Delinquent Accounts

All charges due to the University must be paid in full by the payment due date published each semester. Students enrolled and current with the tuition payment plan or those waiting for accepted and completed financial aid to be credited to their student account are able to defer that portion of their balance to be paid directly to the University.

Students whose accounts are delinquent will not be permitted to register for the next term or receive transcripts and diplomas.  A student who wishes to transfer to another institution must pay in full all indebtedness to The Catholic University of America before a transcript will be released.  The University may require payment of a delinquent account to be in the form of certified funds, such as cash, money order, or a cashier's check.

Returned Checks

Upon notification by the University's bank of a returned check, a negative service indicator is placed on the student's account and an offsetting debit is applied to the account to cancel the original payment.  A service charge will also be assessed to the account.

The University's bank does not allow us to present a returned check a second time; a replacement payment must be rendered to the University.  When satisfactory replacement payment has been made, the returned check is given back to the maker.

Accounts with returned checks are sent to the pre-collection process, which generates a series of notices to the student to contact the office of Enrollment Services.  At the end of the pre-collection process, if the student's returned check is not satisfied (replaced), then the account may be assigned to a collection agency.

A personal check will not be accepted to replace the returned item; payment must be made in the form of cash, money order, cashier's check, or credit/debit card payment.  A history of returned checks may lead to a requirement that all future payments be made in certified funds, cash, money order, or a credit/debit card.

Collection Process

The student receivable process begins when the student registers for courses, since the enrollment triggers charges for tuition and required fees.  If the student's account is not paid in a timely way, further collection efforts will be made to collect the amount owed.  If the account is sent to a collection agency, additional fees will be added to the balance due.  These fees may add up to over 33-1/3% of the original balance due. In addition, a delinquency report may be filed with a credit bureau.