Office of the Controller Procedures

Payment of Tuition and Fees Procedures

Financial Affairs, Office of the Controller  |  Approved May 2, 2024

Purpose

Pay tuition and fees to UMB in accordance with USM Policy VIII-2.20 Policy on Payment of Tuition and Fees and UMB Policy VIII-2.20(A) Payment of Tuition and Fees. 

Applicability

Students who register for classes at UMB and are billed by UMB. 

Operational Units (schools, departments, divisions) seeking to apply UMB Funds for the payment of student charges. 

Instructions

1. Tuition and fees are posted to a student’s account when the student registers for classes.  Due dates are published on the Office of the Controller-Student Financial Services (OOTC-SFS) website. 
2. Financial Aid, Tuition Remission, Third Party payments, and Internal Payments (e.g., discretionary funds, grant funds) are posted to the student’s account. The remaining balance must be paid using acceptable payment methods. 
   1. Financial Aid is administered by University Student Financial Assistance.  
   2. Tuition Remission is administered by the Department of Human Resource Services.
   3. Third Party billing is administered by OOTC-SFS. Billing is consistent with the terms of a Third Party Tuition purchase order or billing authorization issued to a student and provided to UMB by the student.  A Third Party Tuition purchase order or billing authorization is a written agreement or form authorizing UMB to bill all or part of a student’s tuition charges directly to the Third Party.  The Third Party’s obligation to pay must be based on a student’s registration, not upon matriculation or program completion. The student must submit a Third-Party tuition purchase order or billing authorization acceptable to UMB by the deadline published on the SFS Third Party webpage.    The student is responsible for any amounts not covered by the Third Party purchase order or billing authorization. If the Third Party does not pay UMB within 45 days after billing, the student will be billed and is responsible for immediate payment.  
   4. Veterans' benefits are administered by each UMB school’s VA certifying official. Students who are veterans and may have eligible benefits are encouraged to contact the VA certifying official for their school program.  UMB accepts the VA Post 9/11 GI Bill and VA HPSP benefits. For information on the certification process, please contact your program’s School Certifying Official (SCO).  Contact information for the SCOs can be found here. 
   5. Internal Payments using UMB Funds are applied to tuition, fees, and insurance charges. If there are funds remaining, the funds will be returned to the funding source (i.e., credited to the account).
      1. Operational Units are responsible for ensuring payments are allowable as evidenced by the grant sponsor’s contract or other communication from the head of the Operational Unit and ensuring that the payment complies with USM and UMB policies on tuition remission and tuition reimbursement. Unallowable payments for eligible individuals may be reversed and the resulting outstanding amount will be the responsibility of the eligible individual and treated as a debt to the State of Maryland. 
      2. The Operational Unit completes the Tuition/Fees/Insurance Payment Form available on the Office of the Controller website. The form must be signed by a Person with Fiscal Authority over the funds used for the payment. This person accepts responsibility for authorizing the fiscal activity that appears within the financial accounting records for the projects under the person’s responsibility. 
3. Acceptable Payment Options: UMB students can pay via Cash, Check, Money Order, Debit, Online credit card and ACH payments in U.S. dollars (USD). Convenient and secure International student payments can be initiated to UMB via Flywire. 
4. UMB Installment Plan 
   
   1.  A student seeking to pay in installments should email Student Financial Services at studentaccounthelp@umaryland.edu to initiate and execute the agreement before the original bill due date.  
   2. UMB Installment Plan Terms are available on the Due Date and Payment Options webpage.
5. UMB Account Financial Payment Agreement 
   
   1. Refer to UMB Policy VII-2.20(A) Payment of Tuition and Fees for information on the UMB Account Financial Payment Agreement. 
   2. In accordance with the State law (Section 15-120, Education Art., Ann. Code of Md.), a student with an unpaid balance of more than $250 who is eligible to register (e.g., satisfies academic requirements) may be allowed to register for courses after the student enters into a UMB Account Financial Payment Agreement.  Student Financial Services has the discretion to determine whether a payment agreement should be allowed in each case.
   3. Under the UMB Financial Payment Agreement terms, the student must have the past due balance paid in full before the start of the subsequent semester. If the student defaults on the agreement, registration will be cancelled prior to the semester start date. 
   4. A student may contact studentaccounthelp@umaryland.edu to see if they are eligible for a UMB Account Financial Payment Agreement. 
6. If payment is not received by the original bill due date, the semester outstanding balance is subject to a one-time late fee of 5% of the outstanding balance to a maximum of $200.00.   
7. Compliance
   1. UMB is required to comply with IRS regulations regarding the reporting of qualifying payments towards tuition and fees by providing eligible students with Form 1098-T.  
      
