Project Summary: 

The goal of this project is to set up structures to ensure we have payment plans flexible enough for all student types (part-time, full-time, aid recipients, self-pay, etc.), and mechanisms through which students and their families can gain financial literacy around college affordability. With these tools, we will be able to eliminate holds on transcripts for students who wish to transfer away from OSU, and we will support students in making prudent decisions financially by not allowing them to accumulate debt.

Strategic Plan 4.0 Actions*
  • Increase our retention and graduation of all students
  • Integrate and simplify technology systems, data practices and policies to increase our organizational agility

*This project was prioritized during Strategic Plan 4.0

Project Status: 
Current
Requesting Department: 
Office of the Registrar and Student Account Services
Project Manager: 
Rebecca Mathern
Last Updated Date: 
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Start Term: 
Fall 2022
Status Report: 
►1/16/2025: The second cycle of the Registration Hold Grant program launched in December 2024 resulting in 86 students receiving a grant.
►9/26/2024: The final stages of the Registration Hold Grant program are being finalized and will launch during Fall 2024 for Winter 2025 registration. Data analysis from the last academic year has shown an increase in retention for students with holds placed during registration from 70% to up to 90%.
►7/18/2024: Registration Hold Grant program proposal will be presented to General Council in August. The Registration Hold Grant program aims to provide a one-time grant to help eligible students pay their OSU student account to register for the upcoming term.
►5/30/2024: Transcript holds for account balances will retire by July 1, 2024. Fall term Registration Grants will be awarded to recipients by the end of Spring 2024.
►3/28/2024: Data analysis continues reviewing registration trends and account balance holds for Spring 2024 term. Long-term planning on the best ways to support students will be done in Spring and Summer terms.
►1/25/2024: The main components of the project are complete: account threshold, payment plans, financial literacy. Data analysis in winter and spring will be used to determine the future of the project.
►11/16/2023: Grants have been awarded to mitigate the threshold change. The project will be assessed to determine if we need to implement a phase 2 but the program has not seen a significant increase in warnings/holds.
►10/26/2023: Fall webinars were held on October 10 and October 13 for continuing students to learn more about changes in the 2023-2024 academic year, grant applications, and payment plans available. The one-time grant application and Rebalance, Register, and Repay program are available as a one-time option for continuing students who may be affected by the change in account balance threshold.
►7/20/2023: Four student webinars are scheduled from July to October. Email communications will go out in early August. ►4/6/2023: Student communication to go out and website to be launched on April 10. New student webinar was hosted by the Office of Financial Aid and Office of Admissions, which highlighted the project's benefits to students admitting to OSU for the 2023-2024 academic year.
►2/24/2023: Working on the foundational work for Financial Well-being. ►1/26/2023: Outlining a two-phased approach Phase 1-Financial well-being/literacy, Account balance thresholds, Enhancing payment plans; Phase 2-Student registration and Financial transcript holds ►12/22/2022: Milestone decisions are pending confirmation from OSU leadership. Early alert communication expected to go out to campus community in early 2023. ►11/10/2022: The Offices of Financial Aid, Business Services, University Information and Technology, and Office of the Registrar plan to break the project out into a broader 5-part approach addressing 1. Financial well-being/literacy 2. Account balance thresholds 3. Enhancing payment plans 4. Student registration 5. Financial transcript holds