New payment plan would defer first payment as IVCC tuition deadline nears

The first tuition payment for Illinois Valley Community College’s Spring 2025 classes is due Dec. 11, but students who establish a payment plan will receive a holiday bonus – their first payment will not be due until January.

Students must act by Dec. 11 to lock in their classes or they will be dropped and must re-enroll, according to a news release from IVCC. To preserve their chosen class schedules, students can pay in full or arrange a payment plan or notify the college that they receive Financial Aid.

“All the effort students put into arranging their class schedules around work and family obligations and graduation expectations could be lost if they miss the payment deadline,” IVCC Comptroller Eric Johnson said in a news release. “They risk losing their preferred class lineup – or worse, sitting out a semester or more if a class is filled and will not be offered again until another semester. That could mess up their entire graduation plan.”

Even if they re-enroll immediately after a drop, it could be too late to regain that seat.

“So, lock in your spot by paying early,” Director of Enrollment Services Tom Quigley said.

Payment plans, payments, and class schedules are easy to arrange online using the IVCC Self-Service portal at https://ssprod.ivcc.edu/Student/Student/Courses.

Johnson said students can choose between a payment plan with either five payments or four – in both cases, the first payment is deferred until Jan. 5.

“This could allow them some financial flexibility to enjoy with family and friends over the holidays,” he said.

A $30 setup fee is charged on either plan option.

While nearly half the enrollees pay in full, about 10% of them arrange payment plans to give them time to pay in installments over the semester, IVCC Bursar Miguel Hermosillo said.

Hermosillo said about 5-10% of enrollees are dropped for missing the initial payment deadline each semester, but many are reinstated quickly because they pay immediately in response to a drop notice.

The college developed a system of mailings, emails, texts and phone calls to alert students about the deadline and to help them recover if they miss it. Johnson said the process has been an effective way to reach students, and staff have been able to walk some students through the payment process when they call.

Students who miss the first due date of Dec. 11 will be dropped for non-payment on Dec. 12. They can re-enroll that day.

Students who miss the second due date of Jan. 8 will be dropped for non-payment a day later, on Jan. 9, which is also the first day of classes. They can re-enroll that day.

For more information, contact the IVCC cashier’s office at 815-224-0213.