      1. Students should review their personal information in the online student portal (SURFS) to ensure the Social Security Number (SSN), or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), is correct.  
         
         • Students with missing SSN or ITIN information will be contacted by OOTC-SFS to provide the correct information. 
         • Failure to furnish a correct SSN, or ITIN, to OOTC-SFS may result in penalties imposed on the student by the IRS. 
      2. An IRS Form 1098-T will be generated and delivered to eligible student at the address stored in SURFS. Students may consent to receive their 1098-T Tuition Statement electronically via TouchNet. Students will be prompted to complete the consent in TouchNet until the decision is made to opt in or decline electronic statements.  
   2. Operational Units cannot use State general funds to pay any charges billed to or on behalf of students. Employees in Operational Units who improperly authorize the use of general funds or other UMB Funds for tuition and other student charges may be subject to disciplinary action and/or criminal action. Payments for tuition or fees using UMB Funds that have not been properly authorized must be reimbursed to UMB from external sources (e.g., Foundation funds) or charged back to the student). 
8. Diplomas may not be issued to any student who has an unpaid balance of more than $250.00. 
9. Questions? Contact Student Financial Services at studentaccounthelp@umaryland.edu or 410-706-2930. 
10.  

RESPONSIBILITIES

Students

1. Pay tuition and fee charges by the original bill due date. e-Bills are a snapshot in time and do not reflect any activity (payments, credits, or adjustments) until the next billing cycle. Changes in registration that occur after your first published e-bill for the semester may change your current account balance due. Students are encouraged to review their accounts regularly to ensure all charges and payments are posted correctly. If changes in registration occur during your school's add/drop period or after the bill due date, please review your account activity in TouchNet to ensure your account balance is accurate and paid in full.  
2. Ensure personal information stored in the online student portal (SURFS) is current. 
3. If you initiate a UMB Installment Plan, you must comply with the terms of the Plan. 
4. Monitor student account activity to ensure Financial Aid, payments from third parties, or other financial assistance is posted. Notify the appropriate entity, shown in the table below, if payments have not posted.  

Operational Units

1. Ensure that grant, revolving, or discretionary funds used to pay student charges are properly authorized, documented, and an appropriate use of UMB Funds.
2. Ensure the charges posted to the Operational Unit’s accounting records are correct. 

Office of the Controller- Student Financial Services

1. Issue student bills and post payments to student accounts timely.
2. Bill third parties according to the terms of Third Party Tuition purchase orders or billing authorization.
3. Execute UMB Installment Plan Agreements with students and retain original documents.

DEFINITIONS and TERMS

Financial Aid - Loans, grants, and scholarships administered by the Department of Student Financial Assistance and Education.

Form 1098-T - A tax document provided by educational institutions to students who may be eligible for tax credits or deductions related to higher education expenses.  

Internal Payments - Payment of part of a student’s semester charges by a non-Financial Aid project (e.g. training grants or discretionary funds).

Person with Fiscal Authority - The person who has been designated as having responsibility for the financial administration of one or more projects within a department or division. This person accepts responsibility for authorizing the fiscal activity that appears within the financial accounting records for the projects under the person’s responsibility.

Third Party Tuition purchase order or billing authorization- An approved form issued by a Third Party authorizing UMB to bill all or part of student’s charges directly to the Third Party.

Tuition Remission - University employee or graduate assistant benefit payment of tuition.

UMB Funds - All funds administered by UMB, regardless of fund source. UMB Funds include State appropriated general funds, tuition, fees, and other income, as well as auxiliary funds, revolving/discretionary funds, Designated Research Initiative Funds, gifts, contract or grant revenues, and other restricted funds. 

Related Guidance:

Information on Student Fees: 

Student Fee Advisory Board

 Statute:

Section 15-120, Education Art., Ann. Code of Md.

Forms

Forms available on the CITS Services Authenticated UMB Forms website: