When will the first summer bill be issued?
The first summer billing statement for new students will be generated on June 1 with a due date of June 22. Once the bill/student account statement is generated, the student and any Authorized Payers will receive an email notification that the student account statement has been generated and is ready to view and pay. In order for the Authorized Payer to receive the June 1 billing notification, the student will need to grant them Authorized Payer access by this date.
How much will tuition be for fall 2020?
Tuition rates for the 2020-2021 academic year will be approved mid-July. Fall tuition will be charged to the student account in late July. The first fall billing statement will be issued the first week of August with a due date of August 31, 2020. The September billing statement is scheduled to be generated on September 4, 2020.
What are the payment options at Penn State?
- Credit Card—A 2% convenience fee is applied. Payments may be submitted online. The payment posts to student account immediately.
- Paper Check by mail—If mailing a payment, it can take up to 10 days for the payment to be received and appear on the student account.
- Installment Payment Plan—The student or the Authorized Payer on the account can enroll every semester online by logging in to the student account. There is a $45 non-refundable enrollment fee per semester. Autopay for the remaining installments must be set up at the time of enrollment using a credit card or a U.S. bank account.
- Summer: Payments are made in three installments. In order to enroll with one third of the balance due, students must enroll by May 22, 2020.
- Fall and Spring: Payments are made in four installments. In order to enroll with one fourth of the balance due, students must enroll by the first billing statement due date.
- International Payments via Flywire—After logging into the student account, students and Authorized Payers will see an option to make an “International Payment” via Flywire, which offers payment methods for every country except for U.S. Government Sanctioned countries.
How is in-state tuition determined?
A student is classified as a Pennsylvania resident for tuition purposes if that student has a Pennsylvania domicile (permanent and principal place of residence) and that student's presence in Pennsylvania is not primarily for educational purposes. Students who come to Pennsylvania for the primary purposes of attending Penn State will continue to be classified as non-residents for purposes of tuition throughout their attendance at Penn State.
Can a student appeal to be reclassified as a Pennsylvania resident?
A student requesting reclassification as a Pennsylvania resident for tuition purposes must demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that his/her domicile is in Pennsylvania and that his/her presence in Pennsylvania is not primarily for educational purposes. Each request will be decided individually on the basis of all facts and evidence submitted by the petitioner. For information on residency appeals, visit the University's Bursar's site.
If I am a Penn State employee, when will I see the tuition discount (Grant-in-Aid) on the bill?
This benefit is managed by Human Resources. The Penn State employee submits a "Dependent Grant-In-Aid Form" online prior to each semester or summer session in which the Grant-In Aid is to be applied for a dependent and/or spouse. Once approved by the Employee Benefits office, the staff discount will appear on the tuition bill. The staff discount will only be applied to the tuition and cannot be applied to room and board charges or fees. For additional information, including the Grant-in-Aid application, submissions schedule, etc., visit the University's Human Resources site.
What do I do if my student receives a scholarship check?
Upon receipt, scholarship checks should promptly be sent to the Office of the Bursar:
- Office of the Bursar
Attn: External Awards
109 Shields Building
University Park, PA 16802
Students and/or Authorized Payers should save a copy of the notification letter and forward the original letter Penn State. Because Bursar's Office receive a heavy volume of external award checks in July, August, November, and December, early submission of scholarship checks is recommended. Awards received prior to the beginning of a semester billing will be credited to the student account after tuition is posted to the account (i.e., first week of August for fall). If the check is made payable to Penn State and the student, the student should endorse the check before sending it to Penn State, including the student's name and Penn State ID on the memo line. The student is responsible for the balance on the billing statement. A refund will be issued for any credit balance.
How do I process a payment from a PA 529 Plan?
Pennsylvania has two Plans: The Guaranteed Savings Plan and the Investment Plan.
Guaranteed Savings Plan
Students need to submit their billing statements in the PA portal. The Payment Authorization Form can be obtained online by clicking on “My Account”, selecting the “Guaranteed Savings Plan” and logging into the account. There will be a link for the Payment Authorization Form on the Account Overview link. The payment comes via wire transfer to Penn State. Penn state does not bill on behalf of students.
The Treasury sends a roster of potential payments. Penn State's Bursar's Office cross checks the roster with enrolled students. Students that are currently enrolled will receive an email with instructions. Students must submit their billing statement as soon as they receive it to ensure that payments are being made. The Bursar's Office will add a no-late fee indicator for the first billing month for all students listed on the roster.
Investment Plan
Penn State does not receive a roster of students enrolled in the Investment Plan and is unaware of what payments are being sent.
When a request for payment is submitted, the Treasury sends a paper check to Penn State. Once Penn State receives the check, the payment is posted to the student account. Payments typically take two to three weeks to come in. Students should submit payment request as soon as they receive their billing statement.
