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Overview
If you have been through at least one season of using VC Pay Tuition Management within the Online Re-Enrollment (ORE) module, this article will help you "tune up" your processes as you get ready for a fresh enrollment season. We recommend reading through this article, watching the accompanying videos, and reading the recommended documentation well ahead of time so you can refamiliarize yourself with the process. Please reach out to your account manager at least four weeks ahead of your anticipated ORE launch date with any changes.
What is the difference between a "first time" and "tune-up" experience? Your first time through Online Re-Enrollment is a fairly involved process that is guided in large part by your Veracross Implementation Manager. Tune-ups are different: The onus is on you, the school, to drive the "tune up" process and your account manager serves as a consultant in the process. Four weeks of lead time are still needed to ensure proper configuration and testing.
| Responsible Party | Role |
|---|---|
| School Point Person, Business Office Personnel | Drive configuration changes, ask questions, supply updates. |
| Veracross Account Manager | Advise in the overall process, answer questions, and provide guidance as needed. |
Forgot How ORE Works?
VC Pay Tuition Management registration is part of the larger Online Re-Enrollment process. For a refresher of that process, check out our Online Re-Enrollment Overview.
For a reminder of the Tune-Up steps for the Online Re-Enrollment module, check out our Online Re-Enrollment Tune-Up Quick Start Guide.
Step One: Review Payment Gateways
Adding or changing the configuration of BlueSnap gateways can sometimes be a lengthy process. It typically takes at least 3-4 weeks to add a new merchant account, perhaps longer if it involves a new bank account. It's important to review payment gateways early to allow ample time for changes and testing.
After reviewing the items below, if you determine that any gateway changes are needed, please contact your Veracross Account Manager by entering a ticket in the Client Portal.
| Item | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Review existing BlueSnap payment gateways | Adding or changing the configuration of BlueSnap payment gateways typically takes 3-4 weeks, perhaps longer if it involves a new bank account. Review your school's existing gateways on the System homepage to confirm that no changes or additions are needed for the upcoming year. |
| 2 | Review payment gateway assignments | There are several places related to the ORE process where you can specify which payment gateway should be used for ACH and credit card payments. Review the default ACH/CC gateways for the following areas:
|
Step Two: VC Pay Configuration Changes
There are several key VC Pay configurations that, if changing from the previous year, will require Veracross Engineering. These configurations should be reviewed early on in the tune-up process in order to provide at least four weeks for any changes to be implemented and tested.
After reviewing the items below, if you determine that any configuration changes are needed, please contact your Veracross Account Manager by entering a ticket in the Client Portal.
| Item | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm that VC Pay registration is configured for the New and Re-Enrollment contexts | You are able to disable VC Pay Tuition Management integration with Online Enrollment on a per-context basis. From the Online Enrollment homepage, review the 'VC Pay' status field on the 'VC Pay Configuration' tab of the New Enrollment and Re-Enrollment configuration records to confirm that the status is correctly configured as ENABLED or DISABLED based on your intentions for the upcoming enrollment season. |
| 2 | Review existing VC Pay registration scenarios | VC Pay registration scenarios determine for whom VC Pay registration will be required. Registration scenarios are often aligned with payment plan selection, but may also include sub-group exceptions. For example, there may be a Faculty/Staff child exception to a 10-Pay Plan. The easiest place to review your existing VC Pay registration scenarios is from the 'VCPay Installation Report - Next Year' link found on the Online Enrollment homepage. You can also review existing registration scenarios from the VCPay Configurations query on the Online Enrollment homepage, clicking in to each record for the upcoming year to review the associated payment plans. |
| 3 | Confirm AR invoice types | Changing invoice types should be considered carefully, as it may cause meaningful workflow changes. For example, moving from multiple invoice types to a comprehensive invoice removes the ability to differentiate between AutoPay registration for tuition vs. incidental charges. Review the AR invoice types currently in use to determine if there will be any changes for the upcoming year. |
| 4 | Confirm payment plans | Review current payment plans to determine if any new plans are needed. Payment plan descriptions, which appear in the Online Enrollment portal, are configured as part of the ORE tune-up process. |
Step Three: VC Pay Help Text
There are several places during the Online Enrollment process where you can add school-specific help text for your parents.
It is highly recommended that schools use these sections to include any information about transaction-level convenience fees, as convenience fees are non-refundable.
