Although the Registrar's Office enrolls students in classes, the student's eligibility to participate in registration can be affected by their financial standing with the University.

All students who register for classes incur a financial obligation to the University. Returning students may not be permitted to register for a subsequent semester until all financial obligations are settled, including current semester fees, parking violations, library fines, and other miscellaneous charges. In addition, if the student becomes financially ineligible after completing registration, registration is held subject to cancellation unless the account is settled by a prescribed date.

If the student participates in early registration, a bill is sent or mailed to the student's Groupwise email address by the Cashier's Office before the start of classes and payment is due in full by the scheduled due date. If students register for classes after the tuition bills are sent, payment must be made in full no later than the day following registration.

Late Payment Fees/Fines

If a student participates in early registration, either for the fall or the spring, a bill will be sent prior to the start of classes.** This bill will be sent either in July or August for the fall semester, and either December or January for the spring semester, depending upon the date registered for classes. Payment in full must be received in the Cashier's Office by the due date or a $75.00 late fee will be assessed. If a student does not receive a billing statement at least one week prior to the due date, call the Cashier's Office at 410-543-6060. Non-receipt of the billing statement does not relieve the student of payment by the due date.

**For Winter and Spring 2007, electronic and paper bills will be sent.

In addition to the semester bills, regular statements of account are also mailed monthly for charges incurred during the course of the semester, such as parking violations and library fines. To avoid late fees, please be sure the bill is always paid by the due date.

Note that parking violations should be paid directly to the University Police department before they become overdue. Parking violations are doubled if they are not paid within 30 days, and are sent to the Cashiers' Office to be posted to the student's account. Library fines are automatically posted to the student's account if not paid at the library within 30 days.

Payments are received and processed by the Cashier's Office daily. Normally, late payment fees and late registration fees are not cancelled. However, if there are special circumstances, the Accounts Receivable Supervisor will consider cancellation of the penalty fees on an individual basis. Late fee appeals must be made in writing to the Accounts Receivable Supervisor.

Referral to Collection Agency

As an agency of the State of Maryland, the University is required by state law to refer delinquent accounts to the State Central Collection Unit (SCCU). At the time of referral, a minimum collection charge of 17% is added to the balance of the account, plus any additional attorney and/or court costs. In addition, SCCU is authorized by state law to intercept an individual's state income tax refund to apply toward an outstanding debt. Also note that the SCCU has the authority to post delinquent accounts to credit bureaus at the time the University refers the account to SCCU.