Revenue and Receivables

1. Billing and Payment Deadlines
2. Payment Options
3. Refunds
4. Penalties, Fees, and Tuition Refunds
5. Revenue and Receivables Department Policies

1. Billing and Payment Deadlines

Payment of Fall 2024 tuition and fees must be received in the Revenue and Receivables Department  no later than Friday, August 23, 2024. Payment of all charges incurred before the start of classes (Wednesday, August 28, 2024) is due immediately; unpaid accounts may be subject to the Non-Payment fee as well as service charges. 

Payment of Spring 2025 tuition and fees must be received in the Revenue and Receivables Department no later than Tuesday, January 7, 2025. Payment of all charges incurred before the start of  classes (Wednesday, January 8, 2025) is due immediately; unpaid accounts may be subject to the Non-Payment fee as well as service charges. 

Georgetown University does not issue paper bills. Electronic copies of the student bill are periodically posted online. Upon the issuance of a new bill, an email will be sent to the preferred email address on file (by default, this will be the student’s Georgetown email address), as well as to the email addresses of any authorized user. The email itself is not a bill, but a notification that a new bill has been posted online at Student Account Services (accessible to students via GU Experience , and to authorized users via a stand-alone portal).

In general, bills will be issued for active students with debit balances on a monthly basis. At the beginning of the fall and spring semesters, additional bills may be issued to ensure that students are kept fully apprised of changes to their accounts. Unofficial billing calendars, listing anticipated billing dates, will be posted online.

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2. Payment Options

The Revenue and Receivables Department accepts the following payment methods:

Electronic Checks

• Must be made online at the Student Accounts Services Site accessible via GU Experience
• Must come from a personal US-based checking or savings account. eChecks written from money market, investment, or line-of-credit accounts will be returned
• eChecks returned for any reason may be subject to an $80 returned check fee
• In certain cases, verification of eCheck clearance may be required before the removal of a registration hold. The final day to pay via eCheck in order to clear a registration hold prior to graduation is 5 business days before the start of graduation. After this point, payment must be made via cash, wire, certified check, money order, or credit card

Paper Checks

• Must be drawn from a US-based bank, and in US dollars
• Student name and 9-digit Georgetown ID must appear on the check
• Checks should be mailed to the address listed on this website exactly as it appears
• Checks returned for any reason may be subject to an $80 returned check fee
• A paper check must be received by the due date in order to prevent the assessment of service charges
• In certain cases, verification of check clearance may be required before the removal of a registration hold. The final day to pay via check in order to clear a registration hold prior to graduation is 5 business days before the start of graduation. After this point, payment must be made via eCheck, cash, wire, certified check, money order, or credit card

Cash

• Never send cash through the mail
• Can be deposited with our cashier on campus between 9am and 3pm Monday – Friday.

Wire Payments

• For wire instructions, send an email request to studentaccounts@georgetown.edu
• Wires should be sent in US dollars
• Student name and 9-digit Georgetown ID must appear on the check
• Wire confirmation should be emailed or faxed to this office
• Wires will be posted on the business day following deposit into Georgetown’s bank account
• Note that while domestic wires occur in real-time, wires originating in foreign countries may experience delays
• Neither Georgetown University, nor our financial institution, deducts any fees from wire transfers

International Transfer of Funds via Flywire

• Available by visiting the Flywire website
• Wholesale exchange rates, resulting in lower costs
• To execute payment, payor must:
  • Enter all required fields at Flywire site
  • Obtain transfer instructions at Flywire site
  • Execute instructions with his/her financial institution
• Payments will be posted to the student’s account 2 business days after being noted as “Delivered” by Flywire.
• International students and their benefactors with foreign bank accounts denominated in US dollars should note that a traditional wire payment is likely the least costly method

Credit Cards

• Major credit cards such as Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are accepted, along with Diners Club, JCB, and China Union cards
• Must be paid online using the PayPath service
• Credit card payment in person, via phone, or by email is not permitted
• The convenience fee equal to 2.95% of the payment amount is assessed by PayPath, not Georgetown, and will not appear on Georgetown billing statements
• For more detailed information, see our dedicated Credit Card FAQ

Certified Checks/Money Orders

• Certified checks and money orders can be mailed or delivered in person to our office on campus
• Georgetown University reserves the right to insist upon payment with a certified check

Financial Aid

• For instructions on applying for aid, visit the website of the Office of Student Financial Services
• Estimated aid will be reflected on the bill as “memo” items
• Students must submit a complete (as determined by the Office of Student Financial Services) Financial Aid application
• All financial aid memos will be removed from student accounts before the end of the semester. Late fees will be assessed against any remaining balance
  • Fall memo removal date: October 1st
  • Spring memo removal date: March 1st
• Any questions about financial aid should be directed to the student’s counselor

