are responsible for satisfying all tuition and other charges in accordance with the terms described herein on or before registration each semester.

Methods of Payment

Before the start of each academic year, the University publicizes the deadlines for students to clear their financial obligations. Payment for charges may be made by cashier’s check, money order, certified check or credit card (American Express, Discover, MasterCard, or Visa) through the following methods:

• To pay online by credit card: access Banner Web at www.cau.edu. Students will need both their CAU student identification numbers and PIN numbers in order to access Banner Web.
• Mail money orders and certified funds payable to:
  Clark Atlanta University
  Office of Student Accounts
  223 James P Brawley Drive, SW
  Atlanta, GA 30317

Payments can be made in person. The office is located on the second floor of Haven-Warren Hall, Room 204.

Credit Balance Refunds

Financial aid disbursements occur after the 10th day of the academic period in order to comply with federal regulations regarding certification of class attendance. Funds generally are not applied to students’ accounts until the financial enrollment process has been completed and the attendance requirement has been met. Loans funds for first-time borrowers are not disbursed until the 30th day of class, per federal regulations.

Students who are the recipient of the Pell Grant and have a credit balance upon confirmation of enrollment are advanced funds by the 7th day of the academic term to purchase books and supplies. The method of delivery of the advance will depend upon the student’s opting to have a refunds deposited to their BankMobile Vibe Account or having the funds direct deposited to their personal checking account.

BankMobile Vibe Account

http://bankmobiledisbursements.com/refundchoices/

Notes:

• Credits from external scholarships may need approval from donor before refund is processed.
• Institutional scholarships are nonrefundable.

Parent PLUS Loan Refunds will be mailed to the parents at the address on record for the Parent. Upon written notarized authorization by the Parent, Parent Plus loans may be refunded to the student. Students will not be allowed to pick up Parent PLUS Loan refunds.

OFFICIAL WITHDRAWALS AND CANCELLATIONS

The Official University Withdrawal Period begins on the first official class day of the fall and spring semesters. Students who officially withdraw from the University during the first five (5) weeks of the fall or spring semester may be entitled to a partial refund of tuition, fees, room, and board in accordance with the following schedule:

All refunds are determined by the date that the University Registrar signs the student’s official withdrawal application from the University. While a refund of institutional charges may be appropriate, students receiving federal and state funds may not receive a refund. A refund caused by federal and state aid will be returned to the appropriate federal or state financial aid program.

Collection of Past Due Balances

Upon withdrawal from the University, a student may have an outstanding balance. If the balance is not paid, the account will be turned over to the University’s collections department for collecting the amount owed to the University. If the balance is not paid by end of the subsequent semester, this balance may be referred to a third-party collection agency. The student will be responsible for any attorneys' fees and other reasonable costs and charges necessary for the collection of any amount not paid.

How Financial Aid Payments are Applied

To become enrolled for a term, students are required to satisfy all of their financial obligations to the University.

BILLING AND REGISTRATION

The billing statement mailed to students by the Office of Student Accounts will list the charges for tuition, fees, and room and board for students living in campus housing, plus any other amounts owed to the University. Some of the financial aid the student is eligible to receive for the academic term may appear as a credit on his/her account if all documents were received by the Office of Financial Aid at least two (2) weeks before the bill was produced. For student loans, the amount credited to the account may be less than the amount that appears on the award letter. This difference results from the loan origination fees deducted from the loan by the lender.

CREDIT

Financial aid awarded may appear on the student's invoice after he/she registers for classes. This aid will not be applied to the student's account until he/she has met all eligibility requirements and enrollment is complete. Listed are examples of aid that will be applied to the student's account after the start of the semester:

1. Federal Subsidized loans, Unsubsidized loans, Parent Plus loans, Graduate Plus Loan (pending receipt of funds from the student’s lender)
2. Federal Student Equalization Opportunity Grants
3. Federal Pell Grants
4. CAU Tuition Waiver
5. Scholarships

Financial aid awarded prior to the start of the semester will be listed as pending on the student account statement. This will allow for students to complete the enrollment process. Once the semester has begun and attendance confirmed funds will be credited to the student account.

PRIVATE LOAN FUNDS

Most private loan funds are sent to the institution by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) and do not require the student's signature. Excess loan funds will be available approximately five (5) working days after the last day of Drop/Add Period.

