Navigating UC Davis Tuition Payments: A Comprehensive Guide

Paying for college can be a daunting task. This article provides a detailed overview of the tuition payment methods available to UC Davis students, aiming to simplify the process and address common questions. Understanding these methods and available resources is crucial for managing your finances and ensuring timely payments to avoid any disruption to your studies.

Accessing and Understanding Your MyBill Account

What is MyBill?

MyBill is UC Davis's online student account suite, providing paperless statements and a range of features to manage your tuition and fees. It's part of the Student Account Suite and offers several advantages:

View and Print Statements: Access previous statements for up to one year.
Online Payments: Payments post immediately to Banner, the UC Davis Student Information System.
Authorize Users: Grant parents or others access to view and pay your bill.
Automatic Payments: Set up automatic monthly payments (checking accounts only), up to a specified maximum amount.
Multiple Payment Options: Accepts all major credit cards (with transaction fees), eChecks, and Convera wire transfers.
Schedule Payments: Plan ahead by scheduling future payments.
Deferred Payment Plan (DPP): Enroll in a payment plan to spread out tuition costs.
24/7 Availability: Access your account anytime, anywhere.

How to Access MyBill

Students can access MyBill directly through the UC Davis website using their UC Davis Kerberos ID and Passphrase.

Understanding Your Balance

It's essential to understand the different amounts you might see on MyBill to ensure you pay the correct amount.

Balance Including Estimated Aid: If you have financial aid that is authorized, this is the amount you are responsible for paying. The university will account for this aid before the fee payment deadline, even if it hasn't been disbursed yet.
Balance: If you don't have financial aid or your aid isn't fully authorized, you are responsible for the entire amount listed under "Balance."
Deferred Payment Plan (DPP): If you're on the DPP, you're responsible for the "complete balance Not Included in Plan" under "Other Charges," in addition to the current DPP installment. DPP installment details can be found under "Payment Plan."
Comparing Balances: If the "Balance" under "Current Account Status" differs from the "Bill Amount" under "Statements," it's because charges or payments were posted after the monthly billing statements were issued. Always refer to the most recent information under "Current Account Status."

Obtaining a Statement

You can obtain a statement of the amount due by logging into MyBill and clicking on "eStatements." Then, select the billing statement you wish to view or print.

Read also: Davis v. Monroe: Key Takeaways

Authorized Users

An authorized user is someone a student has granted access to their MyBill account. This allows the authorized user to:

Discuss financial information related to the student's account with the university.
Make payments on the student's behalf.

Adding an Authorized User:

Only students can add or delete authorized users on their MyBill account. To add an authorized user, the student must log into MyBill, click the "authorized user" tab, and enter the third party's information. The authorized user will receive a notification and can set their own password. It is important to remember that students and authorized users have different logins.

FERPA and Third-Party Access:

Due to Federal Laws and Regulations, specifically the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), UC Davis cannot disclose student information to anyone over 18 years old without the student's explicit authorization. To gain access to a student's account, parents, family members, or other third parties must be added as authorized users by the student.

Payment Methods

UC Davis offers various payment methods to accommodate different preferences and financial situations.

Online Payments via MyBill

MyBill is the primary platform for making online payments. It accepts:

eCheck: A free method that uses your bank account and routing numbers.
Credit Cards: All major credit cards are accepted, but a non-refundable service fee applies. The service fee is 3% for domestic transactions and 4.25% for international transactions (minimum fee of $3). The fee is charged by the third-party processor, TouchNet PayPath, not UC Davis.

Important Considerations for Online Payments:

Service Fees: Be aware of the service fees associated with credit card payments. These fees are charged by the third-party processor and will appear as a separate line item on your credit card statement.
eCheck vs. Debit Card: To avoid the service fee, process debit card payments as eChecks by using your bank routing and account number.
Automatic Payments: Automatic payments are only available for checking accounts. As of August 16, 2018, students and authorized users can no longer schedule automatic payments or save credit card information.
Foreign Accounts: eChecks can only be drawn on foreign accounts if the issuing bank participates in the United States Federal Reserve Banking System. Check with your bank before attempting to use a foreign account.

