Student Financial Agreement

I understand that when I register for any class at Union College or receive any service from Union College, I accept full responsibility to pay all tuition, room and/or board charges, fees and other costs assessed as a result of my registration and/or receipt of services. I further understand and agree that my registration and acceptance of these terms constitutes a contractual agreement (i.e., a financial obligation in the form of an educational loan as defined by the U.S. Bankruptcy Code at 11 U.S.C. §523(a)(8)) in which Union College is providing me educational services, deferring some or all of my payment obligation for those services, and I promise to pay for all assessed tuition, room and/or board charges, fees and other costs by the published or assigned due date.

I understand and agree that if I drop or withdraw from some or all of the classes for which I register, I will be responsible for paying all or a portion of tuition, room and/or board charges and fees in accordance with the published refund schedule at Union.edu/bursar. I have read the terms and conditions of the published refund schedule and understand those terms are incorporated herein by reference. I further understand that my failure to attend class or receive a bill does not absolve me of my financial responsibility as described above.

Financial Hold: I understand and agree that if I fail to pay my student account bill or any monies due and owing Union College by the scheduled due date, Union College will place a financial hold on my student account, preventing me from registering for future classes and canceling any on-campus housing assignment for the upcoming term.

Late Payment Charge: I understand and agree that if I fail to pay my student account bill or any monies due and owing Union College by the scheduled due date, Union College will assess a late payment fee of $100.

Collection Agency And Attorneys’ Fees: I understand and accept that if I fail to pay my student account bill or any monies due and owing Union College by the scheduled due date, and fail to make acceptable payment arrangements to bring my account current, Union College may refer my account to a collection agency and/or an attorney. I further understand that if Union College refers my account balance to a third party for collection whether an attorney or collection agency, I will be responsible for any costs (including but not limited to collection and attorneys’ fees) associated with attempting to collect the monies due and owing. I understand a collection fee will be assessed and will be due and owing in full at the time of the referral to the third party. The collection fee will be calculated at the maximum amount permitted by applicable law but not to exceed 33% of the amount outstanding. If a lawsuit is filed to recover an outstanding balance, I shall also be responsible for any costs associated with the lawsuit such as court fees, reasonable attorneys’ fees and other applicable costs and fees. Finally, I understand that my delinquent account may be reported to one or more of the national credit bureaus.

Method of Communication: I understand and agree that Union College uses e-mail as an official method of communication with me, and that therefore I am responsible for reading the e-mails I receive from Union College on a timely basis.

Contact: I authorize Union College and its agents and contractors to contact me at my current and any future home or cellular phone number(s), email address(es) or wireless device(s) regarding my delinquent student account(s)/loan(s), any other debt I owe to Union College, or to receive general information from Union College. I authorize Union College and its agents and contractors to use automated telephone dialing equipment, artificial or pre-recorded voice or text messages, and personal calls and emails, in their efforts to contact me. Furthermore, I understand that I may withdraw my consent to call my home or cellular phone by submitting my request in writing to Bursar@union.edu or in writing to the applicable contractor or agent contacting me on behalf of Union College.

Updating Contact Information: I understand and agree that I am responsible for keeping Union College records up to date with my current physical addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers by completing the Registrar's Change of Address form found here. Upon leaving Union College for any reason, it is my responsibility to provide Union College with updated contact information for purposes of continued communication regarding any amounts that remain due and owing to Union College.

This agreement supersedes all prior understandings, representations, negotiations and correspondence between the student and Union College, constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the matters described, and shall not be modified or affected by any course of dealing or course of performance. This agreement may be modified by Union College if the modification is signed by me. Any modification is specifically limited to those policies and/or terms addressed in the modification.

I understand that Union College is bound by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) which may limit Union College from releasing information from my billing record without my written permission in certain circumstances. Therefore, I understand that if I want to request that Union College share information from my billing record with someone else, I must provide Proxy Access in Self Service https://selfservice.union.edu I further understand that I may revoke my proxy permissions at any time using Self Service.

I understand that aid described as “estimated” on my Financial Aid Award does not represent actual or guaranteed payment, but is an estimate of the aid I may receive if I meet all requirements stipulated by that aid program.

