Learner fees

Fees are charged to learners: a course fee, a lab fee, an exam fee. Each fee has a description, a due date, an amount, the amount paid so far and a status: Draft, Issued, part paid, Paid or Voided. The Finance Officer prepares fees as Draft, issues them, and records payments as they arrive.

A fee is part paid when some money has come in and Paid when the paid amount reaches the full amount. A fee raised in error is Voided and stays on record, so the learner’s account can always be explained. Payments themselves are taken through your payment provider or finance system; the paid amount is recorded here.

• Draft, then issue. Fees are prepared as Draft and issued once checked.
• Track what is paid. The paid amount grows with each payment. Part payments stay visible until the fee is settled.
• Void instead of deleting. A fee raised in error is Voided and remains on the learner’s record.

Agree the fee types and their standard amounts for each course. Agree due dates and how far ahead fees are issued. Decide how refunds for withdrawals are handled in your finance system. Agree how often paid amounts are updated from your payment provider.

A learner enrolls in Data Analysis 101. The Finance Officer drafts a course fee of 600 USD due February 1 and a lab fee of 80 USD, checks them and issues both. The learner pays 300 USD on January 25; the course fee moves to part paid with 300 paid. A further 300 arrives on February 20 and it becomes Paid.

The lab fee was charged to the wrong learner. The officer voids it and issues a new lab fee to the correct learner. Both learners’ accounts still explain every line.

Rehearse this during setup with a handful of learners from last term. Issue their fees, record a part payment and a full payment, and void one fee raised in error. Then compare the outstanding total with your finance system. The two figures should agree before the first live term, and any difference should trace to a payment that has not yet been recorded here.

• Outstanding Fees — Issued and part-paid fees with amount, paid amount and due date.
• Draft Fees — Fees prepared but not yet issued.

• Fee issue to payment: Issue the fee and record payment.

Connect your payment provider before the first term.