Understanding Your Bill | Barnard College

Fall 2019 Semester PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS:

E-bills will be sent to students' Barnard email addresses no later than July 5, 2019 for payment by August 1, 2019. No paper bills are mailed. As of July 5, students may view their student accounts online or enroll in a payment plan via our electronic Student Account Center (SAC) at barnard.afford.com.

Avoid Late Fees Checklist

If the student is covered under another insurance plan, she may request an annual opt out from the student health insurance charged by Barnard. Although students attending Barnard starting in the Fall 2019 semester may visit University Health Plans to start the opt out process for the College's student health insurance between June 12, 2019 and August 23, 2019, the College *strongly* cautions them to opt out before the deadline for Fall payment to avoid late payment fees. Read the FAQ first.
In order for a student to register without penalty, Barnard’s invoice must be resolved by August 1, 2019 for the Fall 2019 semester and December 2, 2019 for the Spring 2020 semester. When charges remain unresolved, the College will block registration and reserves the right to revoke housing move-in and dining privileges.
Late payment fees begin at $75 on August 2 (Fall semester) and December 3 (Spring semester) and increase by $10 on each subsequent Monday.
There is no grace period. Return the Bursar Worksheet with payment to BURSAR by August 1 (Fall semester) or December 2 (Spring semester) at the latest.
TMS/Nelnet payment plan: You must advise TMS/Nelnet of the exact amount to pay to Barnard each term. TMS/Nelnet does not automatically adjust your payment plan to reflect the actual balance due to Bursar.
Remember to deduct a lender's origination fees from any pending federal or private loans you subtract from your invoice.
Your “expected family/student contribution” for financial aid purposes is not your outstanding student account balance.
Changes/updates to your invoice are available at barnard.afford.com (disable pop up blockers to access).
Barnard is not responsible for lost, late, or misdirected mail; pay online at barnard.afford.com, or allow at least 10 days for postal mail delivery.

Financial Aid

The student's TOTAL GRANT will already be deducted at the bottom of her bill as "Total Grant remaining to be credited." If you have a "Notice of Financial Aid" showing a TOTAL GRANT that is not deducted, deduct it on the Bursar Worksheet after reading the Bursar sections below on TAP, Outside Awards, and Self Help.

Self Help

"Federal Work-Study" or "Barnard College Job" wages will never be deducted from your bill. Wages are paid directly to the student by paycheck for work performed during the term. They do not reduce your payment.

Housing/Meal Plans

All students (full time commuters and all campus residents) are required to enroll in a Barnard meal plan. By default, a meal charge will be added to your bill. If you wish to change your meal plan, calculate the difference in cost to pay to Bursar and officially change your meal plan online at my.barnard.edu (under the Student Services tab, click myHousing and Dining, then Meal Plan). After the fourth day of each semester, no further change of meal plan is permitted for that semester.

Housing and meal charges (along with all other college charges for tuition and fees) are payable by August 1 (for the Fall semester) and by December 2 (for the Spring semester). The balance must be paid prior to move-in in order to be issued a room key. If a meal charge is incorrect or missing from the bill, please change your meal enrollment at my.barnard.edu (under the Student Services tab, click myHousing and Dining, then Meal Plan) and on the Bursar Worksheet, and return the Worksheet to Bursar with your payment.

Tuition Exemption

To avoid progressive late payment fees, make payment of the balance shown on your Barnard invoice by August 1 (Fall semester) or December 2 (Spring semester).
Submit the Bursar Worksheet to Barnard Bursar showing your deduction for the tuition-exempt amount by August 1 (Fall semester) or December 2 (Spring semester). Only tuition is covered (no fees, room, or board).
Columbia University (CU) tuition exemption authorization may be available to CU employees at hr.columbia.edu. (Click Benefits --> CU Benefits Enrollment System, and login.) To avoid late fees and complications with registration, housing, and meal plans, submit your approved Exemption Form to Barnard Bursar by August 1 (Fall semester) or December 2 (Spring semester).

Title IV Authorization

In order for Federal financial aid and loans to be credited toward all charges on the student account, return two Title IV Authorizations to Bursar.One is for student authorization, and the other for a parent PLUS loan borrowers. (They are both printed on the same document.) Without these signed forms, we will not be able to apply any federal aid awarded (including Stafford and PLUS loans) toward all charges assessed to your bursar account.

Barnard Loans

These loans will not appear as a credit on the bill until the student has signed the appropriate Loan promissory note with Financial Aid. This promissory note is not the same as the Notice of Financial Aid or the promissory notes you may sign for Federal Stafford, Federal PLUS, or Tuition Management Systems (TMS/Nelnet). Barnard Institutional Loan promissory notes are available from the Financial Aid Office if the loan has been awarded.