I understand that my Financial Aid Award is contingent upon my continued enrollment and attendance in each class upon which my financial aid eligibility was calculated. If I drop any class before completion, I understand that my financial aid eligibility may decrease and some or all of the financial aid awarded to me may be revoked.

If some or all of my financial aid is revoked because I dropped or failed to attend class, I agree to repay all revoked aid that was disbursed to my account and resulted in a credit balance that was refunded to me.

I agree to allow financial aid I receive to pay any and all charges assessed to my account at Union College such as tuition, fees, campus housing and meal plans, student health insurance, parking permits, service fees, fines, bookstore charges, or any other amount, subject to and in accordance with the terms of the aid.

Federal Aid: I understand that any federal Title IV financial aid that I receive, except for Federal Work Study wages, will first be applied to any outstanding balance on my account for tuition, fees, room and board to the extent permitted by law. Title IV financial aid includes aid from the Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Direct Loan, PLUS Loan, Perkins Loan, and TEACH Grant programs. I authorize Union College to apply my Title IV financial aid to other eligible charges assessed to my student account such as student health insurance, parking permits, bookstore charges, service fees and fines, and any other education related charges. I further understand that this authorization will remain in effect until I rescind it.

Awards, Scholarships, Grants: I understand that all awards, scholarships, and grants awarded to me by Union College will be credited to my student account and applied toward any outstanding balance. I further understand that my receipt of an award, scholarship, or grant is considered a financial resource according to federal Title IV financial aid regulations, and may therefore reduce my eligibility for other federal and/or state financial aid (i.e., loans, grants, Federal Work Study) which, if already disbursed to my student account, must be reversed and returned to the aid source.

I understand that Union College uses electronic billing (e-bill) as its official billing method, and therefore, I am responsible for viewing and paying my student account e-bill by the scheduled due date. I further understand that failure to review my e-bill does not constitute a valid reason for not paying my bill on time. E-bill information is available on the Student Finance page of Self Service.

I understand that administrative, clerical or technical billing errors do not absolve me of my financial responsibility to pay the correct amount of tuition, room and/or board charges, fees and other financial obligations assessed as a result of my registration at Union College.

If a payment made to my student account is returned by the bank for any reason, I agree to repay the original amount of the payment plus a returned payment fee of $25. I understand that multiple returned payments and/or failure to comply with the terms of any payment plan or agreement I sign with Union College may result in cancellation of my classes and/or suspension of my eligibility to register for future classes at Union College.

If I decide to completely withdraw from Union College, I will follow the instructions on the Union College Bursar page which I understand and agree are incorporated herein by reference.

I agree to provide my Social Security number (SSN) or taxpayer identification number (TIN) to Union College upon request as required by Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations for Form 1098-T reporting purposes. If I fail to provide my SSN or TIN to Union College, I agree to pay any and all IRS fines assessed as a result of my missing SSN/TIN. I consent to receive my annual IRS Form 1098-T, Tuition Statement, electronically from Union College and can find this form in Self Service. I understand that a paper copy of my 1098-T will be mailed to my home address on file and should I require an additional copy, I know I can print one using the electronic version in Self Service.

I understand and agree that if I am younger than the applicable age of majority when I execute this agreement that the educational services provided by Union College are a necessity, and I am contractually obligated pursuant to the “doctrine of necessaries.”

• All student account information is available online only via Self Service, our online billing and payment portal. Notifications of available e-bills are sent to the student only at their Union College email address.
• Students are responsible for authorizing third parties (i.e. parents/guardians) access to their student account information by establishing Authorized Users (proxies) via Self Service. Authorized Users receive e-billing notifications, can view student account information, and are able to make online payments.
• Union College and their respective agents and contractors are authorized to contact the individual(s) signing below regarding any debt due to the college at the current or any future number provided (cellular phone or other wireless device) using automated telephone dialing equipment or artificial or pre-recorded voice or text messages. Union College reserves the right to utilize any and all student documentation provided to any and all College offices for collection purposes.
• I have read the Union College Catalog section on “Cost and Financial Aid’ and ‘Withdrawal”, found at https://catalog.union.edu.