Sponsored Students
The third party that will pay the sponsorship bill must complete the following:
- Third party’s official letterhead
- Include the student’s name and nine-digit Columbia University identification number, also known as a PID (this number begins with the letter C)
- Outline of the educational costs that the sponsor will cover
- Outline the terms of the sponsorship
- Include the billing address to be used for the invoice
- Valid name, address, phone number, and email address of sponsor
Fill out and submit the Third-Party Billing Agreement online. You will be asked to upload a copy of the sponsorship letter during the submission of this form.
Please Note:
- You must complete a new Third-Party Billing Agreement form and upload the latest document(s) for subsequent terms if your sponsor provides a new sponsorship letter or document. You must ensure that this is done in a timely manner, preferably prior to the term's First Day of Classes or by the Change of Program Deadline, to avoid delays in invoicing.
- Submit any additional documentation for review that your sponsor requires for payment to [email protected].
Be sure to save copies of the sponsorship letter and your agreement form in your personal records.
- If your employer reimburses you, you cannot participate in sponsored billing. Students who receive reimbursement upon submission of grades or completion of sponsor terms must adhere to the University's established payment due dates on your e-bill statement.
- Third-party billing is offered as a courtesy to students. The reflection of sponsorship on the Student Account does not constitute a contract between Columbia University and your qualified third party.
- Students sponsored by an organization that releases a Financial Guarantee must provide a valid Financial Guarantee.
- Having a sponsor does not relieve students of their financial obligations to the University. If the sponsor fails to pay any amount, the student will remain responsible for paying their financial obligations to the University.
- Once your sponsor has been invoiced, the University will add the funds to your account as an anticipated credit, even if we have not yet received said funds.
- Charges billed to your account that are not invoiced to your sponsor are due by the established due date.
- If your sponsor fails to pay, the credit applied in advance to your account will be removed, and you will be responsible for paying the due charges. The credit will expire 30 days from the payment due date.
- You are responsible for checking in with your sponsor and ensuring that your sponsor pays on time.
- Sponsors cannot be billed for any charges not posted to your student account.
- A balance on your account after the payment deadline has passed may result in a registration or degree hold and will be subject to late fees. More information can be found here.
Third-Party Billing Process for Sponsors
To initiate third-party invoicing and on-time payment of charges, the sponsor must follow these steps below:
Invoices are emailed to sponsors on behalf of the University through our vendor, Flywire Corporation, and from the email address [email protected]
Sponsors must create a login to access the invoices and make payments through the vendor's portal.
Sponsors must agree to use the portal in its entirety. If they cannot do so, Student Financial Services (SFS) will not issue invoices to them.
The University reserves the right to make any exceptions to the above.
If a sponsor has not previously sponsored a student at Columbia, it must complete the sponsor verification process:
- U.S.-Based (Domestic) Sponsors: Email a copy of the sponsor's Employer Identification Number (EIN) to [email protected].
- International Sponsors: Verification is completed internally in conjunction with the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO). If additional information is required, the sponsor and student will be contacted.
Columbia's sponsored billing platform will generate an email for the sponsors to access each term invoice upon creation.
- Invoices for the Spring 2025 semester will be sent to sponsors via email by February 14, 2025
- Invoices for the Summer 2025 semester will be sent to sponsors via email by July 14, 2025
- Invoices for the Fall 2025 semester will be sent to sponsors via email by September 26, 2025
* Sponsors will have a later payment due date than the one on the initial term e-bill statement for the student. If the amount invoiced to the sponsor is less than the overall student account balance, the student is responsible for making a payment by the due date for the portion not covered by the sponsor.
Sponsors are expected to pay Columbia University upon receipt of the invoice. Sponsor payment must be issued through the designated platform the University's authorized vendor provides. Sponsors are responsible for paying all wire transfer fees associated with the bank or wire service.
The University reserves the right to grant exceptions to this process upon review.
If students do not pay non-sponsored charges by the due date, late fees will be assessed. Please pay careful attention to the academic billing schedule.
Student Responsibilities
At the beginning of each term, students are responsible for reviewing the terms of the sponsorship, the charges billed to the sponsor, and the payments made by the sponsor. Students must pay any portion of the bill not covered by the sponsor as outlined in the third-party billing agreement. Students can check their student account balances and pay non-sponsored charges through the QuikPAY system, which is accessible via Student Services Online (SSOL).
Students are also responsible for remitting payment if their sponsor does not pay by the invoice payment due date.
Any changes to the sponsorship, or the sponsor's failure to meet the terms of the third-party agreement, should be reported via email to Student Financial Services. You can find our contact information below in the footer.