Billing

We are aware that some users are having trouble accessing their bill since the new multi-factor authentication went into effect. If you have issues, we recommend clearing your cache, including all browsing history. 

If you continue to experience issues, please contact the OIT Help Desk at OIThelp@colorado.edu or 303-735-4357.

  • First fall bills are available in mid-August. First spring bills are available in mid-January.
  • Email notifications are sent to students at their colorado.edu email address.
  • Parents and family members who are authorized payers will also receive email notifications.
  • Financial aid is applied to the bill beginning on the Monday before the first day of class for fall and spring or 7 days before the start of summer classes.

Learn about Current Balance vs. Amount Due as of Bill Date

You may see the following "direct costs" on the university bill:

  • Tuition
  • Itemized mandatory fees
  • Other fees
  • On-campus room and board (housing and food)
  • Residential Academic Program (RAP) fee
  • Anthem Gold Student Health Insurance (SHIP) or BuffCare Supplemental Program
  • CU Book Store charges (textbooks and supplies)
  • Grants, loans, scholarships

The following costs are considered "indirect costs" and they are not on the university bill:

  • Transportation expenses included in the cost of attendance (COA) for federal financial aid
  • Personal expenses included in the COA for federal financial aid
  • Medical expenses (unless billed by Health and Wellness Services) included for graduate students in the COA
  • On-campus housing security deposit

Bills are online only. Students access billing information and billing-related tasks in Buff Portal. Because of FERPA, parents, guardians and other family members do not automatically have access to view the bill, but students can give up to five people access to CUBill&Pay by authorizing them as payers. If you have more than one student attending CU Boulder, each student needs to set you up as an authorized payer separately.

CUBill&Pay access is different from CU Guest Access and the FERPA Consent to Release.

  1. Students log in to Buff Portal. Authorized payers log in to CUBill&Pay, select "View & Pay Accounts" and go to step 3 below.
  2. Locate the Your Current Finances card. It will be on the main Buff Portal page. Click “Show Balance” to see your current balance. To see the bill, click “View/Pay Bill.”
  3. On View & Pay Accounts, you will see options for Main Campus (CU Boulder Tuition and Fees) and CU Boulder Online/Continuing Education. Click "View Account Details" for the bill you want to view.
  4. At the top of the page, you will see general information. Current Balance is the amount due, including recent activity. Bill Date is the date of the last bill. Bill Due Date is the date payment is due to avoid late and finance charges (11:59 p.m. Mountain Time). Amount as of Bill Date is the amount due when the bill was issued on the bill date.
  5. To view details, scroll down and you’ll see two tabs: Account Detail and Bill History. Account Detail shows Charges and Adjustments in the top section and Credits and Payments below. The Current Balance includes recent activity and is the difference between the charges and credits. This view shows all transactions since your last bill date. Bill History shows previous bills. If you need to print the bill, scroll up and click "Print." If you would like to pay the bill, click "Make a Payment."

   Step-by-Step Instructions to View the Bill 

What does Authorized Payer access mean?

  1. Students log in to Buff Portal.
  2. Locate the Your Current Finances card. It will be on the main Buff Portal page. If you are on the mobile view, skip to step 3. If you are on the desktop view, click “Full Screen.”
  3. Scroll down to Account Setup and click “Add/Edit Authorized Payers.”
  4. Click "Add New."
  5. Enter your authorized payer’s name and email address. Click "Save."
  6. An email will be sent to the authorized payer’s email address that you entered. They will then be prompted to set a password. You can add up to five authorized payers. You can delete them at any time. They will be notified by email when their status changes.

  Step-by-Step Instructions to Authorize Payers 

Authorized payers receive monthly notifications when tuition and fee bills are available online only if there is new activity like charges, payments or credits during the month prior. They will also receive transactional emails such as payment confirmations and payment plan notifications. If your authorized payer access is removed, you will no longer receive emails notifying you when tuition bills are available online, when 1098T forms are available, etc. Your student can reauthorize your access at any time.

  1. Students go to the Your Current Finances card in Buff Portal.
  2. If you are on the desktop view, click “Full Screen.” 
  3. Scroll down to Account Setup and click “Add/Edit Authorized Payers.”
  4. Click the 'x' next to the authorized payer you want to delete. They will be notified by email that the account has been deleted.

Provided that all documentation has been submitted correctly and on time, financial aid usually begins being applied to the bill about a week before the first day of class. (Please note: if you are enrolled in a session that does not follow traditional fall and spring semester dates published on the academic calendar, your aid will begin being applied about one week before the first day of your class, not the first day of the semester.) If there is a delay, review your aid and complete any outstanding To-Do items in Buff Portal.

Federal regulations determine what charges are covered by federal aid and when aid can be applied to the tuition bill. To learn more, see Apply Aid to All University Charges.

Please see Apply aid to All University Charges for instructions.

Privacy

Student records, including financial information, are protected by federal law. For more information, visit Records & Privacy on the Office of the Registrar's website.