Student billing moves online

Fort Worth, TX

1/14/2008

TCU's financial services will move student bills online in February to provide billing information more efficiently to students and others who pay student bills. Printed versions of student bills will be mailed until May. The online billing initiative is called e-Z Bill.

"There are many benefits to moving student billing online including faster receipt of bills, access to bills at all times, and the ability to review all bills in one location," said Cheryl Wilson, associate vice chancellor for financial services and controller. "Placing bills online also will significantly reduce the amount of paper financial services uses and help TCU become more environmentally-friendly."

In order for parents or others paying student bills to access bills online, students must go to the student center located on my.tcu.edu, provide an e-mail address for a parent or other responsible party, and grant those individuals access to view student account info. Up to three people can have access to view student bills and account charges, which will be posted on a secure, password-protected site.

Once access has been granted, a confirmation e-mail with a username and password will be sent to all parties. If students previously granted parents or others access to other student information (financial aid or student records and holds), no confirmation e-mail will be sent, and the same username and password established for prior access can be used to view student bills and account charges. However, students must still go to my.tcu.edu and permit access to student account info even if access to other accounts was previously granted.

Financial services will send both the student and the parent or responsible party an e-mail around the 8th of each month indicating that the student bill is available to view online. The student notification will be sent to the tcu.edu e-mail account; parents or responsible parties will receive the bill notification at the e-mail address provided by the student.

The online bills also can be formatted in a printer-friendly version so those who wish to have a printed version of the bill can easily print the information. Payments can still be made online with credit cards or electronic checks or via the mail.

Over the next couple of months, financial services will remind students and those paying student account charges about the e-Z Bill initiative. If students grant access to a parent or other responsible party by Jan. 25, they will automatically be entered for a chance to win an iPhone.

"We will launch a highly visible communication campaign to encourage students to ensure they provide the information needed so their parent or the person responsible for paying student bills is aware of e-Z Bill and has access to bills online," said Wilson. "Our hope is to have everyone signed up for e-Z Bill in the next couple of months."

For more information or a list of frequently asked questions about e-Z Bill, go to www.vcfa.tcu.edu/studentaccounts.asp.

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