Sponsor Billing & Third-Party Payments
Qualification
Sponsored billing occurs when an entity, government or a third party assumes responsibility for all or part of a student’s educational expenses. Sponsors pay the university directly on behalf of the student with an agreement, commitment and/or obligation between the paying party and the student.
Scholarships/grants and pre-paid college savings plans (529) are not considered sponsors; separate processes are used for these types of payments.
Graduate Students: Non-university living expenses cannot be paid through student accounts. Funding for these expenses must be arranged directly between the student and sponsor.
Registration
Follow the steps below to participate in the sponsored billing process:
1. Each year, a Sponsor Billing Authorization (pdf) form must be completed by an authorized representative of the sponsor and submitted to the Student Accounts Office by the following date (based on your first semester of sponsorship in the academic year):
- Fall: August 15
- Spring: January 15
- Summer: May 15
2. Upon receipt of a completed Sponsor Billing Authorization form, students receive a Sponsored Student Information Release form via email. By completing and returning this form, the student authorizes the university to share student account information with the identified sponsor. This release of information remains in effect indefinitely, unless revoked in writing by the student.
Billing
Sponsor invoices will be sent after the course add/drop deadline each semester. All invoices will be emailed to both the sponsor and student, unless directed otherwise. Course add/drop deadlines can be found on the Academic Calendar.
Responsibilities
If notification of sponsorship is not received by the dates listed above, the student will be held responsible for any interest that accrues per the Student Financial Obligation Terms.
Any expenses not covered by the sponsor are the responsibility of the student and are to be paid in full by the stated due date on the student account invoice.
If a sponsor does not make the promised payment, for whatever reason, the student is responsible for any remaining balance, as defined in the Student Financial Obligation Terms.
Amendments
Carnegie Mellon may in its discretion amend or change the Sponsor Billing terms/process at any time and from time to time. You will be bound by any such amendments or changes, and should review these terms periodically for any such amendments or changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the sponsor invoice go out?
Sponsor invoices are not released until after the course add/drop period ends. In the fall, the estimated date we will start to invoice sponsors is Sept. 15, and in the spring it is around Feb. 1. Summer will vary. If you submitted your sponsorship documents late, then the invoice may be delayed and will go out with the next batch of invoices. We will do our best to get the invoice out as soon as possible.
Also note that you will receive a copy of the sponsor invoice in your CMU email address. This will be helpful to keep on hand to know how much we anticipate receiving from your sponsor.
My student account invoice says the balance is due before the sponsor invoice goes out. Will I be penalized because the sponsor payment won’t be here by then?
No. Sponsor invoices follow a different timeline and will have different due dates depending on when the invoice is released. The only charges on the student account invoice that will be due by the student account invoice due date will be charges not covered by the sponsor.
Students will continue to receive a monthly student account invoice regardless of sponsorship status. The full balance will continue to show until the sponsor payment arrives and is posted to your student account.
Should I send the student account invoice to my sponsor?
Do not send this invoice to your sponsor, as it may contain charges not covered by your sponsor, will have a different invoice number than the one CMU sends directly to the sponsor and will not have sponsor payment instructions. Additionally, if your sponsor receives two different invoices with different invoice numbers but with the same charges, it may slow down the payment process or cause confusion for the sponsor.
To help prevent errors and slow downs in the sponsor payment process, please have the sponsor contact us at student-accounts@andrew.cmu.edu directly if they plan to pay before the sponsor invoice is sent.
What costs won't my sponsor cover?
Every coverage agreement is different, and the types of charges a sponsor covers will vary from sponsor to sponsor. For example, some sponsors will not cover a transportation fee and others won’t cover optional insurances such as dental and vision.
If you anticipate your sponsor to provide full coverage, there are still some fees we won’t invoice a sponsor without written approval, such as library fines, parking tickets and ID replacement cards to name a few. It is important to check your student account invoice monthly for any unexpected charges not covered by your sponsor. If you are unsure if a fee is covered by your sponsor, feel free to reach out to us at student-accounts@andrew.cmu.edu for confirmation.