Billing and Payment Information

Billing and Payment Overview

Semester bills and monthly statements are available online through the Student Billing and Payment Gateway. Students and their authorized users receive email notifications when new statements are ready for viewing or printing.

Billing Schedule:

• Semester Bills: Published online at least 30 days before the due date, which is the first day of classes.
• Monthly Statements: Published online when there is an account balance (amount due or credit) or recent account activity (new charges or credits).
• New Charges: Any charges added after the initial semester bill was published will be due 30 days after they are first billed on a month-end statement.

Financial Aid Adjustments:

Undergraduate financial aid awards are based on full-time enrollment (at least 12 credit hours). If a student is enrolled part-time, their institutional grants and scholarships will be adjusted as follows:

• 9-11.9 credit hours: 3⁄4 of each grant or scholarship applied
• 6-8 credit hours: 1⁄2 of each grant or scholarship applied
• Less than 6 credit hours: Not eligible for institutional grants or scholarships, though some federal and state grants may still be available. These will be prorated according to federal or state regulations.

The Wheaton College Billing & Payment Gateway

The Billing & Payment Gateway provides 24/7 online access to manage all of your student account activity and transactions.

Billing & Payment Gateway Features

• Announcements: The left sidebar is updated frequently to provide important updates. It also includes general billing and payment information and helpful contacts and links.
• Authorized Users*: Create authorized user profiles for each person who will need access to your account.  Once added under your profile, authorized users receive two emails with login instructions. This also gives our office the student’s permission to speak with the authorized user about their account details.
• Semester Bills and Monthly Statements: View and print statements online.
• Account Activity:  View, print, or download account activity by term.
• Payment Plans: Enroll in or manage your semester payment plan.
• Payments: Set up preferred payment methods and make or schedule online payments.
• Year-end 1098-T Tax Statements: Retrieve tax statements online. Students must grant parent permission to access this form under their authorized user profile.
• Electronic Refunds*: Set up a preferred bank account to receive refunds of account credits by direct deposit. Use the eRefund Request Form to request the refund.

*These features are not available to authorized users.

Accepted Forms of Payment

• Online Electronic Check (ACH) from a checking or savings account. This is a free service.
• Online using a credit or debit card. There is a non-refundable bank service charge of 3.0% per transaction.
• Paper Check (free).
• Bank wire (bank fees apply).
• International payment through TransferMate.

Wheaton does not take payment by phone.

How to Pay by Paper Check

Personal Checks, Outside Scholarships, and Checks from College Savings/529 Plans should:

• Be made payable to Wheaton College
• Include the student’s full name and ID number on the memo line
• Be sent to our office at the address below

Wheaton College - Student Financial Services
501 College Ave
Wheaton, IL 60187

If you provide a check as a payment, you authorize us either to use information from your check to make a one-time electronic funds transfer from your account or to process the payment as a check transaction. When we use information from your check to make an electronic funds transfer, funds may be withdrawn from your account as soon as the same day as your check is received, and you will not receive your check back from your financial institution.

Payment Plans

Wheaton College offers convenient, interest-free payment plans that spread semester costs into equal, monthly installments to be paid over the semester.

Payment Plan Details

• Plan enrollment is completed online in the Billing and Payment Gateway.
• Installments will be calculated using the net balance due at the time of enrollment. This will include known charges minus expected (estimated) financial aid.
• INSTALLMENT AMOUNTS MAY CHANGE over time if the student account balance changes due to new charges or credits.
• A non-refundable application fee of $50 per semester is added to your plan amount.
• A Payment Plan Late Fee of $20 will be assessed when any part of an installment is 15 days past due.
• Enrollment is for one semester only. You will need to enroll in a new plan each semester as needed.
• Automatic debit is required for all plans with two payment options.
  • Electronic check (from checking or savings account) is FREE.
  • Credit and debit cards are charged a non-refundable 3.0% bank fee per transaction.
• Enrollment deadline is one business day prior to the first scheduled payment date. Late enrollment may be available on some plans with missed installments due at the time of enrollment.

* Enrollment is for one semester only. You will need to enroll in a new plan each semester as needed.

Fees

• All payments that are returned by the bank for any reason will be assessed a return payment fee of $20.
• A one-time $95.00 penalty will be charged if the account balance is not paid or enrolled in a payment plan by the semester due date. Additional late fees of 2.5% per month will also be assessed on any past-due balances.
• Transactions made through TransferMate for international payments are subject to a $20 fee.

Responsibilities and Reminders

Students are responsible for reviewing their account statements and balance regularly. Failure to do so does not excuse missed or late payments. Students are responsible for notifying parents, or others that may be paying on their behalf, of account balances and due dates.

Financial Aid & Outside Scholarships:

• Incomplete financial aid requirements can delay fund disbursement, leading to late fees and finance holds restricting changes to current semester or future semester registration.
• Students receiving outside scholarships are responsible for informing the scholarship organization of payment due dates. Students are responsible for payment if the scholarship checks are delayed.

Past Due Balances & Finance Holds:

• Students with unpaid balances of $1,000 or more cannot register for future semesters or modify their current semester registration until their balance is below $1,000.
• Former students with past due balances of $25 or more will have a finance hold preventing future enrollment.
• Unpaid balances will accrue late fees, and accounts with past due balances of $100 or more may be sent to a collection agency after the account is 180 days past due. The student will then be responsible for the student account balance, interest, late fees, and collection fees.

Changes to Account Balance After Registration & Finance Holds:

Students may be permitted to register for a future semester but later face restrictions due to:

• Unpaid scheduled payment plan payments totaling $1,000 or more.
• A returned payment from their financial institution, resulting in a balance of $1,000 or more.
• Financial aid adjustments or new charges increasing their balance to $1,000 or more.

At the end of the fall and spring semesters, Student Financial Services will set a deadline for paying past due balances of $1,000 or more to retain their registration for a future term. Students will receive at least three email notifications about this deadline. If the balance is not resolved by the deadline, course registration for the next term will be dropped.

Complaints regarding this policy can be directed towards the Attorney General's student loan ombudsperson at 1.800.455.2456 or www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov, and the Wheaton College Vice President of Finance and Operations at 630.752.5085 or vp.finance@wheaton.edu.

Student Debt Assistance Policy

Wheaton College expects first-year and transfer students to persist through graduation. However, students who must withdraw may have options to recover tuition costs through:

• Tuition Refund Policy: Offers refunds based on withdrawal date. Details are available at Wheaton’s catalog.
• Tuition Insurance (GradGuard): Provides reimbursement for students unable to complete a term due to covered medical or personal circumstances. More information is available at GradGuard.

Students facing financial or personal hardships that force an unexpected withdrawal may appeal to have late fees waived. Appeals must be submitted within 90 days of withdrawal and may be granted for situations such as:

• Serious injury or illness
• Chronic illness
• A family member’s medical issue requiring the student to become a caretaker
• Mental health conditions
• Loss of transportation
• Significant increases in cost of living

For assistance, contact Student Financial Services at sfs@wheaton.edu.