Tips for new and returning students

Want to make registering for fall semester, adding or dropping a class, paying tuition and fees and processing financial aid a little easier this fall? UW–Madison officials offer the following tips and general information for new and returning students:

• When adding or dropping a class or registering using the Touchtone system, call during off-peak hours (before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m.), says Registrar Monty Nielsen. The system was upgraded in the spring and now allows registration 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For reference, the number is (608) 263-2222. The system may be shut down for regularly schedule maintenance on Sunday mornings before noon.
• Plan to spend a few extra minutes when using Touchtone, as the university continues to further stabilize its new student records computer system.
• Need to change a class section? Visit the Registrar’s Office Web site at http://jumpgate.acadsvcs.wisc.edu/registrar/. The site contains a form that can be printed. Changes in class sections cannot be made by Touchtone, Nielsen says.
• The deadline to pay tuition and fees for fall semester has been extended to Friday, Oct. 1, says Bursar Cathie Hanlon. Bills will be sent during the first week of classes in September to students’ mailing addresses, although tuition can be paid prior to that through the Bursar’s Office. For details, check the Bursar’s Office Web site at http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/bursar/.
• Keep your mailing address up to date through Extended Access to Student Info, known as EASI, at http://www.admin.wisc.edu/EASI/. Tuition and fees must be paid, even if a student doesn’t receive a bill.
• Beat the lines and avoid busy signals to check the status of your financial aid application by e-mailing Student Financial Services, financial-aid.UW-Madison@mail.admin.wisc.edu. Steve Van Ess, student financial services director, says his staff will respond within 48 hours.
• Students can expect to begin receiving financial aid refunds starting Wednesday, Aug. 25, Hanlon says. Most financial aid is sent to the university electronically and is first applied towards tuition. Refunds are then sent to students’ mailing addresses. It generally takes about three weeks before students receive a refund after accepting their Stafford loan, the most common form of financial aid, Hanlon says. The Bursar’s Office will contact students by e-mail if a signature is needed for a financial aid check.
• If your financial aid check is late and you are really strapped for cash, talk to a student loan counselor at Student Financial Services. You may be eligible for a cash advance on your financial aid, Van Ess says. Cash advances, which generally range from $300-$500, are repaid from your financial aid when the university receives the money.
• Updates on important student-related information will be e-mailed regularly to students. Campus officials urge students to check their e-mail daily to stay informed on changes that may affect them.