Some of you may see at some point this summer that there is a “Due Now” amount in the “Outstanding Charges” box in the “Finances” section of your Student Center. This amount will vary based on a variety of factors, including whether or not you are an Ohio resident:
While seeing this amount as being due may cause momentary panic, do not worry! That amount will eventually reduce to $0 and, in order to understand how that will happen, you will need to view and understand your Statement of Account, which you can open by clicking “Statement of Account” next to “Term” in the “Outstanding Charges” section of your Student Center. Here is an example of a Statement of Account for an Ohio resident (Note that these figures are from a previous semester. 2024 charges may vary.):
The first two fees, Instructional Fee Graduate & General Fee Graduate, are the fees that pay tuition and those fees will reduce to $0 owed in mid- to late-August (the amount will appear in the Payments/Adjustments section as having been applied to your account).
The next five fees, Student Activity Fee Graduate through Student Union Facility Fee, will be deducted from your monthly paychecks and will reduce to $0 owed after your December paycheck. HOWEVER, the Student Legal Svcs Fee is not a mandatory fee, so you can opt out of paying that. To find out how to opt out, review the information below and be sure to opt out BEFORE August 16th.
Student Legal Services (SLS)
Students at the Columbus campus pay an annual $40 SLS fee to have access to a team of legal professionals who can provide advice and representation regarding legal issues affecting students, including a lease review when looking for off-campus housing.
Students may opt out of the fee on the Finances page of the Student Center via buckeyelink.osu.edu by August 13. However, students who opt out cannot re-enroll in the plan later when a legal issue or question arises.
More: studentlegal.osu.edu
The last fee, “Health Insurance Student Only”(this student has no dependents, but if you do, that will be reflected in this transaction item and the charges will be greater), will also be deducted in equal installments from your monthly paychecks, but only during Autumn and Spring semester because the Spring and Summer coverage is combined. Additionally, an 100% subsidy will be applied to the health insurance premium before any deductions are taken out of your paychecks.
Please make sure to check your statement of account and your pay stub each month to ensure that the correct charges are being deducted.