TESC Enrolled me . . . (but I didn't want to be enrolled)

[ncpenn]

So, I'm starting to really love Thomas Edison . . . :mad:

I got an email from them several days ago saying I'd enrolled. However, I hadn't. I figured it was a mistake, and I ignored it. Then, when I was on MyEdison, I saw that I owed them over $8000, as if I had enrolled, but not paid.

So, I contacted them.

They said that when I accepted financial aid, that automatically enrolled me. Surprise!

I explained to them I wasn't planning to enroll for another month (middle of July). My financial aid starts in August.

I got a reply back that the best they can do is move my enrollment to when I register for my first class because I have to be enrolled to register for a class. :ack:

Really? I know that. That's why I want to enroll middle of July so I can get started to register for my August classes . . .

So, I'm still in the middle of trying to sort this one out. My question: is this how it works? You accept FinAid and you're automatically enrolled? Or is someone there messing with me?

[cooperalex2004]

So, I'm starting to really love Thomas Edison . . . :mad:

I got an email from them several days ago saying I'd enrolled. However, I hadn't. I figured it was a mistake, and I ignored it. Then, when I was on MyEdison, I saw that I owed them over $8000, as if I had enrolled, but not paid.

So, I contacted them.

They said that when I accepted financial aid, that automatically enrolled me. Surprise!

I explained to them I wasn't planning to enroll for another month (middle of July). My financial aid starts in August.

I got a reply back that the best they can do is move my enrollment to when I register for my first class because I have to be enrolled to register for a class. :ack:

Really? I know that. That's why I want to enroll middle of July so I can get started to register for my August classes . . .

So, I'm still in the middle of trying to sort this one out. My question: is this how it works? You accept FinAid and you're automatically enrolled? Or is someone there messing with me?

Well, the financial aid year at TESC starts on July 1st so I guess they were hoping you'd start right away. Once you accept the financial aid you are kind of obligated to one school since you can't take aid at more than one at a time (you can do some paperwork to use the aid elsewhere though for part of the coursework). TESC is very systematic, it just sounds like you took the steps in the wrong order (in their mind). Once you approved their offer it sets into motion the registration process which they will default to July courses so that four semesters fit into one TESC year (of July-June). If you owe $8,000 then you must have chosen the comprehensive tuition plan as well. In that case it appears that based on the school's guide to financial aid you must pay that up front and expect a check back in the second semester. That is caused by the way aid works through the government, they don't pay out until you have accrued cost from tuition (in other words the aid is not meant for enrollment costs). It sounds like TESC is having you rack up the expenses before paying out the money just any other school would do, the difference is that no matter your tuition choice you pay fees up front at TESC to enroll.

Page 4 of their guide:
"Please note that the Comprehensive Tuition Plan fee must be paid in full before any excess funds will be disbursed to the student. In most cases, students will not receive a voucher check until the second semester of enrollment."

If you were to take the enrolled options route than you'd pay the much lower up front cost and then the aid would be split up to cover your tuition as you go. It sounds like your way is cheaper if taking 24 or more credits in the year, the downside is that it is due up front instead of in pieces.

For anyone else who hasn't explored financial aid yet, the TESC guide for 2013-2014 (beginning July 1st) can be found at:
http://www.tesc.edu/documents/Financial_..._13-14.pdf

[sanantone]

For the schools I attended, I would have a balance immediately after I enrolled in courses, but they didn't expect me to pay right away because they knew that financial aid was coming. The reason why a student might not receive a check for excess funds until the second semester is probably because there are no excess funds until the second semester. When I attended a couple of expensive universities, my first disbursement was either just enough to cover costs or not enough. It wasn't until the second semester that the aid was more than the tuition balance and that's when I received a check/deposit for excess funds.

[dposborne]

If you want to start classes in August you have to register between Friday, Jun 21 - Friday, Jul 12, 2013 (unless you do late registration). This may also be the reason why they did what they did...

[ncpenn]

If you want to start classes in August you have to register between Friday, Jun 21 - Friday, Jul 12, 2013 (unless you do late registration). This may also be the reason why they did what they did...

I know. That wasn't why they did it. They did it because apparently accepting financial aid is the same thing as enrolling (to them anyway).

[cookderosa]

I think that when you accept FA they process you, so I think that's right. You could buy some time if you want, maybe if you tell them you MEANT to do enrolled option instead of comprehensive, they'd change that and it might take some time. I'm not sure when registration is, but you have to register before you start, so just because you register now doesn't mean your classes start now.

[ncpenn]

. . . but you have to register before you start, so just because you register now doesn't mean your classes start now.

Yes, but I am going to be taking 36 credits in 12 months. Then I want to graduate. So, I'm going to have to use one or two monthly extensions if I am enrolled middle of July. If I'm enrolled now, I may have to do a third (just costs extra money that I didn't want to spend).

Per what I was told in an email/ticket response, they will move my enrollment date to when I register for my first class (provided I remind them). Now, if they do that, I think that's more than fair.

My only gripe (and it's not a deal-breaker or anything) is just that there are a number of things TESC assumes you know, that unless you are apart of them, you wouldn't necessarily know.

[dposborne]

I also noticed that if you hint at changing something in an email they most likely will go ahead and change it on you. For example, I was swapping emails with an advisor about whether or not to switch from the NET to the NEET degree and all of a sudden I'm enrolled in the new degree (which is what I actually was going to ask to do anyways). I was also just asking about the ASAST in NET and they enrolled me into that one before I could even make a choice on which AS I actually wanted to go for (this isn't a biggy to me either since I was probably going to either choose this one or the Electrical and Mechanical Maintenance one anyways)

[sanantone]

They did the same thing to me. I applied for the BSBA LDAS, and when I inquired about the BSBA CIS, they automatically switched me. It didn't matter to me in this case since they had already rejected my LDAS plan.