The University expects about 300 students to benefit from the recent extension of a policy that will allow students to pre-register for classes next semester even if they have large unpaid tuition balances, according to Elizabeth Gentry, assistant vice president for financial and administrative services.
Pre-registration this week will mark the third straight semester in which the normal rules will be waived. Provost David Kertzer '69 P'95 P'98 first announced the temporary policy a year ago in response to the economic crisis and its effect on students' families.
Typically, all undergraduate, graduate and medical students are blocked from pre-registering for classes if they owe the University more than $1,000.
"We thought that there was a lot of uncertainty about the economy, and we knew that many families were feeling anxious," Kertzer said Monday. "We wanted to be helpful, and that's why we temporarily relaxed the policy."
In concert with the rule waiver, the University has allowed financial aid counselors to work closely with certain students and find solutions to keep them enrolled.
"We always have families that struggle," Gentry said, "and that's why we work closely with families to address their needs and give them as much help as they can."
About 360 students benefited from the waiver when it was first instituted a year ago, The Herald reported in January. Gentry said she did not know offhand how many students took advantage of the waiver during pre-registration in April for the current semester.
Although the normal policy has not been enforced since pre-registration for the fall 2008 semester, it will likely take effect again when the economic situation improves, Gentry said.
"I don't believe it's going to become a permanent policy," she said. "It's going to be something we work with semester to semester."
Kertzer said administrators understand that the economy is poor and that a balance needs to be struck between paying the bills and helping those in need. "It's in the interest of the institution for the tuition to be paid on time, but these uncertain times called for a different response for families having difficulties," he said.
He added that it was impossible to be absolutely sure what measures may be necessary for the next registration period in April, even though the economy is showing signs of a rebound.
"We're dealing with it one semester at a time," he said. "While many people are already breathing a sigh of relief, many families are still struggling."
Administrators will assess whether or not the lenient policy is still necessary next semester based on the state of the economy and feedback from families, he said.
Fortunately, Gentry said, there appear to be fewer students taking advantage of the relaxed policy. She said it was possible that even fewer than the estimated 300 students will need to take advantage of the waiver.
That would be an "encouraging" sign that fewer families are struggling to pay tuition this semester, she said.
