What You Can Expect From Campus Financial Services

March 5, 2018

What is the main role of campus financial services?

In general, campus financial services provides information and answers to questions regarding student accounts and payment plans.

What's the difference between financial aid, financial services, or student employment?

Financial services, financial aid, and student employment often work closely on administering student finances. Sometimes more than one office may need to be involved in answering a student's question.

In general, here's a way to tell the offices apart: Financial aid completes financial aid awards for incoming and returning students based on federal and state regulations. It also certifies student and parent loan applications and offers financial counseling for students. Students who have questions about their accounts and payment plans should direct those to financial services. Student employment can answer questions about work study.

Can work study money be used to pay my tuition?

This can vary by institution. In some cases, you can directly apply your work study money to tuition. For colleges that don't allow this, other options may be available.

How do students see charges and pay their tuition?

How students are informed about charges and pay their bill can vary by institution. At Luther, students receive their statements of account at least twice a year. If other charges are due, emails may be sent asking students to review their account and pay their balance by a specified date.

Are payment plans available?

Payment plans are available from many institutions. Some options include making payments annually, by semester, or monthly. In some cases, certain payment options may require a fee to participate in the plan.

What's good to know

Whatever charges you may incur during your college years, there are staff members that can help you with finding ways to manage them. If you have questions about a college expense, contact the office you feel can help you best answer your question. If they can't provide you with the help you need, they'll be glad to point you in the right direction.