Frequently Asked Questions

TUITION AND FEES

How do I determine my tuition and fees for each term/semester?

You will find the schedule of tuition and fees on The Chicago School’s website under the Costs & Financial Aid section. Based on your enrollment status and the courses in which you are registered, you can calculate your tuition and fees. Please note that tuition rates for each academic year (Fall through Summer) are set during the summer and communicated to the community by the Vice President of Finance. Any changes are typically applied each fall term/semester. 

 

Tuition is charged per credit hour and billed each term, along with mandatory student fees.  Please consider the number of credit hours you will be taking when applying for financial aid in order to determine how much aid you will need and whether any out-of-pocket expenses will be incurred.

How do I know if I have a balance on my account?

Student billing is generated online. You can view your account details in ePortal by clicking the Account Information link in the My Finances menu. Tuition is posted the Friday before the start of each term after the end of the open schedule modification period. Changes made to your schedule after the end of open schedule modification can result in a balance owed after the start of the term.

How do I make a payment?

Payments may be made online using a credit card or debit card.  Login to ePortal and view the My Finances menu through the Make Payment Online link.

 

Follow the instructions on the screen and click “Pay” then “Confirm Payment.”  Your card will not be charged until after you have clicked “Confirm Payment.” To verify your payment has posted, please review your Account Details. Your balance will be updated immediately and a line will be added to your ledger indicating a payment was submitted online.

 

To pay by check, make it payable to The Chicago School and mail it to:

The Chicago School
Office of Student Accounts
325 N. Wells St
Chicago, IL 60654

When are tuition payments due?

Student balances must be resolved by Friday of the first week of the term. If you are not receiving sufficient financial aid or if you cannot pay your balance in full by the end of first week, you have the option of setting up a monthly payment plan in order for your account to be considered in good standing. All payment plans must be set up no later than the end of the first week of each term. You can request an in-term payment plan by emailing studentaccounts@thechicagoschool.edu or by calling 800•684•2890 ext. 2. 

Accounts with overdue balances are subject to a billing hold, which will prevent the student from modifying their schedule or receiving a transcript until the balance is resolved and the account is in good standing. Late fees on overdue balances are assessed monthly.

How does a payment plan work?

Payment plans break your balance into monthly installments with the first payment due the Friday of the first week of the term and the last payment due no later than the last week of the term. There is no set-up fee or interest applied to this plan.  A billing hold and late fee will be applied to all accounts not paid within 5 days of their scheduled payment date. In order for a payment plan to be considered valid, a signed agreement must be submitted to the Office Student Accounts by the first week of each term.

I have two holds – a transcript hold and a registration hold. What does this mean?

It means a billing hold has been placed on your account, due to an unpaid balance. Please review your Account Details and submit payment in full or establish a payment plan. Holds will be removed within 1-2 business days of receipt of payment.

TUITION REFUNDS

I receive financial aid and know that I am due a refund. When will the refund be issued to me?

Refunds are available 7-10 business days after The Chicago School has received your funding from the Department of Education. Financial aid disbursement typically takes place during the first two to three weeks of the term. Funds will first be applied toward your balance and a credit will appear on your ledger in the amount that is to be refunded (credits will appear in parentheses). Per school policy, a refund will be issued to the bank account you indicated on your Direct Deposit Authorization form within seven to ten (7-10) business days after the credit has been applied to your ledger.  If you have elected to receive your refund via paper check, a check will be issued within 7-10 business days after funds have posted to your account.

 

Please monitor your student account through ePortal for the most up-to-date information. This process cannot be expedited for individual students, so please refrain from contacting the Student Accounts office to inquire.

How will my refund be issued to me?

If you elect to receive your refund via direct deposit into your bank account, then you will need to fill out the Direct Deposit Authorization form, which can be found on the Student Accounts eGo page. If we do not have a direct deposit form on file for you then a paper check will be issued. Chicago campus students: you will be notified via your TCS email account when your check is ready to be picked up.  If you are not a Chicago student, the check will be mailed to you immediately and should arrive within 1-2 weeks. You may complete a Direct Deposit Authorization form at any time to receive future refunds via direct deposit.

How much is my refund?

To determine your refund amount, subtract your account balance from your scheduled financial aid for the term in question. Please verify your account balance is accurate. Courses added or dropped after the open schedule modification period may not yet be reflected in your account details when financial aid arrives.

