Frequently Asked Questions

1. Once my Financial Aid is credited to my University account, how will I receive any credit balance?

Our policy is to deposit any credit balance after fees and other charges are paid to your personal bank account. Authorization forms may be completed online from the Direct Deposit for Student Accounts page. Forms are also available in Financial Services, Carrington 113. Printed forms should be returned with a voided check to:

Financial Services
Carrington 113
Missouri State University
901 S. National
Springfield, MO 65897

2. If I signed up for Direct Deposit last semester will it still be in effect?

Your direct deposit authorization will remain in effect until you change it.

3. If I have closed my account and forgotten to tell the University, what will happen to my funds?

Notify us in writing as soon as possible and update your account information on My Missouri State. After our bank notifies us that the funds have been returned to us, we will notify you of funds disposition.

4. How can I see what charges were paid by my Financial Aid?

Your monthly Accounts Receivable statement may provide you with sufficient information, but if there is no balance owed, you will not receive a statement. You may access your account information through My Missouri State. Our Accounts Receivable department can provide you with information about your account in Carrington 113. We cannot give information about specific dollar amounts of financial aid funds over the telephone.

Note: Financial Aid payments credited to your account are generally designated for a particular semester and may not be used to pay prior or future semester charges. For example, financial aid payments designated for the upcoming Fall semester cannot be used to pay the current Summer charges to meet the July 25 payment deadline for Summer fees.

5. What does it mean if my account is encumbered by Financial Services?

Payment is expected on your account according to the terms of My Payment Plan. If you are not up to date with your payments, certain activities, such as registering for a new semester, charging at the bookstore or getting a transcript will not be possible.

Required Student Fees and Residence Hall Contracts may be paid over 3 months during Fall and Spring or two months during Summer. If you have not paid according to the plan, you will be encumbered.

Other charges on your account are due when incurred and must be paid within 30 days of entry on your account.

Full details of the My Payment Plan are available online.

6. How do I remove the Financial Services encumbrance?

Payment may be made at the Bursar’s office in Carrington. Web payments may be made through My Missouri State. Routine encumbrances are removed at the time of payment. Some encumbrances may require you to come to Carrington Hall 113 for removal.

7. What if I don’t think I owe the charges on my account?

Generally the office where the charge originated must be contacted. If you wish to call our office, Accounts Receivable 417-836-5635, we can refer you to the proper department or perhaps explain the charges to your satisfaction.

8. Do I still have to pay even though I haven’t received a statement?

We no longer mail out paper statements, unless specifically requested. We make every effort to keep addresses updated, but it is the student’s responsibility to be sure his or her address is current. In almost all cases, an invoice is issued to you for every charge on your account and it is your responsibility to keep your account current. It is the student’s responsibility to complete payment as stated on the student’s registration invoice whether or not additional statements are received.

In some cases, a payment may be required before a statement is available, such as the first payment on Tuition or Residence Hall Contracts under the terms of My Payment Plan.

You may view amounts owed and other account information on the web through My Missouri State.

9. What are the reasons classes can be canceled?

Failure to pay complete account balance by Oct. 25 for Fall, Mar. 25 for Spring, or July 25 for Summer may cause your registration for future semesters to be canceled. If payment is not received by those dates, you will be removed from My Payment Plan (Deferred Payment Plan) and will need to appeal to be reinstated so that you will not be required to pay your entire fees when you register. Appeals may be made in the Financial Services office in Carrington 113.

10. How are finance charges applied to my account?

If you register early, finance charges are applied on any balance of Required Student Fees and Residence Hall Contracts at the end of the month in which the semester starts and every month thereafter until the entire balance is paid.

Unless the above applies, finance charges are assessed at the end of the month following the month in which the charges are entered on your account. In other words, if a charge goes on your account any day in January, finance charges will be assessed on any unpaid balance at the end of February.

11. When can I expect to receive my monthly statement?

Statements are generated following the close of business on the last business day of the month and will no longer be mailed out , but a notification will be sent to the account holders, university email account notifying them of a statement that is available to be viewed online and can be printed if the person so chooses.

12. Where will my statement be mailed?

Statements are no longer mailed out unless otherwise requested. An email notification will be sent to the account holders university email account notifying you that a statement is available for viewing. You may contact Accounts Receivable in Carrington 113 if there is absolutely some reason you will need to receive a paper statement.