Bill Payment FAQ

Q - I still owe money for last winter quarter and there is a hold on my account preventing me from registering for this quarter. How do I pay off my old account?
A - On the Registration tab in MyPortal, click on the “Pay Now” button. It is very important that when you pay, that you select the term that you want to pay off rather than paying the total. By default, the system will credit any payments of the “Total Balance” to the current quarter, not the prior quarter where you owe money. The fasted way to get your hold removed is to select the quarter you want to pay.
Q - I want to sign up for an installment plan, but the system is not offering me one. Why?
A- There are three conditions you must satisfy in order to qualify for an installment plan:
1. Be a student in good standing. That means no holds on your account.
2. Have a balance of $50.00 or more.
3. Be able to pay the down payment which is 1/3 of the balance plus a $25.00 installment plan setup fee using a credit card or electronic check. The electronic check must be from a personal checking or savings account.
Q - I don’t have a credit card or checking account. Can I enroll in an installment plan and use cash to make the down payment and installment payments?
A - No. You might consider getting a parent or friend who you could add an “Authorized User”. The authorized user should have a credit card or personal checking or savings account. Your authorized user would pay the down payment and installment payments with his/her account.
Q - My father wants to make payments on my account as an authorized user. Does that mean he will be able to see everything I can see when I log into MyPortal?
A - No. He will only be able to see your current amount due and payment history (if you allow it). He will not be logging into MyPortal. He will receive by email with a separate link and password to view your account.
Q - I don’t have a credit card or bank account. How do I make cash payments?
A - That has not changed. You can go to the cashier’s window to make cash payments.
Q - I owe money for last quarter and cannot register for this quarter unless I pay it off. Can I use Bill Payment to pay off amounts owned for a prior quarter?
A - Yes. Under the Payments tab you can select which quarter you want to pay. Once you make the payment, the hold on your account which is preventing you from registering for this quarter will be removed and you will be allowed to register. (That is assuming that you have paid all of the money you owe for prior quarters.)
Q - My mother tried to set up her business checking account to pay my fees. Why did the system refuse her account?
A - You can only use electronic checks from personal checking or savings accounts. Business accounts are not allowed.
Q - Why didn’t I receive an email confirmation when I enrolled in a payment plan and made a down payment?
A - In the Bill Payment system you can select “My Account” and “My Profile”. It displays the email address that is currently your preferred personal email address. If you want the confirmation to go to a different address, you have two options:
1. You can update your preferred personal email address that has been recorded by MyPortal. To do that, log into MyPortal, select the Students tab and on the upper right corner of the page click on “Update My Personal Information”.
2. If you change the email address on the “My Profile” page, it will only affect the e-mails being sent by the Bill Payment system. Use option 1, if you want all e-mail communication from the college to go to the new address.
Q - I am taking two classes at Foothill and two classes at De Anza. Why do I have to enroll in a separate installment plan for each college and pay the $25 installment plan setup fee twice?
A - That is the way it works. Although both colleges are part of the same district, each manages their own enrollment and finances.
Q - I enrolled in a class and then an installment plan. However, the class was canceled. There is now a credit balance on my account for the down payment, but not the installment plan setup fee. How do I get my $25.00 installment plan setup fee and down payment back?
A - You can get a refund by going to the college’s cashier’s window. Refunds are not automatically sent out. You must request a refund. Each college has a web page that explains how the refund process works. Here are links to http://www.foothill.edu/reg/fees.php and http://www.deanza.edu/registration/cashier/refunds.html web pages. The installment plan setup fee is not refundable.
Q - I enrolled in an installment plan for this quarter. Now I just added another class. Do I have to enroll in a new installment plan to pay for the new class?
A - No, the installment plan will be updated to include the charges for the class you just added. It will also be updated if a class is canceled or you drop a class before the drop-with-refund deadline.
Q - What happens if I can’t pay one of the installment payments?
A - Your account will be placed on hold. Having an account on hold will prevent you from registering for classes in the future, deny any requests for transcripts, and at some point the debt will be sent to a collection agency.
Q - If I can’t pay the $25 installment plan setup fee and down payment, can I enroll in an installment plan?
A - No.
Q - Will the installment plan cover both installment plan setup and basic fees?
A - Yes.
Q - Will the installment plan cover out-of-state and international student installment plan setup and basic fees?
A - Yes.
Q - After I’ve set someone up as an authorized user, can I remove their access to my account?
A - Yes. Go to the Bill Payment system, select the My Account tab and then “Authorized User” under it. You will see a delete button next to each authorized user.
Q - How do I change my authorized user’s access to my account? I no longer want him to see my payment history.
A - Go to the Bill Payment system, select My Account tab and then “Authorized User” under it. You will see an edit button next to each authorized user. Click the edit button to update his/her access.
Q - My authorized user just changed her email address. How do I tell the Bill Payment system about her new e-mail?
A - The only thing you can do is delete her and then add her back in with the new email address. She will receive notification of her new password which is tied to the new email address.
Q - Both of my parents want to be my authorized user. Can I have more than one?
A - Yes, as long as they each has a unique email address. They will each have a different password to get into your account. In fact you could have a dozen authorized users, but I wouldn’t advise that.
Q – My sister and I are both students at Foothill College. Can my father be the authorized user for both of us?
A - Yes. Both you and your sister will set him up as an authorized user on your accounts. When he logs into the system, he will select one student prior to making a payment. Once the first payment is completed he can select the other and make a payment.
Q – I just received an e-mail telling me that if I don’t pay my fees or enroll in an installment plan, I will be dropped and lose all of my classes. The e-mail lists two date for dropping for non-payment. Can I wait for the second date to pay my fees or enroll in an installment plan?
No. On the first drop date anyone with unpaid fees over the limit specified in the e-mail will be dropped from all of their classes. On the second drop date the same thing will happen to anyone who meets the drop criteria. Waiting to pay or enroll in an installment fee will jeopardize your chances of taking the classes you selected.