Welcome New Students and Families!

Upcoming Virtual Event

Navigating Cost and Your Bill

July 28, 2026, 6 to 7 p.m. Mountain Time 

Get the information you need to navigate your bill this fall. Join us for an overview of tuition, billing, payment plans and how to set up your student account. A brief Q&A session will follow. 

   Register for July 28

For a smooth start at CU, here are a few things to know about bills, payments and refunds. You may also want to check out how financial aid works, the estimated cost and tuition classification for residency. 

 

Fall 2026 important dates and deadlines

Aug. 13 (Thur.): Tuition and fee bill available online
Sept. 4 (Fri.): Last day to sign up for the 4-payment plan
Sept. 5 (Sat.): Payment due for tuition and fees
Sept. 9 (Wed.): First day to sign up for the 3-payment plan
Sept. 10 (Thur.): Tuition and fee bill available online (new and/or unpaid charges)
Oct. 4 (Sun.): Last day to sign up for the 3-payment plan
Oct. 5 (Mon.): Payment due for tuition and fees (new and/or unpaid charges)

If you have charges after the initial bill is paid, such as textbooks, digital course materials, etc., you will receive a bill notification.

Financial aid and the bill

If you applied for financial aid, it will pay toward the bill one week before the first day of class each semester. Any financial aid in excess of the bill will be refunded and deposited into your bank account, provided you've set up direct deposit. There’s still time to apply for financial aid if you’re interested! 

Payment plans

CU Boulder offers interest-free payment plans each semester. Payment plans allow you to pay the university bill in 2, 3, or 4 monthly installments. Payment plan enrollment opens in June for fall and December for spring. Re-enrollment is required every semester to continue paying on a monthly basis. Learn more about how to enroll in a payment plan.

Confirmation deposits

First-year and new transfer students pay the confirmation deposit in their admissions application status page when they confirm admission. Confirmation deposits release to student accounts during their first semester of enrollment. 

To-do items

As a first-year student or transfer, you’ll see tasks in the To-Do section in Buff Portal that will let you know what to do and when. (You’ll see tasks at various times throughout your journey at CU.) If you don’t see them right away, don’t worry. They are scheduled to show when it’s time to complete them.

Set up your account

  Authorize payers

What it is and why it’s important:

As a new student at CU, you are the only person who can view and pay the tuition bill online. This is due to federal privacy laws. But the good news is, you have the option to give up to five people “authorized payer” access so they can also view and pay the bill online. In general, they will see the same student account information and PDF statement as you. If someone else is helping you understand the bill and pay online, consider authorizing them as payers by early August so they will receive an email notification of the first fall tuition bill. 

Student financial information is protected by federal privacy laws. There are three types of access available at CU that you should consider for parents, guardians or other third parties (but not sponsors). They each provide different levels of access related to the university bill and your financial information while attending CU.

Learn more:

  Make your health insurance selection

What it is and why it’s important:

Students are required to have health insurance while attending CU Boulder. If you haven’t already, you will begin receiving emails from Academic HealthPlans about completing the CU Boulder health insurance requirement. All CU students must complete the requirement every year in the fall. The emails explain the insurance requirement and outline the process of enrolling or waiving CU health insurance.

If you don’t take action to waive or enroll by the published deadline, you will be automatically enrolled in the Anthem Gold Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). This means that you will automatically be charged $2,648 on the tuition bill each semester for fall and spring. (You also have the option to enroll in the BuffCare Supplemental Coverage Program.) Please don’t ignore these emails! But just in case, you’ll see a To-Do item in Buff Portal as well.

Learn more:

  Set up direct deposit

What it is and why it’s important:

At some point, you're going to get a refund. They are typically a result of schedule adjustments, health insurance waiver, overpayment or financial aid. Tuition and fee refunds are always issued in the student's name regardless of who paid the bill (except for parent loan refunds designated for the parent borrower). Direct deposit allows for quick, secure deposit of refunds into your bank account. You'll get an email from the Bursar's Office when a refund has been processed.

Learn more:

Verifying Your Identity Over the Phone

If you are a new student, FERPA privacy laws apply to you starting on the first day of classes. Under FERPA, we are required to verify your identity if you or an authorized payer call our office for assistance.

If you are a student, we will ask for:

  • Your 9-digit student ID number (available in your student profile located at the top right after you log in to Buff Portal)
  • Your Security Passphrase

If you are a parent, you will need to be an authorized payer first. To verify your identity, we will ask for:

  • Your student's 9-digit student ID number
  • The email address associated with your authorized payer account