Navigating Tuition Payment Options at Florida State University

Paying for college can be a daunting task, but Florida State University (FSU) offers a variety of tuition payment options to help students and their families manage the cost of education. Understanding these options and staying organized is key to a smooth academic experience. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the available payment methods, financial aid processes, and important deadlines to ensure students can successfully navigate their financial obligations at FSU.

Understanding Your FSU Bill

Your bill is available online through your my.fsu.edu Student Center. It is crucial to regularly check your FSU bill during the second week of classes to ensure that your tuition and fees are paid in full or deferred. Many students make schedule changes during the first week of classes, which can change the bill and financial aid awards (which adjust to schedule changes on the fifth day of classes).

Tuition Payment Deadline

The tuition payment deadline is generally the second Friday of each semester, as posted on the Academic Calendar at registrar.fsu.edu. It is essential to adhere to this deadline to avoid late fees and potential holds on your account.

Payment Methods

FSU provides several convenient payment methods to accommodate different preferences and circumstances:

Online Payments via Transact

Transact allows students, faculty, staff, and guests to pay for charges on their accounts in the MyFSU Student Central system. Transact accepts most major credit cards, ACH/ Electronic Check, and International Wires through Western Union Business Solutions.

Credit Cards: Payments made by credit card will incur a 2.75% service fee for cards drawn on domestic bank accounts and a 4.25% service fee for international cards.
ACH/Electronic Check: ACH/ Electronic Check transactions do not carry a service fee.
International Wires: International wires are facilitated through Western Union Business Solutions.

Service fees are assessed to cover the costs associated with these transactions and to allow FSU to offer this option, as provided by state law (Florida Statute, Chapter 1009.23(15)).

Paying in Person

A secure payment drop box (night depository) is located outside the Office of Student Finance at A1500 University Center.

Cashiers are available at the Cashier Window, 1st floor of the Barron Building, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Cashiers may accept payments by cash, personal check, money order, and cashier’s check ONLY. Checks must be made out correctly to be considered on time. Be sure to include your student number or FSUID, name, address and telephone number on your check.

Tuition Installment Plans

FSU offers installment payment plans through Transact to help students manage tuition costs. These plans allow you to split your total cost of tuition, dining, or housing into installments.

Students can select to pay in 2 or 4 installments for the fall and spring terms for tuition and dining, and 2 installments for housing.
Students enrolled in summer sessions A, C, and/or F can select to pay in 2 installments. Payment plans are not offered for students enrolled in summer session B.

The first installment is due at the time you sign up for the plan, along with a $15 service fee. Subsequent installments are due every 4-6 weeks during the term. Each plan must be signed up for individually, using your university login credentials.

Payment Plans allow for the option to enroll in "Automatic Payments". As you are entering your payment information, the system will default this payment source as an automatic payment for your future installments.

Financial Aid

Applying for Financial Aid

FSU recommends applying for financial aid each year on October 1. Timely application and submission of requested documents to the Financial Aid Office at least two weeks before the advertised early disbursement date are crucial. Review the Office of Financial Aid's checklists to be disbursement ready. If you apply for financial aid timely, then your financial aid should process at the beginning of the term, just before classes start or on the fifth day of class, which is before the fee payment deadline.

Financial Aid Deferment

If your financial aid is delayed, the Office of Financial Aid will place a deferment on your account, temporarily postponing your tuition due date. If you applied for financial aid before the start of the semester but were not automatically granted a deferment, you may be eligible to apply for a deferment by contacting the Office of Student Finance.

Understanding Financial Aid Disbursement

Disbursement generally refers to the application of financial aid payments to a student's FSU bill. Some students will end up with a refund after financial aid pays, while many other students might not. Though financial aid disburses throughout the term, the biggest disbursement dates are planned for the start of term. Be sure to enroll in direct deposit so we know where to send your refund. Please note that deposit processing times vary by bank and some banks might take an extra business day or two to make your direct deposit available to you.

Most financial aid is eligible for early disbursement -- so long as the student receiving the aid is also eligible (e.g. student registered for at least six credits during the normal registration window, accepted or declined all awards on time and does not have any outstanding documents or "to do list" items due to the Office of Financial Aid).

Read also: Paying Your RSM Tuition

Bright Futures Scholarship

Bright Futures pays a per-credit rate, so it is easy to anticipate your award as soon as your class schedule is set. If you have the Bright Futures Scholarship and would like to pay your portion of your bill before Bright Futures processes, follow the equation below.

*Note that the Bright Futures Additional Educational Expense will be applied to the my.fsu.edu bill like any other financial aid and pay towards charges owed before any excess is refunded to the student.

If you enrolled in fewer than 15 credit hours, you might receive less Bright Futures than estimated.

