Potential revisions to Policy C.39 hope to reduce registration hassle

KPU currently seeking online student feedback on changes

Proposed revisions to a policy at Kwantlen Polytechnic University will hopefully make things easier for students in financing their education. Policy C.39, Refunds of Tuition and Other Fees, currently has several potential changes on which KPU is gathering student feedback.

The first major change is the fee deadline for tuition. Currently, the fee deadline is three weeks before classes start each semester. The proposed change is that the fee deadline be pushed back until two weeks into the semester.

“That gives students more time to get their funding in order,” says Zena Mitchell, KPU’s registrar. “It’s of particular importance for those who are getting financial assistance.”

Mitchell says students who seek financial aid often don’t get their funding until after the current fee deadline. This causes a lot of stress, as anyone who doesn’t pay the fees on time are automatically dropped from classes. There is a reinstatement day for students who had classes dropped, but it’s still a difficult and stressful process.

The drop for non-payment process is the second item up for change. Instead of being dropped for paying late, students will simply be penalized with a late fee and a lesser standing on their registration statutes for the next semester.

“We’re not saying students don’t have to pay their fees in a timely fashion, but what we’re doing is eliminating consequences that are such a blunt force,” Mitchell explains.

With the elimination of the drop process, there will also be no need for the reinstatement day, which is the third proposed change.

The fourth proposed change is the elimination of fee deferrals. With the fee deadline pushed back into the second week of classes, the fee deferral (the request from a student to have the fee deadline pushed back for them) becomes obsolete.

Finally, the last proposed change is the elimination of subsequent registration deposit payments after initial application. That is, once a student pays the initial $250 registration deposit when they apply to KPU, they won’t ever have to pay that deposit again.

The Kwantlen Student Association president, Allison Gonzalez, says she is extremely excited for these changes, especially pushing the fee deadline back. As a student who uses student loans, she says this is something that will help eliminate a certain amount of stress.

“There are about 6,000 students who apply for student loans every year. Having to have all these fees you have to pay before hand, we no longer have to worry about that,” she says.

Gonzalez also says she’s glad that KPU is working closely with the KSA on this proposal.

“KPU recently has been really keeping the KSA in the loop,” Gonzalez says. “I think they’ve always been meaning to be student-centric, but I think they’ve really started to come to consultations recently.”

Students can also go to the KPU website to see what policies are under review and offer comments and suggestions. According to Gonzalez, the idea to review and revise Policy C.39 arose after KPU held multiple focus groups across all four campuses.

Mitchell says, “This proposal is much more in line with what other universities are doing.”

The policy changes are set for final review in May, and if they are approved, they will be implemented as soon as the fall semester.