Consequences of Unpaid Balances

American Public University System (“APUS” or the “University”) provides high quality educational programs at an affordable cost. Each student is responsible for understanding their charges and meeting financial obligations associated with their education. While we understand that many students receive financial assistance from third parties, including military Tuition Assistance (TA), scholarships, private education loans, state grants and Federal Student Aid (FSA), the ultimate financial responsibility belongs to the student.

For students using U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs educational benefits, please refer to the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Payments section in the student handbook.

If for any reason a payment is not received and a balance exists on a student's account, the account is no longer considered in good standing and will be placed on Financial Hold. Common reasons for a financial hold include:

Outstanding tuition and fees are not paid in full by the payment deadline.
An approved ADP payment plan is not current.
Third-party payments (such as TA, FSA, or scholarships) are not received or have been returned.
A balance due exists after the term.

Consequences of a Financial Hold

If a student's account is on a financial Hold, they will be blocked from the following while the balance due is remaining:

Registering for another course.
Final clearance for graduation.
Being readmitted to the university.

Students should contact Student Support at 1-877-503-6277 or [email protected] as soon as possible to resolve any outstanding balances on their accounts.

Payment Policies

Students are responsible for making payment or entering into an approved payment arrangement prior to the start of the academic period (semester or session).

Students are financially responsible for all unpaid balances, including those that result from payments not received from, or payments returned to, third parties. Third parties include, but are not limited to, military Tuition Assistance (TA), Veteran’s benefits, employer education benefits, scholarships, private loans, state grants and Federal Student Aid (FSA).

Notifications regarding account balances are sent to the student’s email address. Students are responsible for maintaining their correct email address with APUS.

Outstanding Accounts and Collections Policy

Students are responsible for charges assessed to their account, regardless of whether notification was received regarding an unpaid balance. There may be financial impacts related to dropping or withdrawing from a course or the University. Refer to the Drops and Withdrawals Policies webpage for more information.

Student accounts are considered to be in good standing if by the payment deadline at the beginning of each academic period: (a) the student’s tuition and fees are paid in full; (b) the student has an approved payment arranged (approved by the Business Office) that is current in its payments; (c) the student has approved tuition assistance through a third party (ex: Military Tuition Assistance); or (d) the student has approved financial aid through Federal Student Aid; or (e) a scholarship sufficient to cover the student’s account balance.

A student account is not in good standing if there is an outstanding balance that is past due that will not be paid through an approved payment plan, third party benefit, or financial aid.

A student account will be placed on a balance due hold if third party payments are not received or are returned due to participation or eligibility rules. For students using U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs educational benefits, please refer to the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Payments section in the student handbook.

If activity, such as a change in funding eligibility, on a student account results in a balance later in, or after the term, a balance due hold will be placed on the account at that time.

If a student account is not in good standing it may, among other things, result in:

Cancellation of enrollment
Denial of registration for future classes
Denial of readmission
Failure to complete final clearance for graduation
Referral to collections agency

In the event a student's account is delinquent, the account may be referred to a collection agency. When an account is referred to an outside collection agency, the past due account may be reported to all national credit bureaus if the account is not satisfied. Once the account is referred to a collection agency, students will be contacted by a representative of that agency. Payments are then made directly to that agency and not the University.

Billing Rights Summary

If a student believes their account balance is incorrect, or they would like more information about a transaction on their account, the student may contact us as follows:

Telephone: 877-755-2787 ext: 8227
E-mail: [email protected]
Mail:
American Public University System
Attn: Business Office
111 West Congress Street
Charles Town, WV 25414

Please include the following information in the request:

Student name and student ID#.
The dollar amount of the suspected error.
A description of the error and an explanation, if possible, of why the student believes the error occurred or why the student is disputing the balance.

A student does not have to pay the amount in question while the University investigates, but the student is obligated to pay the portion of the bill that is not in question.