Students have a little room to breathe now when paying their bills this semester: The University extended payment due dates for student bills because of mailing delays.

Roger Pohlmann, director of Student Accounts and Cashiers, said the next billing statements should be sent out by the end of this week. Bills are usually sent the second or third day of each month and are due 16 business days later. However, the second payment will now be due Oct. 31 to maintain the 16-business-day margin. The third bill will be sent Nov. 13 and its due date will be Nov. 26.

"The important thing to remember is that we've tried to give students sufficient time to pay their bills so they don't have any problems or delays," Pohlmann said.

Pohlmann said the University made the extension for two reasons.

"One, we were billing late, and two, we didn't give enough time to get the bills in from when people received the bills," he said.

The committee extended the rest of the semester's due dates after it made the first extension to give students more time to pay the fees, Pohlmann said.

"It's a good thing for me because my financial aid hasn't hit yet since I didn't get my forms turned in on time," said Grace Havis, freshman in education. "So it's good because it gives me more time."

However, Lauren Selcke, junior in LAS, said the due date changes will not directly affect her because she already paid this semester's bill. She said her bill came on time and she paid it immediately.

For those students who have not paid their bills on time, an outstanding fees bill will be sent Dec. 8 and due Dec. 29.

Pohlmann called the December bill the "catch-up bill" because it was only billed to students with outstanding fees.

He said students face the same consequences as in past years if they do not meet the payment due dates, such as registration and graduation restrictions, but restrictions are removed once students pay the fees. He said the University should be back to its regular billing schedule by January.

"We'll make sure that all payments made this month are processed this month so there are no late fees," he said. "We're taking all that into consideration and trying to help make things easier for students."

The Cashier Accounts Receivable Team (CART) made the payment extension. The committee consists of the Student Accounts and Cashiers director from each University campus and each associate director from the Champaign and Chicago campuses.

The University created the committee when it installed the Banner system — under which the three campuses must collaborate on all University decisions. The uniformity means policies such as the payment due date changes apply not just to this campus but also to the Chicago and Springfield campuses.