Third-Party Billing

Students must submit a valid billing authorization to the Revenue and Receivables Department Third-Party Billing operation (thirdpartybilling@georgetown.edu )

Enrollment in a Payment Plan

• Must be performed via Student Account Services

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3. Refunds

The Revenue and Receivables Department generally requires a student’s request in order for a refund to be generated; students may request a refund whenever total payments to their account exceed total charges. Negative values in the “Current Due” field may not reflect a refundable balance, as this value can reflect memo items connected with payment arrangements (such as anticipated payments from third-party sponsors).

The Revenue and Receivables Department will automatically issue refunds in two circumstances: when payments for a particular semester from Title IV sources exceed institutional charges (as required by federal law and regulations) and when the student has become inactive while retaining a credit balance, the action leading to the inactivity being deemed as creating a request for a refund.

The Revenue and Receivables Department processes refund requests  within three business days of submission. Additional processing time for the generation and mailing of a refund check, or for the execution of an electronic transfer of funds, is outside the control of RR.

The Revenue and Receivables Department reserves the right to hold or deny a refund request when there is the possibility that the charges on the student account were not properly assessed, or when payments are subject to adjustment. If for any reason a refund request is not approved, an email will be sent to the student indicating the reason and the contact person with whom the student should discuss the matter. If, after further analysis, it is determined that the student is eligible for a refund, a new request must be submitted online.

If the student is requesting the return of funds paid via a credit card (e.g., via PayPath), the refund will be sent to the credit card in question. 

If the student has established an electronic refund profile , refunds will be deposited to the account indicated via ACH (Automated Clearing House) transaction. If the account information is inaccurate, or if the account has been closed, the student will be notified via email of the failed transaction.

For students who have not established an electronic refund profile, refunds will be issued via paper check and mailed to the student’s local address, if one is on file, otherwise to the permanent address on file. If the paper check is not received in a reasonable amount of time, the student should contact the Revenue and Receivables Department and request a stop payment of the missing check. When this has been accomplished, the student will need to verify the address on file, and again request the refund.

Note that Revenue and Receivables Department does not issue refunds via wire transfer. We apologize for any inconvenience. 

If a student receives a refund to which he or she was not entitled, any outstanding balance that may result must be paid back to the student account immediately to prevent penalties.

Enrolled students may apply for an emergency loan with Revenue and Receivables Department. Approval of any such e-Loan request is entirely at the discretion of Revenue and Receivables Department. The amount of any approved loan is charged to the student account, and must be repaid in full if a student is to avoid a financial hold. 

Federal regulations prevent institutions of higher education from using certain federal aid disbursements for payment of any charges other than tuition, mandatory fees, room, and board, without prior written consent. This means that a student wanting to use financial aid funds to pay insurance charges, immunizations charges, library fines, or other like charges, must give the Office of Student Financial Services (Financial Aid Office) advanced written approval to do so. If the student does not submit written approval, and receives a refund that creates an amount due on the student’s account, the student will be charged late fees on any outstanding balance that is not covered under federal regulations.

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4. Penalties, Fees, and Tuition Refunds

Service Charges

Any balance which remains unpaid as of a billed due-date will be subject to a service charge equal to 1.50% of the overdue amount. Service charges are assessed on a monthly basis.

Service charges and non-payment fees will not be forgiven if they are assessed due to late or incomplete submission of financial aid application materials, late or incomplete submission of sponsorship documentation, or enrollment in a payment plan after penalties have been assessed.

Additional penalties may be assessed to delinquent accounts that are referred to a third-party collection agency. More details can be found  below in section 5(b).

4a. Late Registration Fee / Non-Payment Fee

A Late Registration Fee will be assessed to anyone who initiates registration on or after the first day of classes in a given semester. A Non-Payment Fee may be assessed to any student who does not make payment in full by the end of the regular session add/drop period for the semester.

4b. Withdrawals/Tuition-Fee Refunds

By act of Registration, students accept the responsibility for charges of the entire semester, regardless of attendance in class and regardless of the method of payment used; “Registration” includes initial registration upon enrollment, and any courses added after. Cancellation of registration for individual courses must be made through the Withdrawal workflow in GU Experience. The Academic Dean’s approval via the withdrawal workflow is the official procedure for withdrawal from individual courses.  Discontinuance by notifying anyone else is not considered official notice of discontinuance. Official voluntary withdrawal from the University is done through written notice to the Office of the Dean, which will then be submitted to the Office of the University Registrar.

