3rd Party Sponsor Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a 3rd party sponsor?
- What do students need to know about 3rd party sponsorships?
- What are the requirements to be a 3rd party sponsor?
- What is a letter of authorization?
- What is the 3rd party billing process?
- When are payments due?
- I looked at my bill and my sponsor's commitment is not there. What do I do?
- Why are late and service charges on my bill?
- What happens if my sponsor does not pay?
- How does CUBill&Pay affect 3rd party sponsors?
- Can students get a refund if their account shows a credit balance?
- How do sponsors revoke sponsorships?
- What happens when a student withdraws?
- What is COF or the College Opportunity Fund?
- How do my privacy rights relate to my sponsorship?
- How do sponsors get students' grades, transcripts, etc.?
- What is an enrollment deposit?
- Where can sponsors get additional assistance?
- Other reference information
1. What is a 3rd party sponsor?
A 3rd party sponsor is an entity not related to a student who pays educational expenses on behalf of a student when billed by the university. Sponsor payments are called 3rd party sponsorships, and they are subject to the same federal reporting requirements as other financial aid.
Fellowships or sponsored research are not 3rd party sponsors. For information about sponsored research, contact Sponsored Project Accounting:
Accounting Manager: James Lei
Phone: 303-735-6435
E-mail: James.Lei@Colorado.edu
or other Sponsored Project Accountants (look in left column)Sponsors who don’t require an invoice are administered by the Scholarship Services Program.
Trusts should note whether they are related or unrelated parties.
The Bursar's Office reserves the right to reject some sponsorships.
2. What do students need to know about 3rd party sponsorships?
- Find out what the sponsor's requirements are.
- Find out what the sponsor commits to pay.
- Students are responsible for paying their portion of the bill by the due date; otherwise we will assess late and service charges on their account.
- We bill the sponsor for authorized charges on the student's behalf.
3. What are the requirements to be a 3rd party sponsor?
- The sponsor is not related to the student,
- The sponsor notifies the Bursar's Office of all current sponsored students and any changes affecting their commitments through a letter of authorization,
- The sponsor has satisfied all prior commitments in a timely manner, and
- The sponsor agrees to abide by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) and not disclose student information to others without the express written approval of the student.
4. What is a letter of authorization?
A letter of authorization must be sent on letterhead paper from the sponsor and should include the following information:
- The sponsored student’s name and identification number
- The amount of the sponsorship or the basis for calculating the award
- Type of charges the sponsor will pay for (tuition, mandatory fees, optional fees, health insurance, and on-campus housing, books, parking, etc.)
- The period of the sponsorship
- The sponsor’s name and contact name, address, and phone number
- E-mail address for the bill to be sent to
- The signature of the sponsor or other person authorized to make commitments on behalf of the sponsor
- Any applicable purchase order numbers, work order authorizations, or other billing codes
- Company ID numbers or badge numbers, or contract numbers
When to send the letter of authorization?
The sooner we know the better, since early notification prevents late and service charges from accruing. It gives the students better information about what they personally will be expected to pay, and eliminates unnecessary concern and follow-up by students and their families.
Where to send letters of authorization?
- By fax:
3rd Party Billing Coordinator
303-735-5935- By mail:
University of Colorado at Boulder
3rd Party Billing Coordinator
Accounting Control Department
12 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0012- By E-mail:
3rdparty@colorado.edu
5. What is the 3rd party billing process?
The process is initiated when the university receives a letter of authorization from the sponsor. Upon receipt of the letter, the student’s bill is credited conditionally for the expected amount of the sponsor payment. If a sponsor commitment is tied to the number of credits a student is taking or other factors that may vary during the course of the term, the student’s account is adjusted to reflect the changes. Credits are not final until the sponsor has made payment in full.
The university e-mails bills to 3rd party sponsors when the add/drop period is over. Payment is due upon receipt. The university will make reasonable efforts to accommodate specific billing requirements of sponsors, but we expect students to provide any documentation, corroborations, or notifications required by their sponsors.