What does a stipend mean on my student account on ePortal?

An ACH Stipend means your refund will be direct deposited to your bank account within one to three (1 to 3) business days.

A stipend associated with a check number means the refund will be issued via check. An email will be sent to your Chicago School email account notifying you when this check is ready for pick up (Chicago-based students only).

What if I add or drop a class?

Students will be assessed the appropriate fees associated with each add or drop. If changes to your schedule are processed after your financial aid refund has been scheduled, you are responsible for any additional tuition or fees. Carrying an outstanding balance on your account as a result of adding or dropping a course may prevent you from obtaining transcripts or registering for future courses.

Refunds for dropped courses are issued on a tiered basis as explained in the Student Handbook. Please note that changes in your enrollment status may result in changes to your financial aid. Please review the Student Handbook for more information.

My refund seems to be smaller this semester than last. Why is this?
If this is your first year, you most likely had your $500 tuition deposit credited to your account in your first term/semester.  Also, you may be registered for more hours this term/semester than previous sessions, have experienced an increase in tuition and fees, or have received less financial aid this term/semester. Review your Account Details on ePortal. You may contact Student Accounts if you have further questions.

 

***The information referenced in this FAQ can be found in greater detail in The Chicago School Student Handbook:  http://catalog.thechicagoschool.edu/.

USING ePORTAL

Use ePortal to make payments, view your account balance, submit your Direct Deposit Authorization Form and more.  Once at the site, select the “Student Portal Homepage.”

How do I find out my account balance?
You can view your account balance by clicking “Account Information” under the “My Finances” menu on ePortal.  Above the Account Details section, you will see a line that says “Your balance for the selected enrollment.”  Your current balance will also be reflected on the last page of your Account Details.

 

To view the most recent changes to your ledger, please go to the last page of the Account Details tab.  Charges and credits are posted in chronological order.  Anything appearing in parentheses in the “Amount” column is a credit to your account.  An amount in parentheses in the “Balance” column indicates a refund may be due to you, provided no other charges are pending.

How do I make a payment?

Click “Make Payment Online” under the “My Finances” tab.  Accept the payment agreement and click “Continue.” Select a saved credit card from the drop-down menu or click “Add a Payment Method.”  Once you have selected the credit card you want to use, enter the card verification number and the payment amount.  Click or tab out of the Payment Amount box, then click “Pay.”

 

You will now see a link that says “Confirm Payment” in the lower right corner of the screen.  Click this ONCE. Clicking “Confirm Payment” twice or refreshing the page after this is clicked could result in your card being charged twice.

 

After your payment has been submitted successfully, you will see a receipt page, informing you the payment has been processed.  Your balance will also be updated to reflect the payment received.

How do I add or remove a credit card?

To add a credit card, click “Add a New Credit Card” in the top right of the “Payment Information” screen, then enter your card information and click “Save”. You can also remove old credit cards on the “Payment Information” page.

I clicked “Pay” and nothing happened. Was my payment processed?

No. Your payment will not be processed until after you have clicked “Confirm Payment.” If you are manually entering the payment amount, ePortal will need to refresh the page with the updated payment amount before the payment can be processed. Tabbing or clicking out of the payment box should prompt the screen to refresh.

 

Once you have seen the page refresh, try clicking “Pay” again. It should change to “Confirm Payment.”  Once you have confirmed, a message will pop up saying not to refresh or click pay again. A final page will load informing you that your payment has been processed. You will be able to see your balance updated in Account Details.

Why did I receive an “Authentication Error” message?
An authentication error means your payment could not be processed.  The card information may have been entered incorrectly or the card may have been declined. Double-check the card information and your available balance and try submitting the payment again.

 

Many financial institutions have a limit per day or per transaction on credit card purchases so you may need to either make several smaller payments or contact the credit card issuer to find out if the limit can be raised.  If none of these solutions work, it is possible we are experiencing issues with the ePortal server. Please e-mail Student Accounts with a detailed description of the issue.

I am experiencing another issue with ePortal. What should I do?
Please notify Student Accounts of any functionality issues you encounter with the My Finances section of ePortal.  Include a screenshot and a detailed description of the problem, including the OS and browser you are using.  We will investigate the issue and respond promptly.