Students registering for more than twenty credits will be charged and will be responsible for payment of the extra tuition, regardless of attendance in class.

Should a student voluntarily withdraw from school, credit for tuition will be calculated from the date the Office of the Dean is notified. Withdraw and Refund Information may be found on the registrar’s website.

Students in the School of Continuing Studies (SCS) should refer to the SCS Academic Calendar for their Fall, Spring, and Summer refund and withdraw schedule.  For modular class refund and withdraw schedules please refer to the University Registrar Main Campus First & Second Session schedule.

Please read about the withdrawal and refund schedule for non-standard classes here. Students may check with their program or email the registrar’s office at registration@georgetown.edu for further clarification. Students who feel that individual circumstances warrant an exception from the published policy should appeal to the appropriate Dean’s Office for consideration. This includes cases of involuntary withdrawal.

4c. Withdrawals/Refunds for GU Programs Abroad

An exception to the Georgetown refund/withdrawal policy is made for students on Georgetown University approved study abroad programs. Students who are registered to participate in an approved study abroad program and who wish to voluntarily withdraw must notify the Office of Global Education (OGE) in writing of their intention to withdraw. Refunds will be calculated from the date OGE is notified. For semester and full-year programs, students who withdraw from an approved study abroad program after accepting nomination in writing and before the beginning of their overseas program will be assessed a $300 OGE administrative fee, and will be responsible for any non-recoverable program expenses incurred overseas on his/her behalf by Georgetown University, the host university, or the program provider. Summer program participants are required to pay a non-refundable $500 deposit and will be charged for any additional non-recoverable costs incurred on their behalf and any non-recoverable expenses incurred for the student. Students who withdraw after the beginning of their overseas program will be refunded a percentage of the Georgetown tuition charge, based on the Georgetown refund schedule, less non-recoverable costs as determined by the partner institution, and the Education Abroad Insurance fee. Georgetown University is not responsible for costs paid directly by the student to partner institutions or third-party providers.

When the OGE declares that a “crisis” exists affecting a study abroad program, the following Crisis Refund Policy will go into effect for relevant students from the Main Campus:

If GU directs students to leave a particular program abroad, Georgetown University will refund 100% of recoverable fixed costs billed through Georgetown University. Recoverable fixed costs will be determined by GU partner institutions or third party providers. Georgetown University is not responsible for costs paid by the students directly to partner institutions or third-party providers. Georgetown University will assist students, to the extent possible, to transfer credit for coursework completed prior to the declaration of a “crisis” or to facilitate special courses for those graduation requirements affected by Georgetown’s declaration of “crisis” and suspension of the student’s program-in-progress. The need for special courses will be determined on an individual basis by the Main Campus Deans Office in consultation with the Office of Global Education.

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5. Revenue and Receivables Department Policies

5a. Student Accounts Records

Student Accounts records include both electronic and paper records pertaining to the student’s account. Electronic information is secured by University Information Services; paper records are secured in the Revenue and Receivables Department. All records are retained for a period of seven years following graduation or withdrawal from the University. It is the responsibility of the student to maintain a current billing or permanent address, as well as other valid contact information, with the Revenue and Receivables Department.

University policy and federal law prohibit the release of Student Accounts records to any third party without the written permission of the student. Student Accounts records are included within the scope of the University’s official student records policy developed under the guidelines of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. Therefore, the information contained in the various catalogs under the section “Policy on the Disposition of Official Records” also applies to Student Accounts records, with the following additions:

Student Accounts records are not released to any party seeking information about the payment promptness of the student or parent.

The financial records of former students still in debt to Georgetown University may be provided on a confidential basis to a credit bureau, collection agency, and/or an attorney selected to assist the University in the collection of the debt.

Students have the right to inspect and review their Student Accounts records maintained in the Revenue and Receivables Department. The student must show adequate identification before being given access to his or her file.

5b. Processing for students who leave the University

Debt to the university is immediately due at the time a student becomes inactive. The reason for the inactivity is immaterial, whether it be graduation or completion of an academic program, withdrawal, an approved leave of absence, failure to register for the next semester in the student’s academic program, or any other reason.

The Revenue and Receivables Department will issue a final invoice to inactive students with debt. Payment is due within 30-days of the date that the statement was issued. If payment has not been made by the due date, the account will be forwarded to a collection agency. Collection agencies typically assess a fee equal to one-third of the value of the debt; the student will be responsible for paying this fee in addition to the original outstanding balance. Once debt has been transferred to a collection agency, all payments will be processed by that agency. In addition, the collection agency may report the debt to credit bureaus.