6. When are payments due?
Payment is due upon receipt of the bill.
Payments can be remitted by mail, wire transfer, or ACH transmission. Remittance information is as follows:
- By Mail:
University of Colorado at Boulder
Office of Cash Management
3rd Party Sponsorships
41 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0041 - By Wire Transfer:
contact 3rdparty@colorado.edu
for bank information.
- By ACH: contact 3rdparty@colorado.edu for bank information.
7. I looked at my bill and my sponsor’s commitment is not there. What do I do?
- To view your current account detail, go to bursar billing on CUConnect at https://cuconnect.colorado.edu.
- If you do not see your sponsor’s commitment on your bill, it means we have not received a letter of authorization, or you may have not yet met your sponsor’s requirements.
- If you think an oversight has occurred, contact the Student Billing department at 303-492-5381 before your bill’s due date.
8. Why are late and service charges on my bill?
- Your sponsor’s letter of authorization was not submitted by the due date.
- You did not pay your portion of the bill by the due date.
9. What happens if my sponsor does not pay?
Students are legally responsible to pay the full cost of your educational expenses if the sponsor does not pay.
10. How does CUBill&Pay affect 3rd party sponsors?
3rd party sponsors cannot use CUBill&Pay to make payments.
11. Can students get a refund if their account shows a credit balance?
We review sponsorship credits to determine whether they result from actual payments or conditional credits. We do not refund conditional credits.
After first refund date (Friday before school starts), credits resulting from overpayments, loans, and other financial aid may be refunded via direct deposit to their bank account. Students can sign up for direct deposit on CUConnect under the financial tab.
12. How do sponsors revoke sponsorship?
A sponsor may revoke current financial support for any student by sending the university an official notification by mail or e-mail. Upon notification, the student will be expected to pay outstanding charges. Until the charges are paid, the student may be subject to late payment sanctions including assessments of late and service charges, inability to register for future terms, inability to obtain transcripts, etc.
13. What happens when a student withdraws?
When a sponsored student withdraws before the end of a semester, the sponsor will be billed for sponsored expenses in accordance with the university’s withdrawal policy. The withdrawal policy and the Refund/Assessment Schedule can be found on the Office of the Registrar website.
14. What is COF or the College Opportunity Fund?
The College Opportunity Fund (COF) is a state of Colorado program (sometimes called vouchers or stipends) that provides tuition vouchers to resident undergraduate students who apply for the program and authorize application of the credits to their accounts.
Sponsors of resident undergraduate students who base their awards in whole or part on tuition charges should notify the university whether the awards pertain to the entire tuition charge or to the tuition charge less eligible tuition vouchers (also called student share of tuition.)
Unless the sponsor indicates otherwise, the university will assume that all tuition-based awards are meant to be tuition less eligible tuition vouchers without regard to whether the sponsored student has applied for the COF program and/or approved application of the credits to his/her account.
For more COF information
COF registration website
15. How do my privacy rights relate to my sponsorship?
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) allows universities to disclose student records or identifiable information without the student’s consent to persons or organizations providing financial aid (e.g., sponsorships) to the student.
16. How do sponsors get students' grades, transcripts, etc.?
The student is responsible for providing the sponsor with required information.
The sponsor agrees to abide by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and not disclose this information to others without the express written approval of the student.
17. What is an enrollment deposit?
The university charges students a $200 enrollment deposit. When the student leaves the university, the deposit is applied to unpaid charges, and any remaining deposit is directly deposited to the student. The deposit is refunded to the student regardless of who paid it.
18. Where can sponsors get additional assistance?
Sponsors: General correspondence (no payments) can be mailed to:
University of Colorado at Boulder
3rd Party Billing Coordinator
Accounting Control Department
12 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0012
E-mail: 3rdparty@colorado.edu3rd Party Billing Coordinator 303-492-4369
Students: call the Student Billing Department at 303-492-5381, or email them.
19. Other reference information
Current tuition and fee information
Title IV School Code: 001370Federal Employer ID Number: 84-6000555
