Tuition Assistance/Third Party

Third Party Billing Contract (CNTP)

When an approved company or organization (sponsor) will be responsible for paying all or part of a student's tuition and fees, it is called a Third-Party Billing Contract. CSU requires a Billing Authorization from the sponsor to establish a conditional credit on the student's account. Third-Party Billing Contracts require CSU to submit an invoice to the sponsor prior to the remittance of payment.

Student Responsibilities

Students sponsored by a Third Party have the following responsibilities:

• Provide an accurate and complete billing authorization from your sponsor at least 2 weeks prior to the fee payment deadline. If an authorization is received after this deadline, we cannot guarantee the student's classes will not be dropped for non-payment; therefore, the student should be prepared with an alternative method of payment. Once the billing authorization is approved, the student will receive a refund of the overpayment of tuition and fees within the time-frame listed on our website.
• If your sponsor is paying for books and supplies through the CSU bookstore, please coordinate with the bookstore on main campus.
• Provide the sponsor with the correct Office of Student Accounts contact information for sending Billing Authorization. The email address is: sfs@columbusstate.edu. Subject should state: Billing Authorization. The mailing address is: Columbus State University, Attn: Office of Student Accounts, 4225 University Avenue, Columbus, GA 31907
• Give FERPA Authorization to allow us to give the necessary educational information to the sponsor for payment of covered expenses. (MyCSU > Financial Records > Information Release form/FERPA)

Billing Authorization

A billing authorization from your sponsor must be sent to the Office of Student Accounts for the student's account to be paid by a Third Party Contract. The authorization must:

• Be written in English and on the sponsor's official letterhead.
• Must itemize the type of fees and charges the sponsor will pay, such as; tuition, mandatory fees, housing, etc.
• Indicate if the student is eligible to receive other assistance such as; scholarships, loans, and grants.
• Stipulate the exact dates for which the authorization is valid. A billing authorization cannot exceed one academic year.
• Must include the student's name and student's ID number.
• Indicate the name, billing address, contact person, and telephone number for the sponsor.

Conditional Credit

Upon receipt of a valid billing authorization, the Office of Student Accounts will apply a conditional credit to the sponsored student's account. Should the sponsor fail to pay the authorized charges, the conditional credit will be removed from the student's account and the student will be billed. A financial hold will be placed on the student's account until the balance is paid in full.