Student Financial Services
Columbia University's Student Financial Services (SFS) office, located in Kent Hall, delivers all tuition bills electronically to students and is responsible for tuition collection. Students receive e-mail notifications at their University e-mail addresses whenever a new bill is available online. There are a number of payment methods accepted by the University: by mail, online check, wire transfer, company sponsorships, or through a 10-month payment plan. For details on each payment option, please check the Ways to Pay page.
If you plan on using loans to cover tuition, fees, and living expenses, the funds come in electronically and are applied directly to the tuition bill. A refund can be processed for loan funds received in excess of tuition. Students are billed for each semester they enroll. Each semester a bill will be issued and which must be paid by the tuition deadline.
For all students who were charged and paid tuition, you will need access to your 1098T to file your tax return. Please see our Tax Resources page for more information.
Billing
Students receive e-mails from Student Financial Services (SFS) at their University e-mail addresses whenever a new e-bill is available online. You can reference the Billing Schedule for upcoming dates.
To view and print your bill, log onto Student Services Online (SSOL), click Account Detail and E-Billing, then View E-Bill and Pay by E-Check, followed by View Accounts. Choosing Current Statement or Statement History will bring you to pages where you can download printable PDFs of your bills by simply clicking the PDF icon. To view any activity on your tuition bill after the bill was generated, click on Current Account Detail in the Account Detail and E-Billing section of SSOL.
Automatic Refund Process
If you have excess financial aid (an actual credit balance and not anticipated aid) for living expenses on your tuition account, Student Financial Services will process a refund. The refund can be disbursed to your bank account in 7–10 business days if you have direct deposit. If you have not signed up for direct deposit on SSOL, a paper check will be mailed to your local address. Please note that the refund dates listed above are only estimates and are dependent on the dates and approval of loan applications. Since the volume is high at the beginning of each term, the automatic refund process may be subject to unanticipated delays. You should make sure SSOL always has your correct mailing address.