BEWARE of late charges

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

<p>Usually I pay for tuition on a monthly payment plan and it charges me each month.
This year I thought I would pay the whole semester at once before going on vacation. I checked the total cost, called the school and paid the full amount.
Three days later, my child added another course which he was on a wait list for. The school did not send me a bill or any information about the charge for the new course. Last Friday I got a notice that my bill was overdue and I was being charged a $100 late fee for not paying it on time. I called a very rude person at the cahier's office and was told that my child had added a course and there was a new charge. I told her that I never received a bill so how could I be responsible for the charge until I knew about it. She said they do not send out bills to the parents. The students are "suppose to check their oasis account weekly" and see if there are any new charges. I said that I am the one paying and how am I suppose to know. She said too bad, we do not send out invoices for charges. You have to pay the late fee. BE Forwarned.</p>

<p>I am so glad this is our last year. It is amazing that you pay so much money to people who are rude to you.</p>

2

<p>This isn’t a hidden charge, it’s a late fee. Remember that it’s the student, not the parent, who is responsible for paying tuition. USC has no obligation to contact parents since the fees and tuition and whatnot are being billed to the student. You may be the one with the money, but your child is a separate legal entity and USC is not required (or even allowed) to give you this kind of information.</p>

3

<p>Yes, that’s the case everywhere. I happened to check my son’s college website, and discovered a bar on his account because he owed $5 for something! So he now knows to check the site often and let me know when I need to pay a bill. Of course, I had already told him that, but now he knows why it’s important.</p>