What We Do
Campus Debts:  Why Should I Care About AR/C?
What if I Can't Pay My Bill?
What if I Disagree With My Bill?
Need to Talk to Us?

We reserve the right to require, without prior notice, payment with certified funds (cashier's check, money order, or cash), as a condition for releasing your student records.  If you have outstanding debts, and need immediate access to your student records, please contact our office for your account balance and payment options so you will be prepared to clear your account.

What We Do

We are part of UCI Financial Services, which also includes Loan Services and the Central Cashier's office. But that's not all we do.

We are the accounts receivable and collections (AR/C) office for UCI.   That means we collect a lot of money owed to the University -- around $30 million each year.  For those of you who might be wondering, we do not create any invoices you may receive.  The various departments that provide goods and services to the UCI community originate the invoices.

We provide a handy way to find out if you have an AR/C charge:  it's called QuickSearch.  If you are a current student, you can log on to this secure,  web-based application at https://www.fs.uci.edu/QS/, using your UCINetID.  In addition to AR/C charges, QuickSearch also will show you any departmental holds and ZOTAccount balances that are outstanding.  If you're ready to make an electronic payment from your checking account, QuickSearch gives you a way to do that too.

If you believe you have been charged incorrectly, we are the department you want to notify first about any disputed amount.  Then we'll know there's a problem, and perhaps a good reason why you're not paying.  We can direct you to the appropriate department representative to resolve your issue, and recommend ways to avoid late penalties.  If we don't hear from you, then we can't help.

By the time you receive an AR/C bill (statement of account) from us, unfortunately your invoice is most likely already be past-due.  It's our job to assess late charges and place holds on student records.  Those are the tools we use to make sure that people who owe the University pay their bills in a timely manner.  Yet our first priority is to keep UCI students in school.

To that end, we can provide some informal debt counseling, and even make special payment arrangements for eligible debts.  Our goal is to help you retain or restore a good financial standing with the University, so that you stay enrolled.  We even offer a quarterly installment program, called the PACE Plan, for paying your registration fees in three easy payments.  If you haven't used PACE before, you may complete the secure application online.  

Even though AR/C billing keeps us busy, Campus Billing Services also acts as the ZOTAccount Information Center for the 23,000+ UCI students who are billed for registration fees each quarter.  Every year, we handle more than 12,000 inquiries about ZOTAccount Online, including questions about charge amounts, due dates, and payment options.  See our ZOTFAQs for more information about typical questions. 

Although we don't mail out paper copies any longer, you can print any ZOTBill generated over the past 12 months using the "Historical ZOTBills" function in ZOTAccount Online.  We can help you understand your ZOTBill by explaining the various charges and credits, and showing you how the amount due was calculated.  In most cases, we can't remove or reverse a charge.  We can, however, steer you to the appropriate department for help.

Finally, if you need a 1098-T (Tuition Payments Statement) to complete your federal income tax return, we will give you instructions for obtaining a copy.  Eligible students have 1098-T forms on file at the Tax Credit Reporting Service (TCRS) at (877) 467-3821.  If you need additional assistance, we have a special email address for 1098-T questions, tra@uci.edu, or you may call or visit our office.

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CAMPUS DEBTS: Why Should I Care About AR/C?

Now, you might ask, "Why would this accounts receivable and collection stuff be important to a student, anyway?"  

If losing your classes, not having your transcript for another school, or lacking your diploma for a job prospect sounds devastating, then you know why you should care about AR/C.  You see, a past-due debt or department hold for something like a library fine, returned check, dental bill, lost key, or missing rent payment, means that you have a AR/C hold on your student records.  Anyone who has tried unsuccessfully to pay registration fees, obtain official transcripts and diplomas, or receive financial aid disbursements, knows that having an AR/C hold is serious.

It's true that we remind you to check QuickSearch often, so you'll know about invoices and department holds, even if your mail goes astray.  We follow up with telephone calls, email messages, statements, and reminder notices -- using every opportunity to encourage you to pay your debts and to clear any AR/C holds.  We place financial holds on ZOTAccount Online, so you'll know about problems affecting your quarterly registration.  We notify you when your debts are past-due, so you can avoid having AR/C late charges stack up.

If you ignore us, you only limit the ways we can assist when you need help.  Then, when you can't register and are about to lose your classes, or need your transcript in a hurry, your only option may be to pay your account in full.  If you do not respond to our calls and/or letters, we may have no choice but to refer your account to a professional collection agency.  That could make access to your student records even more difficult. 

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What If I Can't Pay My Bill?

We realize that "things happen" in life, and sometimes you simply can't pay your bills in full.  Those are the times when you need to contact us, to let us know what's going on.  If we don't hear from you, we may assume that you are ignoring your debts.  You may find late charges added to your account, or a hold on your financial aid disbursement, when you're already struggling to make a payment.

Former students with difficulties paying are encouraged to contact us to discuss a payment arrangement.  We may work out a schedule of manageable payments that allows you to avoid further collection action, as you make steady progress towards retiring your debts.  However, while you are not enrolled at UCI, you will not have access to your student records (including transcripts and diplomas) until you have cleared your account of all outstanding debts and holds.

If you are still attending UCI, we may negotiate a special payment arrangement for you.  Then, as long as you remain enrolled and make the promised payments on time, you will not have an AR/C hold for the debts covered by the arrangement.  You will be allowed to pay registration fees, receive aid, and get transcripts as if you do not have a past-due debt.  However, if your payment is late or missing, or you stop attending, we may replace the AR/C hold or even void your arrangement.