Other Payment Methods

Checks, Money Orders, and Cashier's Checks: These are made payable to "Regents of the University of California" or "UC Regents." They should include the student's name, address, and identification number. These can be mailed.
Convera Wires: Wire payments can be facilitated through Convera via MyBill.
Home Banking: When using home banking, ensure the payment is issued to "UC Regents" and the account number listed is your Student ID. Note that the university does not receive electronic payments directly from your bank, and this process can take up to a week. Verify your MyBill account before the due date to confirm receipt.

Payment Methods Not Accepted

Credit cards are not accepted at the Campus Cashiering Office.
UC Davis does not accept credit card convenience checks.

Important Information Regarding Payments

Payment Deadlines

Registration Fee Payment: The registration fee payment is due the 15th of the month before the quarter starts. Check the Office of the University Registrar webpage for specific deadlines.
Undergraduate Students: Undergraduate students who do not pay tuition, fees, and any outstanding account balance by the Student Fee Payment Deadline will have their courses dropped for non-payment.
Graduate Students: Graduate students who have not paid tuition, fees, and any outstanding balance due by the Graduate Fee Payment Deadline will be canceled from their future term, and all registered classes for the future term will be dropped for non-payment. A late registration fee will also be assessed.

Late Payments and Refunds

Late Payment Consequences: Failure to pay tuition and fees by the specified deadlines can result in dropped courses for undergraduate students and cancellation from future terms for graduate students.
Refunds: If your financial aid is posted to your UC Davis account after you have already made a payment, a refund will be processed.

Paying in Advance

You cannot pay in advance for future terms. Tuition and fees are billed on a quarterly basis and are due each quarter by the Fee Payment Deadline.

Scheduled Payments

If you have set up a scheduled payment on MyBill and it did not process, there could be several reasons:

The amount due may have been larger than the maximum payment amount you set on MyBill.
The terms of your scheduled payment may have expired.
No fees were due at the time.

Paying a Different Amount Than Due

To pay an amount other than the entire account balance, click on the payment tab in MyBill, select "amount due," and manually enter the amount you wish to pay. Note that you cannot pay more than what is due.

Financial Aid and Emergency Relief Grants

CARES Act and COVID Emergency Relief Grants

UC Davis recognizes that students may face financial challenges. To provide support, the university offers emergency relief grants.

CARES Act Emergency Relief Grant: This grant provides emergency financial aid to eligible students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus, as stipulated by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
COVID Emergency Relief Grant: This grant provides emergency financial aid to undocumented AB 540 eligible students based on need, using institutional resources.

Eligibility and Application:

Refer to the Financial Aid and Scholarship FAQ page for eligibility information regarding both the CARES Act and COVID Emergency Relief Grants.

Grant Disbursement and Refunds:

Once your grant is disbursed to MyBill, allow 1-3 business days for your refund to be processed.
If you have direct deposit set up, the funds will appear in your bank account within 24-48 hours.
If direct deposit is not active, a paper check will be issued, and you will be contacted with instructions on how to obtain it.

Grant Restrictions:

Due to restrictions on these funds, the money is refunded in full to the students and cannot be used by the university to pay outstanding account balances. You are still responsible for making payments for any outstanding fees.

Partial Awards:

If you received a refund for the COVID Emergency Relief Grant, but it isnât 100 percent of what you were awarded, staff will review your account and adjust your refund. You will receive the difference in a separate refund a few days later.

Additional Resources and Support

Student Accounting and Campus Cashiering Office: Open to the public Monday through Thursday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.
Office of the University Registrar: For university deadlines and registration information.
Financial Aid and Scholarship FAQ Page: For information about financial aid eligibility and emergency relief grants.

Scam Awareness

Be aware of potential scams targeting financial aid refunds. Never share your login credentials or Duo approval information.

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