Columbia University Student Financial Services

For sponsors that require Columbia to send an invoice for educational costs directly to them, the process is handled by the Third Party Billing staff in Student Financial Services.

Note: Students who pay Columbia first and are subsequently reimbursed by their employers are not handled by Student Financial Services. Students who receive reimbursement upon submission of grades or completion of sponsor terms must adhere to the established payment due dates.

The third party billing process includes two key steps for the student to initiate: a sponsorship letter and the Third Party Billing Agreement.

Upon entering Columbia, students must submit a sponsorship letter to Student Financial Services in 205 Kent Hall, which must:

• be on official letterhead
• specify the students name and nine-digit Columbia University Identification number (Ask Us)
• outline the educational costs that the sponsor will cover
• list the sponsorship terms
• indicate the billing address to be used on the invoice
• contain a valid sponsor name, address, phone number, and email address
  

Students must also submit a Third Party Billing Agreement (PDF).

At the beginning of each new term, students are responsible for reviewing the terms of the sponsorship.

If the sponsor provides its own medical insurance coverage, students may elect to waive the University medical insurance. Guidelines for waiving Columbia's student medical insurance plan may be found on the Health Services website.

Any changes in sponsorship or other key information must be submitted to Student Financial Services. Addresses should be kept up-to-date in SSOL.

Most invoices are mailed after the end of the Change-of-Program period for non-flat rate schools, because many students add or drop classes during this period. Since changes in registration often correlate with changes in tuition charges, Columbia normally waits until after this period ends in order to ensure that all invoices are accurate for non-flat rate schools. This delay in invoicing is taken into account when considering late fees on the sponsored portion of a student's tuition. Please see below for our Spring 2012 invoicing schedule

Students will also receive email notification that their Student Account Statement is ready to be viewed/paid online. The student is responsible for reviewing charges billed to the sponsor and payments made by the sponsor and making sure that these fulfill the Third Party Billing Agreement. Students must pay any portion of the bill not covered by the sponsor. Students can check balances and pay non-sponsored charges through the E-Billing system, accessible via SSOL.

Please note: Students must pay the non-sponsored portion of their tuition by the due date or late payment charges may be assessed.

Spring 2012 Semester Sponsored Billing Schedule

Sponsors requesting a W-9 form can obtain one from the Finance Division of Columbia University.  (In the forms library of this site, the W-9 is available in the Payroll/HRPC section.)

Following receipt of student paperwork, Columbia will generate and send an invoice directly to the sponsor each University term. Sponsors are expected to pay Columbia University directly upon receipt of the invoice. Sponsor payment to Columbia must be in U.S. dollars and can be made in two ways, via wire transfer or via U.S mail.

Wire Transfer

Wire transfer is the preferred method of payment. Instructions for submitting wire transfers are below.

*Please note: As of June 13, 2011, different routing numbers must be used to complete wire transfers. Please note the revised numbers listed below.

Address:

Wells Fargo NA
375 Park Avenue
6th Floor
New York, NY 10152 

Account Number     2000011750156
  

The student's name and nine-digit Columbia University identification number [Ask Us] or Social Security Number should be included in the detail field.

When making payment, note that the bank may charge a wire transmittal fee.

Mail Payment

For mail payments please refer to the following details:

Third Party Payments
P.O. Box 1395
New York, NY 10008-1395

The student's name and nine-digit Columbia University identification number [Ask Us] or Social Security Number should be included on the memo line of the check.

The pink copy of the Columbia invoice should be sent with the payment.

In most cases, the funds will automatically be credited to the student's account, but in some cases the student may be required to endorse a check.     

Note: Awarded amounts may not appear on the first Account Statement for the term, but students may deduct the amount of the award from the amount due.