By SARA GIBONEY
UNK Communications
KEARNEY – The University of Nebraska at Kearney is offering a tuition payment plan for the first time.
“After purchasing a home, paying for college is probably the second biggest expense many of our families will incur. Families usually don’t pay for their homes all in one payment,” said Mary Sommers, director of financial aid. “So we felt it was important to allow families to have the option of paying for their students UNK charges over time as well. We have already had positive feedback on this option as we have worked with our new students who will be joining the UNK family in the fall.”
Students pay a 33 percent down payment and make two payments during the semester. Payments can be made by using a credit or debit card or by using automatic bank payments.
Undergraduate tuition for Nebraska residents taking 30 credit hours at UNK is $5,752 for the 2017-18 academic year.
“We strive to be responsive to student needs. Students requested additional flexibility because in certain situations, the money is available to pay their bill over the course of a semester, but it’s harder to come up with one payment,” said Jon Watts, vice chancellor of business and finance
Students pay a $20 nonrefundable enrollment fee each semester. A $30 nonrefundable fee will be issued if a payment is returned.
“We are hopeful that the option of the payment plan will help parents and students avoid accumulating debt,” said Sommers. “Coming up with $5,000 to $8,000 all at once for fee payment can be daunting, and honestly impossible, for many families. So students and their parents would seek alternative financing to pay for college. This payment plan may help some families avoid borrowing loans.”
The payment plan will be available Aug. 30. For the fall 2017 semester, students must enroll online by Sept. 20 using MyBLUE.
For more information, go to http://www.mycollegepaymentplan.com/UNK.
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