Over the limit credits on TESC comprehensive plan

[dbwdb]

I was over the limit on credits on the TESC comprehensive plan. I had 6 credits left and I needed to take 12 in this term to get fin. aid. I registered for 2 GS courses thinking to apply it to the 6 remaining credits. Then I registered for 2 TECEP's thinking to pay the per credit fee on both for that. First TESC did this and then sent me an apology saying they had miscalculated. They now want to charge me for 1 GS course and 1 TECEP. Their claim is I first registered for 1 GS and 1 TECEP. Then a few weeks later but still for the same term I registered for another GS and TECEP. If I wanted to only be charged for 2 TECEP's I shouldve made sure to register for the 2 GS courses first and then the TECEP's. Is this correct. To reiterate, all 4 courses were registered in the same month for the same upcoming semester. Can I dispute this. If so, who is the right person to contact there?

[bricabrac]

First, you're very lucky because I did not think they allowed TECEPs to be used towards financial aid payouts.

Now, if you did in fact register for 2 GS courses first, you would have received a confirmation email from the registrar a day or two after. I would go back to your email to first confirm you did in fact register for the GS courses first, then check the confirmation email when you registered for the TECEPs. If it is as you stated, contact the Bursar and let them know the date you registered for the GS courses and the date/time on your confirmation email. Also let them know the date you registered for the TECEPs along with the date/time of the confirmation email sent by the registrar. They may have you forward the emails to their office but they can easily make the adjustment in billing for you.

Good luck!

I was over the limit on credits on the TESC comprehensive plan. I had 6 credits left and I needed to take 12 in this term to get fin. aid. I registered for 2 GS courses thinking to apply it to the 6 remaining credits. Then I registered for 2 TECEP's thinking to pay the per credit fee on both for that. First TESC did this and then sent me an apology saying they had miscalculated. They now want to charge me for 1 GS course and 1 TECEP. Their claim is I first registered for 1 GS and 1 TECEP. Then a few weeks later but still for the same term I registered for another GS and TECEP. If I wanted to only be charged for 2 TECEP's I shouldve made sure to register for the 2 GS courses first and then the TECEP's. Is this correct. To reiterate, all 4 courses were registered in the same month for the same upcoming semester. Can I dispute this. If so, who is the right person to contact there?

[dbwdb]

Thanks so much for your reply. You can get state aid, TAG grant for TECEP's but you have to take 12 credits per term to be eligible. Pell, however will not pay for TECEP's. The problem is I did not register in the sequence I should have. I had no idea it made a difference. If all the courses are being taken in the same semester why would it? I registered for a TECEP and a GS. Then later on for another TECEP and GS. This is what they want to charge me for. Do I have any claim to dispute here? I had 6 credits left on the comprehensive. Shouldn't I have a right to decide which courses in the upcoming semester it should be applied to? Why would the sequence of registering matter if it was in the same month/for the same semester?

[bricabrac]

Thanks for sharing the info on the TAG grant.

Ok, well they are right. Comprehensive is basically the student purchasing a number of credits to be used over the course of the enrollment year. Each time you register the number of credits are deducted from that allotment. I am not sure you can think of it as cost because the crdits were already prepaid. Where they are correct is you used up that allotment on a GS course and TECEP exam. That leaves you with a 0 prepaid credit balance. Anything after that, no matter the date registered or semester, is a separate purchase/registration fee. Unfortunately you have no grounds for argument here, you could still try to contact the Bursar to see if they would be so kind as to flip it around for you but I duobt it. I would not consider it different from any other business transaction.

[dbwdb]

Someone in the bursars office flipped it for me the first time around. Then I got an email some time later saying that my account was reviewed and the manager decided to readjust my account to reflect these new charges. That is why I am so annoyed. Besides for the fact that they never really spelled out clearly how there billing works, do they have grounds to readjust their mistake once they already charged me the first time just for 2 TECEP's?

[bricabrac]

Whoever was kind enough to try to help you in the Bursars office by switching around the charges was attempting to do you a favor. They were certainly not obligated to do so. The billing is spelled out both in the catalog and online, if you had a question you could have called the Bursar or Financial Aid at any time for clarity. I have to say from your initial post it seems as though you are trying to blame the school when by your own admisison you know it's your error. You knew you needed 12 credits per semester for TAG, you knew the comprehensive plan included a certain number of credits. There was an oversight made on your part (not checking your records before registering) and you are trying to blame the school.

I'm usually the first one these days to sling mud at TESC but unfortunately this one was all you. And the way you registered you now have no recourse but to accept and move on.