Make your payment at least five business days prior to the due date to help ensure your bill is paid on time. You can submit payment via US mail, electronic transfer, in person, and more.
Options for paying your bill
Pay online with IU Bursar Pay
You can pay your bill online via credit or debit card, or via electronic check (e-check). (You’ll be charged a convenience fee of 2.85 percent–subject to change–if you use your credit or debit card, but not if you pay by e-check.)
If you’d like to let a parent or other person have access to pay your bursar bill, you’ll need to grant them third-party access. Remember that you are ultimately responsible for the timely payment of your bill.
Payments are processed through a secure payment system. IU Columbus staff does not have access to your confidential banking information.
Log in to pay as a third party
Payment plans
If you cannot pay all at once, you can use college tuition payment plans to budget your payments into smaller installments. This option allows you to pay off your account in up to four payments per term, depending on when you enroll. You can enroll as a student or a third-party user (such as a parent) each term.
What you need to know before you enroll:
- Your account balance must be greater than $500 to be eligible
- When you enroll, you’ll make a down payment and pay an enrollment fee of $60
- Accepted payment methods are bank accounts or credit or debit cards
- Scheduled payments will automatically be deducted using your payment method on the fifth of each month of the payment plan
- You will keep your student account in good standing while on an active payment plan-this means no holds and no late fees
- Accounts will be subject to late fees if not enrolled in a payment plan prior to the regular due date (the 10th of each month)
You can enroll with NelNet Campus Commerce to create a payment plan or view the plan you’ve already created.
Pay with electronic transfer (international payments)
If you’re an international student, you can pay in your own currency by using Flywire, PayMyTuition, or Convera. The exchange rate is competitive and there is no transaction fee for IU Columbus students (though your bank may charge a fee). Both services are more convenient and cost less than wires directly from your bank to IU.
Make sure you follow all directions for whichever payment processor you choose. We’ll post the U.S. dollar equivalent to your student account, usually within five business days after your local bank transfers the money. Make sure you start the process with plenty of time before your bill is due.
Have a sponsor pay your bill
If you’re a sponsored student, an agency outside the university is paying your student fees. This can be an employer, government agency, vocational rehabilitation, military branch, foreign government, trust, or other funding source.
Pay with a 529 college savings plan
A 529 plan, also called a qualified tuition program, is designed to help families set aside money for college. Every state and many financial and educational institutions have 529 plans.
Many 529 College Savings plans now have a digital distribution option (electronic ACH) which saves time and improves transparency with real-time payment tracking. When requesting a withdrawal from your plan, check with your plan administrator to see if a digital distribution option is available.
Indiana’s CollegeChoice 529 plan
If you are an account owner for a CollegeChoice 529 plan, you have four options for making a payment:
- Complete a distribution request form and submit it via US mail to the plan provider.
- Submit a distribution request online.
- Call CollegeChoice and request a payment.
- Contact your advisor and have them request a payment.
The first three options allow your payment to be made to you as the account owner, to the beneficiary, or to the school. The fourth option allows payment to the account owner only, unless a prior payment has been made to the school.
Once you’ve made a request, it takes approximately 15 days to receive the check, so plan accordingly. Make sure the student’s name and 10-digit university ID number are included in the memo section of the check. Mail checks to this address:
Office of Student Financial Services
Indiana University Columbus
4601 Central Avenue
Columbus, IN 47203
Other 529 plans
Payments from 529 plans other than Indiana’s CollegeChoice, Ohio’s CollegeAdvantage, and the Kentucky Education Savings Plan Trust require specific information from IU Columbus. Please contact your plan’s administrator for additional information.
Pay in person
All payments must be in US currency. We accept money orders, cashier’s checks, personal checks, and cash in person.
Make in-person payments at the our payment window on the first floor of the CC Building from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays (except holidays). While you can place your payment in our drop box, we encourage you to take of advantage of our online payment options to avoid processing delays.
Make sure you include your name and university ID number. We do not accept in-person credit or debit card payments.
Pay through US mail
If you want to mail your payment, you must print a copy of your bill and mail it along with your check or money order to our address:
Columbus Office of the Bursar
P.O. Box 6020
Indianapolis, IN 46206-6020
Make your check, money order or cashier’s check payable to Indiana University. Checks and money orders must be payable in US dollars and drawn on a US bank.
Postdated checks, counter checks, and two-party checks (those made payable to a person, company, or institution other than Indiana University) are not accepted. Additionally, personal business checks may be returned if the account indicates to send guaranteed funds.
Any credit balance from a check payment will not be refunded until 14 calendar days from the date the payment is posted to your bursar account.
Your canceled check serves as your receipt. We recommend that you do not send checks by certified mail.
Send a scholarship check
Scholarship checks should be made payable to Indiana University and mailed to:
U Columbus Scholarship
P.O. Box 6020
Indianapolis, IN 46206-6020
Include the student’s name and university ID on the memo line. Please do not include the student as a co-payee. It will delay processing.
Your canceled scholarship check serves as your receipt. We strongly recommend that you do not send checks by certified mail.
Employer Deferment
You may qualify for an employer deferment if all or part of your fees are reimbursed by a sponsoring agency or company, and reimbursement will not be made until the end of the semester when grades are turned in.
Submitting Employer Deferment Information
To request a deferment for the semester, the following items need to be submitted online by the fee payment due date:
- Signed Employer Deferment Form
- A copy of your employer’s tuition reimbursement policy
- Proof of employment (copy of ID badge or current pay stub)
- Payment of the balance of your bill not covered by your employer
All request forms and documentation must be uploaded online through the Employer Deferment Form.
Within two business days of receipt of the deferment form, the Office of the Bursar will defer your tuition and fees until the end of the semester after grades are due.
To avoid late fees, the deferment form and remaining balance should be submitted by the due date listed on the student’s bill.
Fees will be deferred until two weeks after grades are final.
Employer deferment schedule of due dates
Term | Form and payment due | Deferred tuition and fees due |
Fall | September 10th | January 10th |
Spring | January 10th | June 10th |
Summer | May 10th | September 10th |
Problems with your payment
Make sure you pay on time and that you have sufficient funds to cover your bill to avoid these potential pitfalls.
Returned checks
If your bank returns a non-negotiable check or electronic payment, you’ll be assessed a non-refundable service charge. You may also be barred from enrolling at IU Columbus.
The current service charge is $25.00. If your bank returns two or more nonnegotiable payments, you may not be able to pay with a check in the future.
Late payments
Your student account will be charged an overdue payment fee of 1.5 percent each month that it’s past due. Late fees are costly, and you can avoid them easily by paying the amount due or enrolling in the payment plan by the due date.
Learn what happens if your account is past due