Federal Direct Stafford, PLUS, and Other Loans

If you have completed your loan applications for the year and they have been processed by Financial Aid, we have already extended estimated credit for any pending loans at the bottom of your invoice. This amount is based on the loans for which you applied this academic year. It reflects the estimated net amount of your loan minus your lender’s fees.

To apply for a Federal Direct Stafford loan, you must complete a "Master Promissory Note" (MPN). Students must enroll for at least 6 credits to qualify for any Federal Direct loan.

If you applied for a Federal Direct Loan and estimated loan(s) are not already deducted at the bottom of your bill, you may deduct them on the Bursar Worksheet minus a Federal Direct Loan origination fee that is assessed by the US government. To calculate the amount the College will receive from your loan, for Federal Direct Stafford Student Loans, multiply the loan principal amount by .98938. For Federal Direct PLUS (Parent Loans), multiply the loan amount by .95752. The College is required to disburse the funds each semester; therefore, only half of your annual loan (minus the origination fee) will be deducted from your charges each fall/spring semester.

TAP (New York State residents only)

If the student is a New York State resident taking at least 12 credits this semester and has applied for the NYS Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) or NYS Scholarship for Excellence, the award is already included in her TOTAL GRANT. If she does not have a TOTAL GRANT, send Bursar documentation of your NYS award each semester along with the Bursar Worksheet showing the deduction.

Outside Awards

If you have already advised Financial Aid of any outside awards you expect to receive, these are already included in the TOTAL GRANT amount, if any, on your invoice. However, if you have not advised Financial Aid of an outside award, do NOT deduct it without first speaking with Financial Aid at (212) 854-2154; follow their instructions. Scan your documentation for any outside award to both Financial Aid (finaid@barnard.edu) and Bursar (bursar@barnard.edu).

Third Party Payment

If a third party (e.g. parent’s employer, embassy, scholarship) pays any part of the student's bill and requires an individual bill, return the Bursar Worksheet with official authorization for billing the third party to the Bursar well before the payment deadline.

Payment Plan

Barnard offers a five month payment plan each fall and spring semester. It is administered by a third party, Tuition Management Systems (TMS/Nelnet) at barnard.afford.com. There is a $50 fee each semester for enrolling in a plan. Note that TMS/Nelnet will not adjust the amount you budget without specific instructions from you; if you incur additional charges with Barnard (e.g. increased tuition, meal plan, residence hall charges, lab/course fees, etc.), your payment plan will not automatically be increased to cover the additional cost, but you may contact TMS/Nelnet (1-888-251-3597) to increase your budget accordingly. If your student account still shows a balance outstanding after the deduction for TMS/Nelnet, then your plan does not cover all charges.

Note that the first payment for the Fall semester payment plan is due July 1, a month prior to the College's pay-in-full Fall payment deadline for those paying in full to the Bursar. You may join the Fall payment plan late, but you must make any past due installment payments at the time of plan enrollment.

The first payment for the Spring semester payment plan is due December 2 and coincides with the College's pay-in-full deadline for the spring semester.

By August 1 (Fall semester) and December 2 (Spring semester), send Bursar your payment for any remaining "Balance Due" indicated on your Barnard e-bill (accessed by registered users at barnard.afford.com) to avoid Barnard's late payment fee. If you have enrolled in a payment plan for the semester, but a TMS/Nelnet plan is not deducted on Barnard’s e-bill, use the Bursar Worksheet to deduct it, and submit the Worksheet to Bursar well before the payment deadline, or add a late payment fee. Progressive late payment fees begin at $75 on the day after the payment deadline and increase by $10 each subsequent Monday. If you need to increase your semester payment plan, make the adjustment online with TMS/Nelnet prior to Barnard's payment deadline in order to avoid late fees.

Payments by check intended for the TMS/Nelnet payment plan must be mailed directly to TMS, PO Box 645113, Cincinnati, OH 45264. Be sure to include the student's name and Barnard student account number on the face of all checks.

Payments not intended for the payment plan should be sent directly to Barnard Bursar, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027-6598.

JTS Dual Degree Program

Students enrolled in the Barnard/Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) dual degree program pay each institution separately. If you are expecting a refund from JTS that you wish to apply toward your Barnard invoice, please contact our office to arrange a payment plan. If you wish to forward a credit balance from your Barnard account to JTS, please complete a Student Refund Request form. You may reach the JTS Bursar, Ian Agrest, at (212) 678-8829 or iaagrest@jtsa.edu.