In the aftermath of a new tuition deadline, Loyola students still feel the strain of financial stress.

Loyola announced in an email on April 29 that they had implemented a new payment deadline for the 2025 – 2026 school year. The announcement met with mixed feedback from students who say the changes came as a surprise to them. Some students say the new deadlines caused them to scramble to come up with the money and were worried they would be dropped from classes they had already registered for if they were unable to pay in full. 

The student payment deadlines were already in place, but prior to this year, Loyola would allow students with small unpaid balances to register for classes without penalty. 

“In the past, we’ve often allowed students with small unpaid balances to register for classes, which has led to growing financial strain for both students and the university,” Chief Financial Officer Stuart Gay wrote in the email. “This change helps students avoid unmanageable balances and helps the university plan and budget to best meet the needs of our students.”

The new deadlines are May 15 for Summer 2025 classes and Aug. 1 for Fall 2025 classes. Students who do not pay their balances in full by those deadlines were told that they would be dropped from their classes. 

“I feel very annoyed about the new payment deadline and enforcement because I now have more of a struggle paying for my tuition / financial aid on time and causing me to be on a payment plan to get it on time,” said popular and commercial music senior Heaven Haney.

Freshmen said they felt the strain of meeting the new deadlines, noting that they only received an email from the administration shortly before the deadline. 

“The week before is when I found out,” said bio-chemistry freshman Britney Fernandez.

At least one student found out about the deadline the day of. 

“I had no prior knowledge of the new payment deadline before Aug. 1,” Haney said. 

Students cited the lack of communication they received from the administration to be a part of the problem they had. 

“I don’t think the administration communicated the new deadline well. I think they should have set up more emails,” said political science sophomore Za’kiyah Merritt.

Some students did not face difficulties in meeting the deadlines. 

“I was told about the new payment deadlines, but not too far before. I don’t have a problem with the deadlines and it didn’t make things more difficult,” said pre-law and philosophy freshman Adam Merkel.

Multiple students voiced confusion as to the actual payment deadlines themselves as they were told conflicting information from members of the administration. 

“I had to go to the office because they didn’t apply my financial aid to my tuition. While I was there they told me that the deadline had been changed to the 24th,” said vocal performance graduate student Grayson Stephens. 

Aariel Charbonnet, Loyola’s vice president of marketing and communications, responded to student criticism, saying this policy has already been established. 

“This payment policy has been in place for many years, and acknowledgment of the policy is required in order to register for classes every semester,” Charbonnet said. 

Charbonnet also said the policy helps students stay on track. 

“Loyola has always had a formal billing and payment policy. Enforcing this policy ensures students stay on track and prevents unexpected financial hardships down the line,” she said.

Charbonnet noted that students should expect further explanation. 

“We are continuing to message students this week to offer additional resources and options for payment and next steps,’’ Charbonnet said. 

Gay did not respond to a request for comment by press time.