Florida Prepaid

Before financial aid pays, you will see that a portion of your class fees have been covered by Florida Prepaid. When your financial aid disburses, it pays towards the portion of your FSU bill not covered by Florida Prepaid. At the beginning of the semester (and before Financial Aid pays), the portion of your balance that Florida Prepaid is expected to pay will reflect on your FSU bill. When financial aid (like Bright Futures) pays, it will simply pay the portion of the bill that is not covered by Florida Prepaid and then FSU will refund any excess financial aid payment to the student.

The Office of Student Finance bills Florida Prepaid automatically each term.

The credit-hour cost is made up of several fees in addition to tuition, some of which are not covered by any Florida Prepaid plan. Additionally, some classes and majors are subject to additional costs that are not covered by Florida Prepaid. Your Florida Prepaid billing will be reflected on your Account Statement before financial aid processes, usually long before the semester begins, but at latest by the end of the drop/ add period during the first week of the term.

Private Scholarships

Federal regulations require you to report any outside awards. The university does not forward funds to other colleges.

Third-Party Access

You can grant third-party access to an individual (i.e., parents, spouses, siblings, etc.) to allow them to pay your tuition by adding account delegates. This action allows the third party to create their own FSUID to make payments on the account and allows university staff to discuss relevant account details.

Important Considerations

Dropping or Adding Classes

You will need to be mindful of the type of aid that you have received before deciding to drop or add classes during the drop/add period. Most types of financial aid require a minimum enrollment of six (6) hours. Students who received federal aid and who drop below six hours will be required to return the funds to the school.

Additional Fees

If you elect to purchase services after the early disbursement date-such as meal plans or health insurance-these charges will be added to your student account and will have to be paid during subsequent disbursements or out of pocket.

Late Fees and Holds

Students whose schedules are reinstated are subject to a $100.00 late registration fee and a $100.00 late payment fee. Students who owe $.01 or more to the university will not be able to receive diplomas. If you owe any past due charges to the university, you will have an accounts receivable hold. The hold will not be removed, and such students will not be permitted to register until the debt is paid in full. Florida State University assesses collection fees to accounts that are outstanding debts for 120 days or longer, and accounts are sent to one of the collection agencies contracted by the state.

Financial Aid and Withdrawal

Students who withdraw and have received federal financial aid (Title Four programs) will be required to repay to the federal program the amount of unearned financial aid funds disbursed to them as of their withdrawal date. Title Four programs includes Pell Grants, Perkins Loans, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), Stafford Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized) and Parent Loans (the Federal Plus program). Both the university and students receiving federal financial aid are required to return unearned financial aid to the federal government. For Title Four grant programs, unearned grant program funds are considered over-payments and students are required to return fifty percent of the grant.

Perkins Loans

Under federal law, the authority for schools to make new Perkins Loans ended on Sept. 30, 2017, and final disbursements were permitted through June 30, 2018. As a result, students can no longer receive Perkins Loans. A borrower who received a Perkins Loan can learn more about managing the repayment of the loan by contacting either the school that made the loan or the school's loan servicer. If you are attending school at least half-time, you have nine months after you graduate, leave school, or drop below half-time status before you must begin repayment.

Graduate Assistant Tuition Deferment

This plan is offered year-round to Graduate Assistants, Teaching Assistants, and Research Assistants employed by FSU to defer the due date for tuition and fees (including the $5 FSU Card fee) until the end of the term.

Installment Contract

Students incurring tuition fees greater than $150.00 are eligible to execute an installment contract at the Cashier’s Office for Fall and Spring semesters only. The initial payment must be one half of the total tuition owed and is due by the tuition payment deadline, and a $10.00 service fee will be assessed on the initial transaction. Failure to pay the balance of tuition by the second installment deadline will result in a $100.00 late payment fee. Once the contract is executed, any course added at a later date must be paid in full within five (5) calendar days--it will not be covered under the previously executed contract. Failure to pay tuition in full for such a course will result in the assessment of a late payment fee ($100.00).

Resources

Account Statement

Student Financial Services offers an easy way for students to view activity on their accounts. The Account Statement feature, found in the myFSU portal, provides detailed information on past payments, third-party or financial aid based payments, and current debts. By the sixth day of classes each semester, students can verify that third-party billings, Florida Prepaid, Bright Futures, private scholarships and grants, federal financial aid and other forms of financial assistance have paid in a timely manner. It is important for students to check their account statement often and to track account activity to ensure no unwanted holds appear on their accounts.

1098-T Form

1098T forms are available electronically through ECSI and my.fsu.edu. Qualified tuition and related expenses, as defined by the IRS, includes tuition and most of the mandatory per-credit hour fees assessed for taking classes at FSU. However, the IRS does not include payments for housing, dining, book payments and even the Health and Transportation fees that are part of the mandatory per-credit cost of taking classes at FSU.

Holds

Review your holds through Student Center. Holds will appear in a banner at the top of the page. You may not complete your registration, receive a diploma, or receive an associate in arts certificate until all amounts owed to the university have been settled.

Donor Requirements

The Registrar’s Office can provide your donor with an Enrollment Verification Form. The university must receive a written release from your donor stating they give the university to release your funds although you are not a full-time student.

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