When a parent makes a 529 plan payment request, the Treasury sends a confirmation to the parent indicating that the payment has been confirmed. Payments typically take two to three weeks until the check is received. The confirmation that a payment was made does not mean that Penn State received the check on the date of the check/payment request.
Since the Bursar's Office does not have a roster for students enrolled in the PA Investment Plan, the office cannot protect students from late fees on the first billing month.
How long does it take for a 529 payment to show up on a student’s account?
Penn State has no control over when a payment will be mailed to Penn State from a 529 plan. The lead time for a payment to be processed by 529 plans varies. Based on past experience, it may take between two to four weeks for a 529 plan payment to arrive at Penn State after it has been submitted.
How do I process a payment from the Florida Prepaid Plan?
Penn State receives a Third-Party Billing Notice once in the entire enrollment of the student at Penn State notifying us that the student will be participating in the FL Prepaid Plan. Once the notification is received, the Bursar's Office sends an email to the student with information instructing them to submit their tuition bill to the FL Prepaid Plan. Penn State does not bill on behalf of the student. Once the FL Prepaid Plan receives the statement from the student, the FL Prepaid Plan sends Penn State the payment by check. Upon reciept of the check, the payment is posted as check payment on the student account.
It can take two to four weeks from the date of the request until the payment is received. Students need to submit their payment request to FL as soon as they receive their billing statement.
What other state plans does Penn State work with?
- Mississippi (Impact)
- Texas (Texas Guaranteed)
- Illinois (College Illinois!)
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Alabama
- Michigan
The above states have 529 Plans and Penn State will bill for these programs. At the beginning of the semester, the Bursar's Office receives a roster of students who have notified their state that they are intending or have already enrolled at Penn State. After the add/drop period ends, Penn State sends a spreadsheet to the states with the students’ billing information. The states send a lump sum payment for these students that is posted as a check payment on the student account.
The students that are on the roster for the students in the states indicated above will have a no-late-fee indicator for the first billing month.
What if the Parent PLUS Loan is higher than amount due?
The Federal Direct Parent PLUS funds are applied to the student's tuition and fees before other financial aid funds are applied. Any credit balance on the student account from the Parent PLUS loan will be refunded to the parent in the form of a paper check.
How much tuition will increase over the next 4 years?
Unfortunately it is not possible to predict future tuition costs. All students pay the current tuition rate as determined by the Penn State Board of Trustees each year in mid-July. Rate increases cannot be predicted.
Tuition rates for the current academic year can be found on the University's Tuition site. Select "Tuition Schedules" from the menu and follow the prompts to receive per credit, semester, and academic year tuition rates based on residency, semester, and location.
Are credits earned through advanced placement or credits transferred from another institution included in the 59.1 number of credits?
Yes. Once an undergraduate student completes 59.1 or more total credits, the student is considered to have obtained junior or senior status at Penn State. Tuition rates increase at the junior and senior levels.
What number of credits is considered full-time in respect to tuition calculation?
Twelve credits or more is considered full-time.
Is additional tuition charged for credits exceeding 12 credits?
No. Please note, if a student is still full-time (12 or more credits) after a course is dropped, no tuition adjustment will occur.
Can students and Authorized Payers both sign up for text alerts?
Yes. There are various text alerts available. Students and parents need not sign up for the same alerts.
Important Takeaways
It is highly recommend that students grant permission to use Federal aid funds to pay non-tuition charges on student account
It is also highly recommend that students enroll in eRefund to avoid delays in receiving refunds.
- eRefund is the preferred refunding method.
- Enrollment in eRefund can only be accomplished by the student logging into the student account.
- eRefund is faster and more reliable than other systems.
Students are encouraged to set up Authorized Payer access to allow others to view and/or pay student account balances and obtain details on the student account
- Authorized Payer access is initiated by the student in the Student Account Dashboard.
- Upon initiating access, an email is sent to the Authorized Payer with instructions on accessing the site.
- Authorized Payer access is necessary for parents and third parties to view and/or pay student account balances and discuss the account with Bursar's Office representatives.
- Authorized Payer access is different and separate from Delegated Access.
- Changes or resets to Authorized Payer passwords can only be processed by the student.
Student Account Statements are generated during the first week of every month. The first billing statement for fall and spring is due after the add/drop period. The due date is indicated on the statement. All other monthly billing statements are due on the twenty-second of the month.
Online payment options are preferred. These include eCheck (free), credit card (a service fee applies), and Flywire for international payments.
Installment Payment Plans are available for enrollment online only.
Penn State Bursar representatives cannot discuss a student's account with a parent or family member that does not have Authorized Payer access.