1. Students in programs that charge per point, and who have not registered before the first bill of each term is generated (late July and December), can estimate their tuition and fees using the online calculator, available on the E-Billing website. The calculator is linked from the "View Accounts" screen of the E-Billing website. Simply enter the number of points you intend to take that semester, and the calculator will generate an estimate of your tuition and fees for the semester which you can then use for making bill payments.

Back to Top

2. You can set up your parent as an Authorized Payer in the E-Billing system. Your parent will then receive an email each billing cycle notifying them that your Student Account Statement is ready to be viewed/paid online. To establish an Authorized Payer, log on to SSOL and you can access the E-Billing site by clicking "Pay By Check Online/View Statement" on the "Accounts" screen of SSOL and then follow the directions on the "Authorize Payer" screen. This year only, paper bills will be sent as usual during the introductory phase of the E- Billing system. This will help ensure that people learn about the new system without missing a statement.

Back to Top

3. Once you have signed up for the AMS program, you will receive printed bills from AMS according to the budget you have established. These payments will appear on the Bill as anticipated credits. You need to review your Columbia E-Bill to ensure that your AMS budget covers all of your expenses. When additional charges appear on your Columbia E-Bill (such as Flex account charges), you can pay that balance online via E-Check.

Back to Top

4. The simplest way to share copies of your Student Account Statement with people who do not have email access is to print a copy of your bill by using the PDF feature on the "View Accounts" screen of the E-Billing site and mail it to them directly. In some cases where a paper bill is an absolute necessity, students may submit a Paper Bill Request Form available from the Student Financial Services Website

Back to Top

5. Currently, Student Financial Services bills tuition, student fees (including the Health Services fees), student medical insurance, undergraduate residence hall charges, meal plans, Flex account charges, Dining Dollars and the University Facilities fee. No other costs associated with your student life are billed to you through Student Financial Services, and consequently do not appear on the Student Account Statement.

Back to Top

6. No. The E-Billing system delivers your current Student Account Statement electronically. The E-Bill is a "snapshot" of the charges, credits and anticipated credits to the student account, as of a specific date. This information is updated each billing cycle, whenever there is activity on the account. The E-Bill does not reflect changes to the account that occur daily between billing cycles. To see that information, students may go to SSOL and click on "account detail and refund request."

Back to Top

7. This year, a new policy was announced to all students, stating that email is the official mode of communication for all Columbia University students. This new policy stipulates that all Columbia students must activate their official University email account (UNI@columbia.edu), and are required to check this account regularly for any important messages relating to University affairs. The E-Billing system will send notices only to this official email account. Once you have activated your University email account, you may set up a forwarding feature to receive mail at another email account. To activate your official Columbia email account, please go to the AcIS website at http://www.columbia.edu/acis/accounts/create/current.html.

Back to Top

8. Payments may only be made for the current term through E-Billing. You cannot make payments for prior terms or on accounts that are in collection. Please make payments for previous semesters at the cashier's window in 210 Kent Hall (for the Morningside campus) or the cashier's window in 1-127 Black Building (Medical Center campus) or by mail.

Back to Top

9. The benefits of the electronic billing program are significant to students, their families, and to the University. The program helps save money by reducing the high cost of printing Student Account Statements (more than 200,000 statements are printed each year). Significant environmental benefits are also associated with reducing the University's reliance on paper. Further benefits of E-billing include:

• Maximizes online technology for better, quicker financial management
• Convenient 24x7 access
• Simple to use, and easier to read than the printed Student Account Statement
• Private and secure, with login via SSOL for students, and password-protected login for Authorized Payers
• View bill and make payments in one easy online system
• Better financial management: schedule recurring and/or automatic payments, quicker posting of payments (same-day processing saves time and money: no more waiting on line, no writing checks, no postage needed)
• Easy to give access to parents or others who want access to Student Account Statements
• Easy access to account and online payment history

Back to Top

10. Columbia University has designated E-Billing as the official system for distributing Student Account Statements; therefore, no other method of billing is in use. The system provides enhanced service, convenience and functionality to its users.

If a student or the person primarily responsible for paying tuition is unable to use the E-Billing system for a specific reason, a student may apply to receive paper bills each term by submitting a Paper Bill Request Form, available online at the SFS website. Simply preferring to receive paper bills is not considered reason enough to be converted to a manual, paper billing process.

Back to Top

11. You can still view your Student Account Statement online without having to make online payments. Your best options are:

• Print your bill, and mail in your payment (check or money order) to the address listed on the Student Account Statement; or
• Print your bill, and come to the SFS Cashier window in 210 Kent Hall or the SAS cashier in 1-141 Black Building at the Medical Center to pay in person (by check, money order or cash).

We hope that you will try the online payment feature of the Columbia E-Billing system. It is quick, convenient, easy and safe (certified by VeriSign, the nation's largest online payment verification provider). And, you won't have to pay postage or checking fees.

Back to Top

12. If there is a credit on your E-Billing statement, you should go to SSOL, log in, and click on "Account Detail and Refund Request." Instructions on how to apply for any refund owed to you will be available on that screen.. We strongly recommend that you sign up for direct deposit (also done through SSOL), so that your refund can be sent to your bank account electronically - and much more quickly then if a check has to be cut and mailed to you.

Back to Top

13. All Columbia undergraduate programs allow their students to take courses at Barnard College without charging incremental tuition. All course fees for Barnard courses will be included on your Columbia Student Account Statement, and will be eligible for online payment via the Columbia E-Billing system.

Back to Top

14. You can pay your E-Bill by printing a copy of the PDF bill and by sending the top portion of the bill with a money order (payable to Columbia University with your CUID number printed clearly on the front of the money order) to the address listed on the PDF statement. Alternatively, you can set up a local checking account and use the e-check feature of the E-Billing program. Columbia University Student Services offers all students the chance to set up a no-fee checking account with Citibank either through their website, or by visiting the Citibank customer service representative on the ground floor of Lerner Hall (behind Café 212) between the hours of 9 AM and 3 PM weekdays.

Back to Top

15. Be sure to set up as a safe email sender anything that ends in "columbia.edu" in order to receive all University email communication.

Back to Top

16. You can use the Columbia E-Billing system from any Macintosh or PC running Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.0 or newer, or Netscape Navigator version 6.0 or newer.

Back to Top

17. If you forget your password, the student who set you up may remember. Columbia University staff do not have access to this information. If the student does not remember the password, they can re-authorize you as an Authorized Payer and give you a new password.

Back to Top

18. If you are sponsored by a third party, you should have your sponsor continue to pay your tuition through the third party billing system. For more information on the process for sponsored students please go to the following website:

For Medical Center Students: http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/student/admin/accountThirdPartyBill.html

For Morningside Campus Students: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/sfs/thirdparty.html

However, any portion of the bill that you, the student, are responsible for can be viewed and paid through the E-Billing system.

Back to Top

19. Any payment made before 3:00 PM Eastern Standard Time will be posted to the student account the next business day.

Back to Top

E-Billing Links:

1. Introduction to E-Billing
2. How E-Billing Works
3. Making Payments
4. Authorized Payers
5. Understanding Your Student Account Statement
6. FAQ
7. Contact Us