A sponsor is a third-party entity, such as an embassy, community organization, or employer that agrees to pay Carnegie Mellon University upon receipt of an invoice for a student’s education expenses, with funds that did not originate with the student.

Sponsors are typically invoiced for full tuition and all mandatory fees. Your sponsor must complete a Sponsor Billing Authorization Form, or they will not be invoiced. This form must be returned to the Student Accounts Office no later than the semester payment due date, or you may be assessed penalty fees. This authorization MUST be completed by a sponsor representative. Forms completed by students are invalid and will not be honored.

If you are enrolled in a Private College 529 Plan, please enter the billing address information on SIO. These plans do not qualify for our Sponsor Billing Program, and your 529 plan will not be mailed a Special Invoice.

If you are the recipient of a scholarship or other award, or if your education expenses are being paid by another university, please enter the billing information on SIO. These types of financial awards do not qualify for our Sponsor Billing Program, and they will not be mailed a Special Invoice.

If you are the recipient of an employer reimbursement program, we are happy to provide you with a zero-balance reimbursement invoice at the end of the semester. Please allow 3-5 business days for processing. You must pay your account balance by the due date. You can find more information about payment options here, or contact The HUB for further information on financial aid options. We strongly encourage you to enroll in our simple and secure E-Pay option.

Students must complete a Sponsored Student Information Release (.pdf) form. This will be emailed to your Andrew e-mail account after we receive a Sponsor Billing Authorization form from your sponsor. Your sponsor will not be invoiced unless these forms are completed and on file with the Student Accounts Office. If you are sponsored and have not received a Sponsored Student Information Release form in your Andrew e-mail account, please direct your sponsor to complete a Sponsor Billing Authorization Form. This is required in addition to any sponsorship documentation your sponsor may routinely provide.

If these forms are not completed and returned to the Student Accounts Office, you will not be officially recognized as a sponsored student, and your account will be assessed penalty fees on the standard assessment schedule.

We are happy to invoice and accept payment from your sponsor on your behalf; however, you, the student, are responsible for payment of every charge on your student account. It is your responsibility to verify that your Sponsor Billing Authorization form is correctly completed to reflect the terms and coverage of your sponsorship.

Sponsor Billing Authorization forms are completed and submitted to the Student Accounts Office by the Fall semester payment due date. (If your sponsorship is per semester, or per course, rather than per academic year, this form will need to be submitted by the payment due date of that semester.)

Sponsored Student Information Release forms are e-mailed to each student named by the sponsor.

When the Sponsored Student Information Release form is returned to the Student Accounts Office, the student’s account is coded to reflect a "Sponsored" status, and the student account is made ineligible for the assessment of penalty fees.

Following the published add/drop deadline of the semester, once tuition charges are final, sponsor invoices are created to the sponsor’s specifications, and mailed to the address provided by the sponsor.  Your sponsor will be mailed one invoice. If the invoice remains unpaid beyond the end of the semester, the "Sponsored" code may be removed from your student account, and your account will be assessed penalty fees on the standard schedule. You are responsible for any penalty fees assessed to your account. They will not be waived.

If your sponsor has completed a Sponsor Billing Authorization form and listed you as a student they are sponsoring, and you have completed the Sponsored Student Information Release form that was e-mailed to you by the due dates, you may appeal your penalty fees by e-mail to student-accounts@andrew.cmu.edu, from your Andrew e-mail account. Appeals submitted any other way will not be honored. Your appeal will be reviewed and considered by the Student Accounts Office, and you will be notified if your fee will be waived. All sponsored student appeals will be handled at the sole discretion of the Student Accounts Office and all decisions are final. If your appeal is not approved, you are responsible for paying any penalty fees.

Special Invoices are mailed to sponsors following the published add/drop deadline each semester, and it will not be mailed prior to this date.

Sponsored students will continue to receive a monthly account activity statement.  Your sponsor will be invoiced following the published add/drop deadline for each semester in which you take classes.  It is your responsibility to review your account activity each month for accuracy, and settle your account balance by the payment due date.  You may deduct any charges your sponsor will pay for, and pay the remaining balance in full.  If your sponsor does not remit payment by the end of the semester, please verify with your sponsor that they have not received an invoice, and notify the Student Accounts Office of the lost invoice.  If your sponsor fails to remit payment after one calendar year, you are responsible for payment of your entire account balance.

If your sponsor has completed a Sponsor Billing Authorization form, and it is after the published semester add/drop date, please allow 14 days for U.S. Mail delivery and consider that international mail can take longer. If you feel a sufficient time has passed for mail delivery and your sponsor has still not received a Special Invoice, please e-mail student-accounts@andrew.cmu.edu.

If your sponsor indicated that your education expenses would be covered for the spring, they will be invoiced following the published add/drop deadline. Your information release form is valid for an entire academic year.

A new Sponsor Billing Authorization Form must be completed by your sponsor for each academic year. The Sponsor Billing Authorization form is valid from July 1 through June 30 of the following year. Once a Sponsor Billing Authorization form is received from your sponsor for the current academic year, a Sponsored Student Information Release form for the current year will be e-mailed to your Andrew e-mail account.

Health insurance coverage is mandatory for all students attending the university. You may submit a waiver to Student Health Services. This waiver must be submitted by the student. Waivers submitted by the sponsor on behalf of their student will not be accepted. The waiver form and more information can be found at the Student Health Services website.

Your sponsor will only be invoiced for those charges they designate on their Sponsor Billing Authorization form. You are responsible for payment of any other charges by the payment due date. Similarly, if your sponsor only pays a portion of your tuition and/or fees, you are responsible for satisfying the remaining account balance. If your account balance is not satisfied, you may be prevented from future registration and you will not be eligible to receive transcripts or a diploma.

If your sponsorship is changed or canceled for any reason, you are responsible for notifying the Student Account Office. If your sponsor fails to satisfy your account balance, you are responsible for remitting payment in full.