Tuition Payment

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.

Tuition Payment Options

Columbia University offers multiple tuition payment options. The preferred payment method is Online Check, however, the full list of available options are:

Student Services Online

Student Services Online, otherwise known as SSOL, is the go-to source for the majority of student needs at the central University level.

On this site, you can:

  • Add Dining Dollars and Flex points
  • Authorize a payer to receive your E-Bill
  • Change your address
  • Deactivate a lost or stolen Columbia card
  • Order a transcript
  • Print enrollment verification or have it mailed to a third party
  • View and estimate your student loan history
  • View and pay your bill
  • View your Flex point and Dining Dollar transactions
  • View your grades
  • View your up-to-date student account detail

As it relates to the tuition bill, we suggest always cross-checking the "View E-Bill" section of SSOL with the "Account Detail" section for the most accurate figures. E-Bills are generated once monthly and therefore are accurate as of the date they are run. The account detail section will include transactions that have occurred after the e-bill was run.

Disbursements

Assuming applications were submitted prior to their respective deadlines, loans and scholarships can be viewed on your tuition bill as anticipated credits. The actual funds are disbursed to Columbia University tuition accounts 10 days before the official start of the term, determined by the program-specific Business School academic calendar. 

Refunds

Those students who borrowed above the cost of tuition and fees will receive a refund towards their living expenses.  Students who have entered their direct deposit information in the refund section of SSOL can expect to receive their funds 3-5 business days after the refund is processed.  Those who have not will receive a paper check mailed to their local address within 7-10 business days.  It is highly recommended for students to sign up for direct deposit to avoid the possibility of checks getting lost in the mail. Please make sure to update your local address on SSOL.

Columbia University employees may be eligible to receive Tuition Exemption Benefits and/or the Reduced Employee Rate.

To review your eligibility and coverage, go to CUBES, the CU Benefits Enrollment System, and log in with your UNI and password, then select Tuition.

For information about all of the available tuition benefit programs visit the Tuition Programs page of the Human Resources website.

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