West Virginia University students interested in an interest-free payment plan to spread the costs of college over an extended period are being encouraged to enroll in the Universitys TuitionPay program. And the sooner the better.

The TuitionPay program provides students a plan of monthly installments that can extend payments for tuition and housing expenses over an 8-12 month period�€depending on when the student enrolls in the program.

May 1 marked the beginning of the enrollment period, but students have until Sept. 7 to apply. However, since the total amount financed is spread over the applicable number of months in the program, the closer to the deadline a student waits to enroll, the shorter the period for payments and larger each individual payment may be.

Students signing up for an annual plan during the month of June�€to cover fall 2007 and spring 2008 semester expenses�€would be eligible to qualify for a 10-month payment period. For July applicants that would drop to a nine-month program option and for August and later applicants, an eight month program.

We encourage students that are interested in the program to get signed up as quickly as possible,said Michael Beto, assistant director for the WVU Office of Student Accounts.The longer they wait, the fewer months are available to spread out their payments. Its not too late to get into the annual program for this year, but the clock is ticking.

TuitionPay offers two types of programs�€an annual plan that covers fall and spring semester expenses or a single semester program for either the fall, spring or summer semester.

The plan is administered by Sallie Mae and payments are made directly to the company. Annual plans are subject to a $50 enrollment fee, but that fee also provides a death benefit coverage feature for the contractor. Single semester plans have a $35 enrollment fee and also includes death benefit coverage.

The best part about this program is that its free of interest and finance charges,Beto said.That can actually save students money in the long run since they may not need to borrow as much in financial aid and that can reduce the amount of interest payments.

Program participants receive monthly statements from Sallie Mae and have 24-hour access to their account via an automated phone service and Web site.

For more information about TuitionPay programs or to enroll visit:www.tuitionpay.com/wvu.

For information regarding other payment plans and options contact Student Accounts at 304-293-4006 or on the Web at:http://finance.wvu.edu/osa/.