Frequently Asked Questions

A student account is the account we charge tuition, fees, room, board, and other miscellaneous charges. Since the student is the individual that will be receiving the service from the university, we bill the student. Each year the University publishes the Student Guide for Tuition, Fees and Other Financial Information. This guide is a resource that answers many of the questions not covered by this FAQ.

The Office of Student Accounts assists students who have inquiries about the charges on their student accounts. The office is also responsble for billing, initiating refunds and administering the tuition payment plan. The Cashier's Office, on the other hand, is responsible for posting payments, making departmental deposits and issuing parking decals. 

Student must be financially cleared (validated) each semester before being considered officially enrolled.  “Validated” means that balances have been paid in full, financial aid is sufficient to cover all cost and/or other satisfactory financial arrangements have been made and certified by the Office of Student Accounts to include participation in the tuition payment plan.

Students may verify validation status each semester by viewing the “Hold” section of their Banner Self Service account.  A “V” hold is entered for all students validated for that particular semester.

Comprehensive fee supports organizations and activities, athletic programs, reserves for facilities enhancement or additions/replacements and a variety of other college programs, activities, and state mandates. 

A bookstore voucher is a way to use your Financial Aid refund before the funds are received by the university. You can use up to $700 per semester of your excess financial aid credit to purchase books and supplies at the Bookstore. In order to obtain a bookvoucher send, from your student email address, an email to Bookvoucher@vsu.edu. The email needs to include your name, V number and the amount you want on the bookvoucher. You will recieve a response once your request is processed. NOTE: you can only request one (1) bookvoucher per semester. 

Please refer to the current Student Guide for Tuition, Fees and Other Financial Information for the University Refund Policy.

A hold can prevent registration and receipt of transcripts or diplomas and can be placed by various University Departments. The type of hold identifies which department placed the hold. Holds can only be removed by the department responsible for the initial placement.

A hold will be placed by the Student Accounts Office for the following reasons:

• Unpaid balanceowed on a student account
• Perkins Loan, exit interview not completed
• Past due Perkins, Loan

In order to clear the hold on your account, you must pay the outstanding balance in full or complete the required paperwork before a Student Accounts/Cashiering employee will be able to remove the hold.

Students have up to the business day before school begins to cancel registration and not be charged any Tuition and Fees. Room and Board charges may be prorated from the check in day.

Beginning the first day of school, a student will go through Academic Advising and Retention Center in order to withdraw from school. After the semester begins, a student must adhere to the school withdrawal or class withdrawal policies, and be responsible for any charges incurred.

Before the fall semester begins, on-campus returning students pay a room reservation deposit of $150. Deposits are credited to the student account as a payment towards the fall semester. You are not required to pay deposits again for the spring semester, thus, this explains a higher bill for the spring Semester.

Students that have a credit balance resulting from Title IV (Federal) funds will be issued a refund, by the Student Accounts Office, within 14 working days of the aid disbursement that causes an actual credit balance.  All other credits resulting from State Funds, scholarships, etc. will be processed as soon as possible, within our normal operating schedule. 

If a student does not use the entire bookstore voucher allotment in the time provided, in the FALL semester, it will carry over to the Spring. Unused funds at the end of the Spring semester will result in the University Bookstore providing the Student Accounts Office with a list of students and the amount used. We apply the unused portion to the student's account as a credit. If the account shows there is a credit due to the student, a refund will be processed. 

If a check is returned for insufficient funds, the university's bank will automatically send it through a second time. If the check is returned the second time, the university will assess the student account a $50 service charge. Repayment (including the service charge) must be made upon notification with guaranteed funds.

Hope Scholarship and the Life Time Learning Credit are in simpler terms a Tax Credit. Congress passed the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 giving taxpayers two possible tax credits for tuition and fees paid after January 1, 1998. Details of the act may be accessed online, through a personal tax advisor, or the IRS.

Once classes start payment is due immediately in order to be validated.

We accept payment by cash, check, money order or cashier’s check in the Student Accounts Office. You can mail payment to us at: Virginia State University Cashier's Office P.O. Box 9125 Petersburg, VA 23806. Be sure to include the student’s ID number on the check. Payments by express or overnight mail should be sent to Virginia State University, Student Accounts, Virginia Hall Room 112, Hayden Drive, Virginia State, VA 23806.

You may also make payment online by credit card (Discover, MasterCard or American Express). To learn more about making a payment online, visit http://vsu.afford.com/.

Parents who borrow funds from the Federal Government via the Parent Plus Loan program have the option of having any overage refunded to them instead of the student.  The Plus Loan application includes a section where the parent can instruct the University to send overage to either themselves or the student.  If neither block is checked the overage will be refunded to the student.