UVA Collections is an internal Student Financial Services unit. It's our responsibility to collect delinquent long-term student loans and delinquent accounts receivable over 120 days from inactive students. The aging date for receivables is based on the original due date of the charges that were posted on the student account. One of our jobs is to help students figure out a way to pay the past due charges. Students are referred to internal UVA Collections only when enrollment with the University is inactivated. Currently enrolled students are excluded from the UVA Collections process.
All students are responsible for payment of charges in full by the due date. Any amount owed to the University including, but not limited to, tuition, fees, room, board, and loans, is considered a receivable to the University. A receivable becomes past due if payment is not received by the payment due date. When a receivable becomes past due a financial hold is placed that prevents students from registering for future terms or making changes to the current term schedule until the balance is paid in full. In addition, degree candidates must meet all financial requirements in order to be eligible for graduation-related privileges, including receiving their diploma and having their degree conferred.
Every student who has attended the University since fall 2012 has been required to sign an annual Financial Responsibility Agreement by which the student agrees to pay all charges on their student account.
See the current-year Financial Responsibility Agreement
If we cannot help you clear the debt through UVA Collections, we are required to refer outstanding obligations to external collection agencies. See the "Student Collections Timeline' below regarding UVA Collections activity and the referral process to outside collection agencies.
Collecting delinquent debts involves multiple communication methods including written, verbal, and in-person contact. If you received notice that your account was referred to a collection agency, all payment arrangements thereafter must be made through the collection agency.
Important Notes:
- Course Registration: Students will not be permitted to register for a new term until the account balance is paid in full, even if the student is enrolled in a Collection Payment Plan.
- Official Transcripts: Students who request an official transcript for employment, financial aid, or military purposes, or to transfer to another University are eligible to receive an official transcript provided appropriate payment arrangements are made with SFS to resolve their outstanding debt (or with an outside collection agency if their debt was referred), or they remain in good standing with an existing payment plan.
There are many terms related to collections activities that you might not be familiar with, so we have created a glossary of common terms available for you to keep close by as a reference.
UVA Collections is responsible for managing the past due debt. If you feel that you are being charged incorrectly, you should contact the department directly, as SFS collects on behalf of the University departments. If you are unsure who to contact, you can email our office at [email protected], and we'll help however we can.
When students reach collection status, eligible students, based on their account balance, may be offered a collection payment plan that carries no interest. If eligible for this payment plan, students and their Authorized Users will be notified by email from UVAPay. Only students can enroll in a collection payment plan. Authorized Users cannot enroll in collection payment plans on behalf of their students. Students select the number of installments they prefer, the date they want their automated payment to be processed every month, and pay a one-time $45 enrollment fee.
Collection payment plans can also be customized, within guidelines and limitations, to fit the student's monthly budget. The student must consult with UVA Collections staff to arrange a customized payment plan.
Course Registration: A student will not be permitted to register for a new term until the account balance is paid in full, even if the student is enrolled in a Collection Payment Plan.
Official Transcripts: A student who requests an official transcript for employment, financial aid, or military purposes, or to transfer to another University is eligible to receive an official transcript provided appropriate payment arrangements are made with SFS to resolve their outstanding debt (or with an outside collection agency if their debt was referred), or they remain in good standing with an existing payment plan.
There are several payment options available to you.
- Online through UVAPay (for students and authorized users)
- Payment plan: You can enroll in an online payment plan for monthly installments.
- E-check/ACH payments are free and must be drawn on standard U.S. checking or savings accounts (routing and account numbers required).
- Credit/Debit Card payments incur a 2.75% service fee.
- International payments: executed through Flywire via UVAPay.
- Domestic Wire transfers: executed through Flywire via UVAPay.
- By check mailed to Student Financial Services via USPS or express mail, or in person at the Cashier's Office in Carruthers Hall. For security and privacy reasons, our customer service representatives cannot take payment over the phone. See payment addresses.
Please note: A $50.00 return check fee will be assessed to your student account for all ACH or paper checks processed as nonsufficient funds (NSF). The $50.00 fee is in accordance with Virginia State Law (Va Code §8.01-27.1).
|
Days Past Due |
Action Taken |
|
0-119 |
Active/Current Student Billing
|
|
120 |
1st Past Due Notice Letter & Student Enters Internal UVA Collections
|
|
180 |
2nd Past Due Notice Mailed to Address on File
|
|
240 |
1st Phone Call
|
|
260 |
2nd Phone Call
|
|
300 |
3rd and Final Past Due Notice Mailed and Final Offer Email Sent By UVAPay
|
|
365 |
Bad Debt Assigned to Collection Agency for 365 Days (1st Agency Placement)
|
|
730 |
Account is Returned to UVA After One Year with 1st Placement Agency
|
|
790 |
Account is Sent to Alternate Collection Agency for 365 Days (2nd Agency Placement) |
|
1155 |
Account Returned to UVA after 365 Days for Final Write-Off
|
|
December 31 |
Send Account to SODC
|
The Set-Off Debt Collection (SODC) program was enacted by the Virginia General Assembly to provide Virginia agencies with the ability to collect unpaid debts by withholding funds from tax refunds, lottery winnings, and similar payments issued by other state agencies. For example, funds may be withheld from a debtor's state income tax refund to pay an overdue receivable held by a Virginia educational institution. The University is required by law to use these programs to collect delinquent outstanding debts.
The SODC Process:
- Prior to entering a debt into the SODC program, UVA Collections will send several written and emailed notifications to the student as indicated in the Collections Timeline, noted above.
- Student Collections continues its collection efforts until notified by the SODC program that the claim has been matched to an outgoing payment from another Virginia agency that is sufficient to settle the debt.
- When notified that a claim is matched, Student Collections verifies whether the debt remains valid (uncollected) and then provides the customer with written notice of the exact amount being withheld, the reason it is owed to the University, the amount of any remaining balance, and information on how to dispute the claim.
- The customer has 30 days from the date the notice was mailed to formally dispute the claim by contacting Student Collections ([email protected]).
Note: Funds collected through the SODC program are not applied to University debt until received from the Commonwealth of Virginia, which can take up to 3 months.
Collection Agencies
Related Information
Loan Servicer for UVA Institutional Loans