Background for Billing Methods

Rate Schedules

The Rate Schedule field is displayed when you select Yes in the Use Rate Schedule field on the Billing Methods page. Before setting up a rate schedule, use the Range setting to define the unit referenced by the Low and High columns of the rate schedule.

You can set up multiple rate schedules per transaction code. Each rate schedule has an effective date type and effective date. The Registration Billing and Pending Charges/Adjustments processes evaluate the effective date types and effective dates for rate schedules.

To use the effective date type/effective date configuration, select an Effective Date Type and Effective Date from the respective drop-down lists; otherwise, the default for the Effective Date Type is Enrollment Date and the Effective Date is set to 01/01/1900. You can only set one entry per Transaction Code/Effective Date combination to continue processing.

Course Level Load allows you to charge courses at the level selected for the course and defined on the rate schedule. Multiple course levels can be defined along with the ALL level (the system default). When setting up a rate schedule using Course Level Load, the ALL level will include all courses set at ALL level and any other course levels not defined on the rate schedule.

For example, the rate schedule has an entry for the ALL level and an entry for the 100 Level. A student is taking three 4-credit courses: BIO101 with a course level of 100, ENG101 with a course level of 200, and MATH101 with a level of ALL.

In this example, BIO101 will bill using the rate schedule entry for the 100 level that encompasses 4 credits while the courses ENG101 and MATH101 will use the rate schedule entry for the ALL level that encompasses 8 credits (4 credits on 2 courses) to calculate charges. The 200-course level is not defined on the rate schedule and therefore will use the ALL-level entry.

Total Course Load expands upon Course Level Billing in that the total number of credits registered is used to determine the entry on the rate schedule, but then it uses that rate for the credits registered for that level.

Billing Example

100 Level	ALL Level
1 - 6 credits @ $300	1 - 6 credits @ $310
6 - 12 credits @ $290	6 - 12 credits @ $295

In the above example, the courses are still using the same levels on the rate schedule, however, each level will use the dollar amount entry that encompasses 12 credits, and then multiply the dollar amount by the number of credits in that level.

For Total Course Load, the student would be billed 4 credits @ $290 for the 100-level and 8 credits @ $295 for the ALL level. Courses billed from a course fee schedule would not be used in rate schedule billing.

Built-in Hierarchy for Rate Schedules and Other Attributes

Anthology Student has a hierarchy built into the code to handle rate schedules and attributes like course level, residency status, and delivery methods. The hierarchy dictates the order in which the attributes will be used to bill the correct rate. Without that hierarchy, there could be many different variations of contradicting configurations.

Priority 1: Audit: The system will look for any rate schedule row with the audit check box first, then residency, course level, and delivery method combination for that row.

Priority 2: Residency Status: The system will look for any rate schedule row where the residency status is specified and matches the student record, then the course level and delivery method combination. "All statuses" includes any residency status not already configured in the grid for other attributes.

Priority 3: Course Level: After checking for audit and residency status, the system will check for course level. "All Levels" again.

Priority 4: Delivery Method

Course Fee Schedules

Course fee schedules configured on individual courses can contain multiple fee schedules with different transaction codes and amounts. These can further be defined on the scheduled course sections for which schedule of fees to use. When the billing method is configured to use fee schedules, Anthology Student can bill a course using both the fee schedule and the rate schedule with the fee schedule having precedence over the rate schedule.

The billing method feature follows a hierarchy system to accommodate the default fees found on the Course Section, Rate Schedule, and Course Fee Schedule.

Hierarchy when using Frequency of Payment Periods and Use Rate Schedule:

1. Section of Course Fee Schedule assigned at Course Registration - student

2. Rate Schedule

3. Course Fee Schedule assigned as the default on the course

For example, for a student who has a Payment Period and Use Rate Schedule configured, Anthology Student compares the transaction codes on the course section fee schedule, the rate schedule, and the course fee schedule.

If the same transaction code is found, Anthology Student uses the transaction code charge specified on the course section fee schedule and then ignores the transaction code charge found on the rate schedule and course fee schedule.

While comparing transaction codes, if a transaction code exists on the default course fee schedule but does not exist on the default course section fee schedule or rate schedule (because this fee is a unique transaction code), Anthology Student bills the unique transaction code charge found on the default course fee schedule.

When calculating the rate charged for the transaction code using the rate schedule, Anthology Student omits that course from the rate schedule calculations.

Hierarchy when using Frequency = Course:

1. Section or Course Fee Schedule assigned at Course Registration – student

2. Course Fee Schedule assigned as the default on the course

Before billing a student who has a Course configured, Anthology Student compares the transaction codes on the course section fee schedule and the course fee schedule.

If the same transaction code is found on both of the two forms, Anthology Student uses the transaction code charge specified on the course section fee schedule and then ignores the transaction code charge found on the course fee schedule.

While comparing transaction codes, if a transaction code exists on the default course fee schedule but does not exist on the default course section fee schedule (because this fee is a unique transaction code), Anthology Student bills the transaction code charge found on the default course fee schedule.

Using the hierarchy system mentioned above, the system administrator can prevent a fee from being charged by adding the same transaction code with a zero amount at a higher level of the hierarchy.

Registration Billing

Registration billing supports billing methods for course billing as well as methods using the rate schedule for calculating an amount to bill based on course registration.

The selected Frequency determines the layout of the available fields for the options listed below.

Frequency	When you select this option...
Academic Year	The academic year sequences need to be defined correctly on the program version. If the program version is clock-hour based, the academic year to bill will be based on the number of clock hours attempted. Example: A student enrolls in a 2300 clock-hour program and the academic years for the program are defined as 900 hours, 900 hours, and 500 hours. The billing method prompts for a "number of hours range" to bill students. If you select "bill all students within 100 hours of starting the next academic year", a student in the 2300-hour program would be billed if the student: Started the first academic year and has never been billed before Completed at least 800 hours and hasn't been billed for the second academic year yet Completed at least 1700 hours and hasn't been billed for the third academic year yet The amount to be billed is set up under the billing method. When billing by academic year, the costs can be set by using a rate schedule on the billing method or the fee schedule for the program. The fee schedule for the program allows you to define which academic year the fee belongs to. If the academic year is left at zero (0), the fee will be billed every time Registration Billing is run (provided the one-time option is not selected). If using a rate schedule, the student will be billed the current rate multiplied by the hours of the academic year at the time the billing takes place. If the costs are set up under the program version, the costs are established at the time of enrollment and are associated with the enrollment. Changing the costs will not affect current enrollments.
Course	The system will gather charges configured on the course as it is registered.
Payment Period	Payment Periods are used for non-term programs. This frequency forces the Use Rate Schedule and Automate Registration Charges and Adjustments selections to be enabled. With automation turned on and using a rate schedule, you can bill a student more than once per payment period. If a student is billed more than once per payment period and the billing method is a rate schedule using flat amounts, the billing details tab is updated upon registration for any transaction code if the overall amount of the flat fee does not change. This is to break down the amount of the overall charge per course.
Program / Enrollment	The costs can be set by using a rate schedule on the billing method or the fee schedule for the program. Billing is only meant to be run once with the program billing type. If the Use Rate Schedule option is selected, the amount per credit/hour will be calculated from the individual student’s program credits or hours required on the enrollment.
Term	Amounts are only billed for the course being taken at the campus being billed. If a student takes courses at two campuses for the same term, the student will be billed for each campus separately when the billing method is run for each campus. Any additional fees (see Manage Fees) are billed only when the enrollment is billed for the campus that matches the enrollment campus.