Can someone explain my tuition bill to me?

[Al B. Sure!]

I really should learn how to read bills but i can't right now so could you help me understand my tuition bill. i'm copying it exactly as it is:

Balance Summary:

Fall 2003:
PA Resident Tuition 4067.00
Fees 425.00
Meal Plan Charges 1088.00
Credits 150.00- (minus sign here)
Estimated Financial Aid Credit 8258.00-

Financial Aid Information Fall 2003

Fund name/Offered/Applied

Pell Grant 2025 0
Federal Perkins Loan 370 0
Federal S.E.O.G. Grant 50 0
PA Stafford Loan 1313 0
University Scholarship 2250 0
M Liebovitz Schlp 2250 0
Financial aide 8258 0

Awards not applied to your balance

Federal Work Study 690


Activity Since Last Statement
Previous Account Balance .00

Fall 2003 and prior semester activity

Tuition Deposit 150.00-
Residence Hall Dep (which i also took back) 200.00-
Paymt transfer to (which i took back) 50.00-
Refund Check (the refund for above) 250.00
Diamon dollars (some weird temple U currency) 150.00
Meal Plan Charge 1088
Tuition 4067
Gen Activity Fee Adj 25
Stud. Facilities Fee 25
Computer/tech Fee 100
Student Health fee 50
Matriculation fee 45
Recreation Serv Free 30

Future Semester Activity
Residence Hall Escrqsp 50-
Paymt transder from sp 50

Total Account Balance 5430.00

Payment summary:
Current 2828.00-
Prior .00
Payment now due .00
Due Date 9-9-03

what does that all mean? how much do i owe?

[Solly]

Huh?

[Al B. Sure!]

what the hell? damn i typed in enter and it sent the thread... hold on a few minutes while i copy the bill

[JohnT]

You owe nothing. Think of it as a bank: Your student aid has "deposited" $8,258.00 into your college tuition account. For this semester you have "spent" $2828.00, leaving your account with $5,430.00. The rest of the stuff is detail, telling you how the $2828 was spent.

[mrmitchell]

It means you're broke

[JohnT]

But it is always better to check with your Financial Aid officer than to rely on my (or anybody else on this board) word for it.

[Al B. Sure!]

JohnT:

huh? how did i only spend 2828? tuition alone is 4067....

[JohnT]

Erp, maybe I got that backward... you spent the $5k and have the $2.8k left over. That is why you need to talk to somebody who works there, rather than going on the net and asking random people.

[Boris Godunov]

Payment now due .00

You owe nothing.

[JohnT]

OTOH, it doesn't read like I got that backward.... perhaps they take their funds in two equal payments?

[Paul Hanson]

Quite true. If there's anything on your bill that looks even slightly suspicious after you've checked it over several times, then go to the Finance office (or whatever) at your uni and ask them about it. I've found myself owing my uni money on more than one occasion because of stupid mistakes they've made, and if I hadn't gone and asked them about it I'd have been the one in ****.

[Al B. Sure!]

yeah i got to go there anyway to take off this Meal Plan nonsense... i never signed up for the cafeteria thing. though if in fact they charged me for the meal plan and because of my scholarships, aid, etc. it's free, i'd take the food. i just dont want to pay for it.

but what do the minus signs mean?

[JohnT]

It means the same that it meant in math class - deduct those figures:

PA Resident Tuition 4067.00
Fees 425.00
Meal Plan Charges 1088.00
Credits 150.00- (minus sign here)
Estimated Financial Aid Credit 8258.00-

4067
+ 425
+ 1088
- 150
- 8258
-----------
$2828.00

[Paul Hanson]

They seem to indicate money that you're being given in the form of grants and financial aid. Because these payments are used to directly pay off some of your costs, the minus signs are showing that your total payments are being decreased,

[Al B. Sure!]

but why is it that on the financial aid info section, all my funds, grants, etc. say they aren't applied?