Having a payment arrangement is not a right, but a privilege extended to you at our discretion.  We evaluate all the circumstances, including your needs and available resources, your payment history, how long you plan to attend UCI, and the amounts and types of debts involved.  There are some debts that are not eligible for payment arrangements, such as returned checks.  Also, we won't make arrangements for PACE installments or emergency loans, because these debts are already part of a payment plan.

If we are unable to agree on a payment arrangement, don't give up and stop talking to us.  Your circumstances may change and we can re-evaluate your situation.  Also, it's very important that you don't stop making payments -- no matter how insignificant they may seem to you.  We try never to turn away a payment, no matter how small.  When it comes time to refer accounts to a collection agency, a history of modest, regular payments means more than a record of no payments at all.

The key is to work with us to clear your account, so that you retain or restore your good financial standing with the University.

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What If I Disagree With My Bill?

Sometimes you may disagree about the validity or amount of an AR/C invoice or late charge you have received. You may feel there has been a mistake, that you are being penalized for something that is not your fault, or that you have been treated unfairly in some other respect.  You may not know who to contact to voice your concerns.

There are steps you can take to appeal the validity of a charge or to resolve a contested amount.  If you receive a bill that you believe has an error, you are required to follow the published procedure for disputing invoices to avoid further collection action and additional late penalties.  All disputes must be submitted in writing to Campus Billing Services, as only our office has the authority to suspend AR/C holds or late charges.

We allow 60 calendar days from the invoice date for investigation and/or any account adjustments necessary.  That doesn't mean that you should sit back and depend on us to solve the problem.  Take action as soon as possible.  In addition to writing to Campus Billing Services, we recommend using the contact name and telephone number on your original AR/C invoice to work directly with the person who issued the charge.  Do not wait for an AR/C statement, as it may be your first past-due notice.  By then, you'll have a late charge to address as well.

Speaking of late charges:  we get a lot of disputes over these, so let us remind you how they work.  The original AR/C invoice is mailed from the issuing department to the address they have on file for you.  At the same time, a  copy of the invoice is sent to Campus Billing Services for collection.  If the amount due remains unpaid, late charges may be added to the invoice by the AR/C system at intervals of 30-, 60-, and 90-days past-due.

You may find that we strictly enforce late charges for certain types of debts.  Don't expect us to remove or reverse a late charge on a returned check invoice.  Your bank notifies you that the check will not be honored before the Central Cashier issues an invoice, so you have plenty of time make sure the debt is paid.  Similarly, we don't waive late charges on PACE installments, because you are given the quarter's payment schedule well in advance.

Saying that you didn't get your bills is no excuse for not paying on time.  We will not adjust AR/C late charges because you haven't been home, went on vacation, or moved without a forwarding address.  It is your responsibility to make sure that you receive invoices and any subsequent AR/C statements.  To that end, all UCI students, both current and former, are required to keep their addresses up-to-date with the Office of the Registrar.  Current students should use the Registrar's Student Access system, while former students may submit written requests through the mail or in person.

Always confirm your current address, whether or not it is requested, at the time you receive goods or services from a department.  It doesn't take much time, and it might help you to avoid a late charge and an AR/C hold.  Many departments have access to the addresses on file with the Registrar, and will use these addresses to issue invoices.  Others, such as the UCI Libraries, have their own online methods for keeping your address up-to-date, and use the address in their system for invoicing.  Be sure you know when, how, and where the department expects to bill you.

If your dispute is not resolved, or if you are a student with special needs, we may direct you to the Office of the Ombudsman.  If you are unable to interact with a department directly, an ombudsman may function as an intermediary.  The staff also serve as informal mediators for a variety of issues, including those that involve tuition, fee payments, fines, and refunds.   An ombudsman has the authority to ask questions and obtain information from any department, so you will fully understand your rights and responsibilities.

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NEED TO TALK TO US?

We'll be happy to help you or answer your questions during business hours.  You may telephone, FAX, mail a letter, send an email message, or visit us in person.

If you telephone or send a FAX, be sure to state the number with area code where you expect us to reach you.  Note that we are unable to call or FAX outside the continental United States.  When responding to a letter, in the absence of a return address, we may use any of the mailing addresses we have on file for you.  If you require proof that your letter was received, please contact the United States Postal Service for mailing options.  When sending email, use your valid UCI email account whenever possible, as verification of your identity.

In correspondence with our office, we request your name (first and last) and UCI student ID number so that we may identify your account.  When visiting Campus Billing Services, please be prepared to show current picture identification (UCI student ID card, driver's license, or passport) to an account representative. For your protection, do not disclose your Social Security Number (SSN) or any other sensitive personal information in a FAX or email message.

Your privacy is important to us.  Unless you say so, we avoid divulging information on answering or FAX machines, which may be shared with other people.  Furthermore, we will not discuss your account with third parties (including parents, spouses, relatives, friends, and employers) without your express written permission.  Please see the section on Student Privacy for more information.

Students who wish to allow their financial information to be discussed with another individual (a parent, for example), must print, complete, sign, and personally deliver a hard copy Authorization to Release Financial Information to Campus Billing Services.  Students must be prepared to show current picture identification (UCI student ID card, passport, or driver's license).

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