Definitions
an informational statement required by the IRS to assist students and the IRS in determining if the student qualifies for the American Opportunity credit, the Hope credit and the Lifetime Learning credit. CU is required to indicate whether the student was enrolled at least half time for one semester during the calendar year and whether the student was enrolled exclusively in graduate level courses. More about 1098T
an entity not related to a student who pays educational expenses on behalf of a student when billed by CU. 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 considered 3rd party sponsors. More about 3rd party
a tax-advantaged savings plan designed to encourage saving for future college costs. 529 plans, legally known as “qualified tuition plans,” are sponsored by states, state agencies, or educational institutions and are authorized by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code. Examples are Army/Navy ROTC, U.S. Coast Guard, VA Vocations Rehabilitation, Colorado Vocational Rehab, Texas Guaranteed Tuition, etc.There are two types of 529 plans: pre-paid tuition plans and college savings plans. Colorado's state sponsored savings plan is CollegeInvest. For more information, see 529 Savings Plan.
in the Bursar's Office, this can mean either the 9-digit student identification number (student ID) or personal U.S. bank account number.
a parent or another person authorized by the student to have access to CUBill&Pay to view and pay tuition and fee bills online. Students can authorize up to five people total. Authorized payers can access billing information only in CUBill&Pay (no grades or schedules). Step-by-step instructions. To access other information online such as the 1098T tax form, chosen health insurance option, schedule and grades, students can give others CU Guest Access.
the amount due to the university.
a statement of how much money is owed for tuition, mandatory fees, on-campus housing, and other university-billed costs. CU Boulder tuition bills are online only. More about billing
a Latin term meaning "purse." The bursar is the "keeper of the purse" and manages tuition, fees, billing, payments and refunds for the university.
items on the tuition and fee bill that are due and payable to CU Boulder.
a United States bank or credit union account that enables you to make withdrawals or payments to other people using checks or a debit card.
the College Opportunity Fund (COF), created by the Colorado Legislature, provides a stipend to eligible undergraduate students paying in-state tuition. The stipend pays a portion of total in-state tuition for eligible undergraduate students who are Colorado residents and attend a Colorado public institution or a participating private institution. Eligible students must be admitted and enrolled at a participating institution to use the stipend for eligible undergraduate classes. The stipend is paid to the institution on a per-credit-hour basis, and the credit-hour amount is set annually by the General Assembly. Please check College Opportunity Fund for the current amount. More about COF
a nonrefundable $200 fee paid to CU Boulder to enroll or re-enroll after an absence which reserves space for the student. Upon graduation or separation, the confirmation deposit (less any outstanding charges) is returned to the student. It is returned even if the student takes a leave of absence (within established deadlines) for one or two semesters. In those cases, students must repay the confirmation deposit in order to re-enroll. Students also have the option to donate their deposit to CU after they graduate and it will go toward scholarships for other CU students.
The University of Colorado system has a total of four campuses: Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver and Anschutz Medical Campus. Boulder is referred to as Main Campus or Boulder campus. The Division of Continuing Education collaborates with departments on Boulder campus to offer evening and online courses for university credit, graduate certificates and degree programs. It facilitates nondegree enrollment in Main Campus classes for visiting students, high school students and auditors. (Nondegree refers to students who have not been formally admitted to a CU Boulder Main Campus degree program.) Continuing Education is also involved in the administration of CU Boulder's Summer Session. Only university-approved faculty teach in Continuing Education programs. The mission of the Division of Continuing Education is to "provide quality, innovative lifelong learning opportunities to a diverse student population by extending the educational resources of the University of Colorado Boulder" Main Campus. Also referred to as CE or UCBCE. Tuition and fees for Continuing Education classes are billed separately from Main Campus.
transactions on the tuition and fee bill (denoted by a minus sign) resulting from dropped classes, financial aid, withdrawal or other reversal of charges. If the balance is a credit, a refund is typically due to the student and is deposited into their bank account.
CU Boulder’s online billing and payment system which allows students and parents to view, email, print, and pay official tuition statements.
the process by which CU Boulder gives students refunds; money is deposited directly into the student's personal U.S. bank account. Tuition and fee refunds are refunded to students. Step-by-step instructions
a payment made by someone to the university that is refused for reasons like insufficient funds, no bank account, closed account, stop payment, etc.
the date payment is due for tuition and fees.
a payment made online using a traditional U.S. checking or savings account.
payments sent via express delivery (e.g. FedEx, USPS, UPS, etc.)
a monthly fee in addition to a late charge for paying tuition and fees after the due date; 1 percent of the amount due per month is charged each month until the bill is paid in full.
a hold on a student’s records due to an unpaid balance which may prevent the student from registering for future terms or receiving a refund.