| Item | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Review Online Enrollment homepage sections | There are three versions of the VC Pay Homepage section instructions text you can configure, and two contexts (New Enrollment vs. Re-Enrollment). Review each section on the 'Home' tab of the New Enrollment Configuration record and Re-Enrollment Configuration record to determine if the text should be updated for any of the six sections. |
| 2 | Review payment plans descriptions | Payment plan descriptions display in the enrollment contract, and are reviewed and updated as part of the general Online Enrollment tune-up process. Click here to review your school's payment plan configurations and associated web text, and consider adding help text to the payment plan descriptions to make clear to payers at this stage if, in fact, VC Pay Registration will be required depending on the plan, and whether convenience fees will be charged when AutoPay batches are drafted. |
| 3 | Review VC Pay system instructions for each registration scenario | This text is seen at the top of the first page when payers begin the registration process, and can be made different depending on the VC Pay registration scenario. From the VCPay Configurations query on the Online Enrollment homepage, click into each configuration scenario for the upcoming year and update the 'System Instructions' section as needed. |
| 4 | Review VC Pay registration page help text for each registration scenario | This text is seen beneath the system instructions on the first page when payers begin the registration process, and can be made different depending on the VC Pay registration scenario. From the VCPay Configurations query on the Online Enrollment homepage, click into each configuration scenario for the upcoming year and update the 'School Instructions' section as needed. |
| 5 | Review Account Setup Text | The help text on the account setup page is global and not year-specific and appears when the parent clicks to 'Add an Account.' This text is seen whether managing the VC Pay wallet via Online Enrollment or via the Parent Portal, so consider timing when updating this help text. It is strongly recommended that you include notice of any credit card fees on this screen, as credit card convenience fees are non-refundable. Click here to review your school's help text. |
| 6 | Review AutoPay Setup Text | This text is seen on the page where parents enroll invoices in AutoPay by assigning a saved account to each invoice. These instructions are year-specific and displayed regardless of whether VCPay registration is accessed from Online Enrollment or the Parent Portal. From the accounting AutoPay homepage, click on the upcoming year preference form link, found under the 'AutoPay Setup Forms' header. Adjust the 'Instructions' text as necessary. It is strongly recommended that you include notice of any credit card fees on this screen, as credit card convenience fees are non-refundable. |
| 7 | Review Portal invoice pages | Depending on the circumstance, your families may register for VC Pay via the Parent Portal. Either way, they will likely interact with the Parent Portal invoices page throughout the year, so it is recommended that you review the invoices page help text at this time. This text is not year-specific, so consider timing when updating this section. From the Portal Admin homepage, open each relevant portal record and, from the 'Parent Invoice Payment' tab, click to the 'Invoices Instruction Text Configuration' section, review the instructions, and make any necessary changes (click here for more details). It is strongly recommended that you include notice of any credit card fees on this screen, as credit card convenience fees are non-refundable. |
| 8 | Review reminder email insert text | Before AutoPay batches are processed, email reminders can be sent to payers. Those emails can contain school-defined text. This text is not year-specific, so consider timing when updating this section. Review and make any necessary changes to your school-defined text on the 'AutoPay Invoice Parent Reminder' email template from the 'School Message' tab. |
Step Four: AutoPay and Charge Splitting Configuration
Watch this video on configuring tuition charge splitting records:
Watch this video on configuring AutoPay batches:
Though AutoPay and charge splitting can be configured outside of the Online Enrollment process, it is recommended that you review and configure these settings for the upcoming year at the same time that you are completing your VC Pay Tuition Management Tune-Up.
| Item | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm allowed AutoPay payment methods for each AR invoice type | You can choose to allow parents to set up AutoPay with a credit card and/or ACH account on a per-AR invoice type basis. From the accounting AutoPay homepage, click on the upcoming year preference form link, found under the 'AutoPay Setup Forms' header and review the 'Allow Credit Card' and 'Allow ACH' settings for each AR invoice type. If making changes, first confirm that your BlueSnap payment gateway is configured for the desired payment methods. This setting is not year-specific, so consider timing when making changes. |
| 2 | Confirm AutoPay reminder email window | You can choose to send reminder emails to parents X number of days before an AutoPay batch is processed. Review the 'Days Before Batch' setting on the Invoice Defaults record to determine if it should be adjusted. This setting is not year-specific, so consider timing when making changes. |
| 3 | Create charge splitting installments | Tuition and other costs paid by parents can be split into installments, e.g. a $20,000 tuition bill might be split into 10 payments of $2,000. The number and percentage of installments is configured on a per-payment plan basis. Installment records are also used with the Veracross Truth in Lending functionality and to facilitate the creation of AutoPay schedules. Review each payment plan and create the installment schedule for the upcoming year. To read more about this configuration, see our article on Charge Item Split Configuration. |
| 4 | Create AutoPay schedules for the upcoming year | AutoPay schedules are configured on AR Payment Plans each year and are used to create individual AutoPay batches. All payment plans that participate in AutoPay must have an AutoPay schedule. Review each payment plan and create the AutoPay schedule for the upcoming year. To read more about this configuration, see our AutoPay Schedule Builder article. |
Step Five: TILA Configuration (Optional)
The Veracross Truth in Lending (TILA) functionality is available with VC Pay and designed to make your school's TILA disclosure obligations a seamless part of the Online Enrollment process. However, both the content included in the form and decision as to whether and when TILA reporting disclosures are required for any particular payment plan is ultimately up to the school.
For more information about TILA and its requirements, check out our Truth in Lending FAQ. To learn more about the Veracross TILA functionality, check out our Truth in Lending with Veracross article.
| Item | Notes | |
| 1 | Confirm TILA status for each payment plan | Review each payment plan and set the appropriate 'TILA status' on the 'TILA Configuration' tab. |
| 2 | Review TILA terms and conditions for each payment plan | Review each payment plan and set the appropriate 'TILA Terms and Conditions' on the 'TILA Configuration' tab. |
| 3 | Confirm installments for each payment plan | Payment plan installments should have been configured during Step Four as part of the process to set up charge splitting for the upcoming year. Confirm that the configured installment dates and amounts are correct for TILA. |
Step Six: Testing
Testing is the final step in the Online Re-Enrollment Tune-Up process, and is a critical part of the Online Enrollment process each year. When VC Pay Tuition Management, it is important that you test each of the various VC Pay registration scenarios, especially when configuration changes have been made, as part of your larger testing process.