Past due balances are non-negotiable and will not be recalled from the collection agency once submitted.

Students will be declared inactive when any of the following circumstances occur:

• The student fails to register for a term he/she would otherwise be expected to register for as part of his/her academic program
• The student has graduated from Georgetown University and has not been admitted into another program
• The student withdraws from school during the current term for any reason
• The student takes or is placed on a leave of absence

5c. Financial Holds and Registration

A student with an account balance for a given semester is ineligible to register for any subsequent semester.

Financial holds prevent academic registration and the issuance of diplomas and certificates. They are applied to the accounts of students with amounts due prior to the start of registration for the following term according to the following schema:

Financial holds are not released until the past-due debt is paid in full; payment arrangements are not sufficient to release these holds. The Revenue and Receivables Department reserves the right to keep a financial hold in place until it can verify that funds have been deposited (without the possibility of reversal) into a Georgetown bank account.

Additionally, any student that has become inactive and for whom there remains an outstanding balance will have a hold placed on his or her account.

Georgetown University reserves the right to cancel the registration of a student who pays a past due balance with a check that is returned for insufficient funds. Withdrawal will be effective on the date the check is returned to the University. All future payments made to the University must be in the form of a certified check. No personal checks will be accepted. The student will be responsible for payment of tuition and fees in accordance with the voluntary withdrawal schedule (see Withdrawals/Refunds).

Georgetown University also reserves the right to demand payment of all tuition and fees in advance of the provision of any instruction or other services. Students may be denied services, including registration into classes, if payment is not made in accordance with these demands.

5d. Third Party Billing

The Revenue and Receivables Department offers to invoice directly third-party sponsors (such as the US Federal Government, foreign governments, private companies, and so on) for the educational costs of Georgetown students, at no cost to the student.

In order to meet the requirements of FERPA, and to ensure that bills are issued only for eligible students, official documentation endorsed by the sponsors detailing the third party’s obligation to the student must submitted to the Office of Revenue and Receivables. Any such authorizing document must contain the following (authorizations which fail to meet any of these requirements may be deemed insufficient):

• Student name
• Georgetown University ID number (the 9-digit code beginning with ‘G’)
• Name, physical address, and email address of the sponsor
• Academic terms covered
• Types of charges covered (i.e., tuition, fees, housing, etc.)
• Expected dollar amount of coverage
• Any special invoicing requirements of the sponsor

Examples of acceptable documentation include the US Government Training Authorization Form (SF-182), Contract for Commercial Items (SF-1449), a financial guarantee from a foreign government, or any award letter on official letterhead containing the above items.

In order to ensure prompt processing, authorizations should be sent via email as PDF attachments to thirdpartybilling@georgetown.edu. In the event that the student does not have access to an electronic copy of the document in question, and does not have access to a scanner, authorizations can be mailed to our office.

The Revenue and Receivables Department reserves the right to refuse to invoice any third-party, and to refuse to grant temporary credit for anticipated payments.

When possible, invoices will be sent to the sponsoring entity within 72 hours of receipt of the authorization. In the event that the authorization is sent prior to the registration period for a given term, and the student has not pre-registered for courses, invoices will be sent following the end of the add/drop period. During the summer terms, invoices will be sent following the receipt of authorization and the assessment of charges.

Georgetown University expects sponsors to process invoices and submit payment upon the issuance of an official invoice. If the billing authorization is submitted at the beginning of the semester, an exemption from late fees and service charges will be granted through the date on which financial holds are placed to any balance covered by a sponsor, in order to give the sponsor ample time to process the invoice. If the sponsor fails to make payment after this point, financial responsibility will revert to the student. Any outstanding balance will be subject to late fees, service charges, and the student will have a registration hold placed on his or her account. Financial holds will only be removed when the balance is paid in full.

Any student sponsored by an agency that refuses to remit payment until after the completion of a course or semester, or by an agency that will not remit payment upon receipt of an invoice for any reason, will not be granted the aforementioned exemption from late fees or service charges. In instances such as these, it will be the student’s responsibility to arrange for payment of his or her balance by the payment due date, and then to recoup the funds from any subsequent payment by the agency in question.

Any student sponsored by an agency that intends to remit payment directly to the student (as opposed to paying Georgetown directly) must make arrangements to settle his or her balance by the due date. Any late fees which accrue against an unpaid balance after this date will not be reversed.

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