CU's partner for international wire payments. See Wire Transfers.
a tuition rate that is guaranteed not to change for four years for undergraduate students. More about guaranteed tuition
CU Boulder student's login name and password. (This is not the 9-digit student ID number.) More about IdentiKeys
permanent resident in Colorado; the Office of the Registrar is responsible for tuition classification.
payment made online from your checking or savings account, or by credit/debit card (a nonrefundable 2.85% service fee applies to all debit or credit transactions).
The University of Colorado system has a total of four campuses: Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver and Anschutz Medical Campus. Boulder is referred to as Main Campus or Boulder campus. The Division of Continuing Education (CE) class offerings are separate and distinct from Main Campus even though it is located in Boulder and complements Boulder campus classes and programs with evening and online courses. Tuition and fees for Continuing Education are published and billed separately from Main Campus. If you are enrolled in both Main Campus and CE, you will receive separate bills online.
same as out-of-state: student whose permanent residence is outside of Colorado but within the United States; the Office of the Registrar manages tuition classification.
same as nonresident: student whose permanent residence is outside of Colorado but within the United States; the Office of the Registrar manages tuition classification.
balance of money owed to the university that has not been paid and is past due.
optional no-interest payment plan that allows students and authorize payers to pay the tuition and fee bill in monthly installments over the course of one semester for a fee of $25 (the fee will increase to $30 beginning in the fall of 2023). Students/authorized payers must sign up every semester in order to continue using the payment plan. See Payment Plans.
the person who enrolls in a payment plan; the student and the owner can make changes to the payment plan.
direct PLUS Loans are federal loans that parents of dependent undergraduate students can use to help pay for college or career school; offered to parents of dependent students; only parents or stepparents are eligible to apply for the PLUS loan. Grandparents and other relatives are not eligible. See Parent Loans.
research assistant; see RA/TA tuition benefit
money owed back to the student usually because of overpayment, financial aid, schedule adjustment and/or withdrawal; refunds are deposited directly into students' bank accounts if the student has signed up for direct deposit.
same as in-state: student whose permanent residence is in Colorado; the Office of the Registrar manages tuition classification.
payment made to CU Boulder and returned from the signer's bank due to insufficient funds, no bank account, closed account, stop payment, etc.
typically intended as on-campus housing and meals, unless specific as off-campus.
a nine-digit bank code found on U.S. bank and credit unions' website that helps identify your account for making eCheck payments or receiving direct deposit refunds.
9-digit student identification number (example: 8100001234) for students attending CU Boulder. The SID is not the student's Identikey (example: rabu1234) and it is not the 16-digit number on the Buff OneCard. Students can see their 9-digit SID in to the student portal under Profile and Settings.
in-state tuition less the College Opportunity Fund. Students who have applied and authorized the COF stipend pay the student share of tuition which is less that total tuition. All in-state undergraduate students are eligible for the stipend. Total tuition minus COF equals student share.
Teaching assistant; see Research/Teaching Assistantships (RA/TA)
Title IV financial aid is federally funded financial aid. It includes Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan, Subsidized Federal Direct Loan, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Parent or Graduate PLUS Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Academic Competitiveness Grant, National Smart Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Other Federal Aid.
faculty and staff of CU Boulder qualify for 9 credit hours per year tuition-free (most mandatory fees still apply). Dependents qualify for a 30 percent discount on the student share of tuition. More about the Employee Tuition Assistance Benefit
if a student withdraws under extenuating circumstances, he or she may appeal tuition charges within a certain time period based on those circumstances by providing substantiating documentation to be reviewed by a committee. Learn more about tuition appeals.
University of Colorado Boulder Continuing Education. Also referred to as CE.
health insurance coverage is required for all CU students. Undergraduates enrolled in 6 or more credit hours and graduate students enrolled in one or more credit hours must make the health insurance selection by August 1 for the academic year. If students have their own health insurance, they can decline CU health insurance. This process is called "waiving health insurance."
method of transferring money from one entity to another. For wiring information, please contact the Student Billing Office at 303-492-5381 or bursar@colorado.edu.