WIRE TRANSFERS

The University has arranged with some lenders to transfer loan proceeds electronically from the lender directly to the student's account. In these instances, a loan credit will appear on the student's account and check endorsement will not be required.

SCHOLARSHIP CHECKS

Donors may send a scholarship check to Office of Student Accounts on behalf of the student. Scholarship checks should be made co-payable to Clark Atlanta University and the student. If the scholarship check is co-payable, the student must endorse the check in the Student Account's Office. If the scholarship check is made payable to Clark Atlanta University only, it does not require the student's endorsement. The amount of the scholarship will appear as a credit on the student’s billing statement. If the student wishes to use the scholarship to assist in covering his/her charges, the student is responsible for ensuring that the scholarship check is received by the Office of Student Accounts by the time charges are due.

Note: The student is responsible for paying in full each semester the balance due on his/her bill. If the student chooses to pay in installments rather than in full, he/she may setup a payment plan with ECSI via the student’s BannerWeb Account.

Return of Funds to Title IV Policy

This is a federally mandated policy that governs the return of Title IV funds disbursed to students who withdraw from Clark Atlanta University. This policy deals with federal aid only and does not affect the student's charges. Federal Work-Study funds are excluded from this policy. Students should contact the Office of Student Accounts for further information on how their charges may be affected if they withdraw from all classes.

Students may officially withdraw from the University following the official university withdrawal procedures or stop attending classes without formal notification to withdraw which is considered “Unofficially Withdrawn”. This policy affects both, the students who officially or unofficially withdraws from the University for the term and have been awarded Title IV Federal Financial Aid. If the Office of Financial Aid posts federal aid to the student's account and the student withdraws from all classes the Office of Financial Aid may be required to remove some or all federal aid from the student’s account and return it to the funding source. The amount of federal aid that will be removed depends on the date on which the student withdraws during the semester.

The return of Title IV funds is based on the date the student withdraws from the University. The date of the University Registrar’s signature is the student’s official date of withdrawal from the University and a final grade of "W" is assigned to the student’s academic transcript for all courses in which they were enrolled. If the student has received support from Federal Title IV Financial Aid programs for the term in which the student is withdrawing, the official date of withdrawal from the University must be used to determine any required "Return of Title IV” funds to the Department of Education and the student’s remaining financial obligation to the University. The calculation used to determine the return of Title IV funds is the same for both official and unofficial withdrawals as follows:

During the first 60% of the enrollment period (semester or term), a student earns federal funds in direct proportion to the length of time he/she remains enrolled. A student who remains enrolled beyond the 60% point of the enrollment period earns 100% of the financial aid awarded for the term.

The percentage of the period that the student remained enrolled is determined by dividing the number of days the student attended by the number of days in the term. Calendar days are used in the determination of percentages. Breaks of five (5) days or longer are excluded in the calculations. If the amount of Title IV funds disbursed is greater than the amount of Title IV funds earned by the student, a return of Title IV funds is necessary. Both the University and the student are responsible for returning a percentage of the unearned aid.

The Office of Financial Aid calculates the Return of Funds and determines what proceeds must be returned to funding agencies in the following order:

• Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loans (other than PLUS Loans)
• Subsidized Direct Stafford Loans
• Federal Perkins Loans
• Federal PLUS Loans
• Direct PLUS Loans
• Federal Pell Grants for which a return of funds is required
• Academic Competitiveness Grants for which a return of funds is required
• National SMART Grants for which a return of funds is required
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG) for which a return of funds is required
• Federal TEACH Grants for which a return of funds is required
• Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant for which a return of funds is required

Once the funds are debited and returned to the appropriate programs the student may end up with a balance owed to the University as they have not earned all the funds that were initially credited to their account. In some instances, as a result of the Return to Title IV Calculation a student may be obligated to return a Title IV grant overpayment. The repayment is made the same order that is required for schools. Students will be officially notified if they have an overpayment.

Grant overpayments may be resolved through:

• Full and immediate repayment to the institution;
• Repayment arrangements satisfactory to the school; or
• Overpayment collection procedures negotiated with Debt Resolution Services, 1-800-621-3115

Note: All students leaving the University, for any reason, are advised to contact the Office of Student Accounts, the Office of the University Registrar, and the Office of Financial Aid to ensure that all financial matters are handled properly.