When a company, corporation, state or government agency, diocese, religious order, employer, embassy, or other organization has committed to paying all or a portion of the tuition, fees, or books for a student, payment can be handled in one of two ways: direct payment from the organization or third party billing.
Direct Payment from a Third Party
If the organization does not require a customized invoice, they may remit payment directly to Catholic University for posting to the student's account.
When making a direct payment, the organization should clearly indicate the student's name and, if possible, student ID number with the payment. (Please note that the ID number must be obtained directly from the student; Catholic University cannot furnish student ID numbers to outside entities.)
Students with sponsors who wish to make direct payments may elect to set their sponsors up with Authorized User access in Cardinal Pay, the university's billing system. This will enable the sponsor to receive notifications of the student's monthly account statement. Sponsors can also initiate this access by following the instructions here.
Direct payments received from a third party will be posted to the student's account as "3rd Party Payment." If the student's account enters into a credit balance a refund will be issued to the student.
Book charges are not billed to the student account; therefore, direct payments intended to cover book costs are best submitted by the organization directly to the student. Such payments may be submitted to Catholic University for posting to the student's account; however, the funds will only be eligible for refund to the student if their student account enters into a credit balance.
Direct payments from a third party should be remitted no later than:
- Fall semester - the third Monday of the semester
- Spring semester - the third Monday of the semester
- Summer semester - the second Monday in July
Third Party Billing
If the organization requires a customized invoice, a billing authorization must be submitted to the Office of Enrollment Services at the start of every semester in which the student will be enrolled. A custom invoice will then be generated for the sponsor. The invoice will list the sponsor as the party responsible for the payment.
Students should submit the billing authorization from their third party via the Google Form found here. Alternately, sponsoring organizations may submit authorization via email to cua-3rdPartyBilling@cua.edu. Again, authorization must be sent at the start of every semester in which the student will be enrolled.
Billing authorizations should clearly indicate the student's name and ID as well as the types of charges and/or amounts that are eligible to be billed to the sponsor.
Billing authorizations should be submitted no later than the add/drop deadline for the semester (typically the second Friday of the semester). Custom invoicing will commence once the add/drop period has ended.
When a custom invoice is created for a sponsor a credit will be placed on the student's account for the amount of the invoice. This credit will be listed as "Billed to 3rd Party." If the sponsor does not remit payment in a timely manner, this credit will be removed from the student's account and the balance will become immediately due from the student. If the sponsor remits payment for an amount less than that invoiced, the credit will be adjusted to reflect the actual amount paid and the balance will become immediately due from the student.
Custom invoices will reflect the student's account balance as of the date the invoice is generated. If a student is anticipating a scholarship or discount that is not yet posted to their student account it will not be reflected on the custom invoice. In the event a scholarship or discount is posted to a student's account after a custom invoice is generated the sponsor can either simply deduct the amount from the balance due on the invoice or can contact cua-3rdPartyBilling@cua.edu to request that an updated custom invoice be generated.
When making a payment, the sponsor should include a copy of the custom invoice. This will prevent the payment from being posted to the student's account as a direct payment.
Students with sponsors who wish to elect to participate in third party billing may also elect to set their sponsors up with Authorized User access in Cardinal Pay, the university's billing system; however, the sponsor should note that the monthly statements available in Cardinal Pay are the statements issued to the student only. These statements are separate from the custom invoices generated for organizations who participate in third party billing. An organization that elects to participate in third party billing should remit payments with the custom invoice that was generated for their organization and not the student's monthly invoice from Cardinal Pay.
Student Responsibilities
Students should not assume that financial support documents sent to the Office of Admissions or the International Students and Scholar Services office have been forwarded to the Office of Enrollment Services. Such documents should be furnished directly to the Office of Enrollment Services and must be submitted at the start of every semester in which the student requires Catholic University to invoice the sponsor.
Billing authorizations should be submitted to the Office of Enrollment Services no later than the add/drop deadline for the semester. Students should verify with their sponsor whether they need to submit the authorization themselves or whether the sponsor will submit it on their behalf.
Students should submit the billing authorization from their third party via the Google Form found here. Alternately, sponsoring organizations may submit authorization via email to cua-3rdPartyBilling@cua.edu. In cases where the students is responsible for submitting this document directly, financial penalties may not be waived in cases of late submission.
Students are responsible for understanding the stipulations of their sponsorship. Some organizations place limitations on what charges will be covered (i.e., payment not remitted for withdrawn or online courses, no tutoring charges, no late registration charges, etc.). Any charges not covered by the sponsor are due by the due date at the start of the term or, for charges assessed mid-semester, upon the assessment of the charge to the student account.
Regardless of whether a sponsor elects to make a direct payment or arranges for third party billing (see above sections), the standard monthly statement will continue to be generated in Cardinal Pay if any of these conditions are met: the student owes a balance, the student has an account credit, or the student has had account activity since the prior monthly statement. Students should carefully review each monthly statement to ensure that they are aware of any balance not covered by the sponsor.
If a sponsor neglects to send payment in a timely manner or pays an amount less than anticipated the student is responsible for payment.
Students who will be reimbursed by an employer at the end of the term are not eligible for third party billing. These students are responsible for paying the bill themselves by the due date.
Students who are utilizing Department of Defense Tuition Assistance at Catholic University should consult the tuition assistance webpage for complete information.