Overview: University Billing
On this page:
- Bill Delivery and Payment Services
- Student Record Privacy
- The Billing Cycle
- Payment Due Dates
- How to Read the University Bill
Bill Delivery and Payment Services
It is Stanford University’s policy to furnish timely and accurate billing information as well as effective payment options to students and authorized payers. Billing and payment services are delivered electronically through Stanford’s online billing and payment service, Stanford ePay.
Bill notification is sent to each student’s email address as recorded in Axess. All students with balances will receive a bill notification via Stanford ePay. For more information, reference Quick Steps: View / Pay / Print University Bill.
Student Record Privacy
Federal regulations prohibit Stanford University from releasing student information (records) to third parties (including parents, spouses or relatives) without written consent from the student. Full details concerning the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) can be found on the Student Record Privacy section of the University Registrars Office web site.
Students may grant Stanford ePay access to third parties. Once authorized, these individuals are referred to as "Authorized Payers", and as such, can use Stanford ePay to access the student's billing and account information, as well as make payments to the student's account. Reference Quick Steps: Authorize Others to View/Print/Pay the University Bill.
The Billing Cycle
University billing for tuition and fees occurs monthly. All tuition and fees charged between billing cycles are grouped and displayed in Stanford ePay on the 20th of each month.
Payment Due Dates
Due dates for tuition and fees are divided into two categories:
- Law students and Undergraduate students: All tuition and fees are due the 15th of the month prior to the start of the semester or quarter.
- All other graduate students: Tuition and fees are due the 15th of the month after the start of the quarter.
| Fall | Winter | Spring | Summer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Sent to Students | August 20 | November 20 | February 20 | May 20 |
| Payment Due Dates | September 15 | December 15 | March 15 | June 15 |
| Fall | Winter | Spring | Summer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Sent to Students | August 20 | November 20 | February 20 | May 20 |
| Payment Due Dates | October 15 | January 15 | April 15 | July 15 |
Tuition and fees are billed on the 20th of each month and due on the 15th of the following month. (Tuition and fees not paid by the above due dates are subject to a late payment fee of 1%) - See Overview: About Student Late Fees, Penalties, & Delinquent Accounts.
How to Read the University Bill
Charges and credits from University departments are aggregated in a student's individual account and presented on the University Bill in Stanford ePay. The Stanford University bill is made up three sections:
Charges
Charges are the primary component of the University bill. Charges are compiled from various offices and departments and placed on the bill.
Examples of charges a student may see on the University bill:
- Tuition charges. These charges depend on the number of units taken. For current years fees, see Resources: Tuition & Other Fee Schedules.
- Housing, room and dining charges. These fees are charged by Residential & Dining Enterprises. Other housing charges may include early arrival fees, repair fees and termination of occupancy fees.
- Health insurance fees. All registered students are automatically enrolled in Cardinal Care insurance at the beginning of each quarter. For more information including how to waive Cardinal Care insurance, visit the Vaden Health Center web page Using Your Own Health Insurance.
- Student activity fees. These fees are owned and governed by the undergraduate and graduate Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) office.
- Telecommunications fees. These fees are charged by the Stanford University Residential Computing office. All students who live in on-campus housing will be automatically assessed a telecommunications fee on their University bill.
- United States Post Office Box charges. P.O. box rental is available through the Registrar's Student P.O. Box Rental Office for the academic year – September 1 to August 31.
Students may contact the Student Financial Services office for an explanation of any charge on the University bill by submitting a HelpSU request. (Select Request Category Student Service, and Request Type University Bill / Student Account.)
Payments, Disbursed Aid and Other
The payment section of the University bill shows all payments and disbursed financial aid applied to the student account. Payments made via cash, paper checks, eCheck, wire and credit card will reduce the amount shown in the Charges section.
Most disbursed financial aid will reduce the charges on the University bill. However, in some cases, disbursed aid will go directly to the student in the form of a stipend (Approved allowances for eligible students).
Overpayments and stipends are given to the student in the form of a check or online direct deposit. For more information, see Overview: About Student Refunds and Overview: About Student Stipends.
Anticipated Aid
Anticipated aid is defined as any grants, scholarships, stipends, fellowships, or student loans and other aid which has not yet been applied to the charges on the University bill. Anticipated aid allows students and authorized payers to calculate what they need to pay to satisfy the bill. Anticipated aid is not always the amount of aid a student may receive. It is an estimate of what MAY be received.
Before the term begins, Anticipated Aid displays to show what aid will be applied to the bill after the student enrolls at least half-time, and has completed all necessary loan paperwork. The bill will include a description of the aid the will apply, e.g. grant, scholarship, stipend, fellowship, or student loan.
The following rules apply to the release of anticipated aid:
- Students must be enrolled on at least a half-time basis.
- For student loans, all paperwork must be completed by the student and received by the financial aid office.
- Students may decline all or part of a student loan; if they do, the total amount of anticipated aid will be reduced.