Methods of Payment
As a good habit, students should view their student account via their Student Portal regularly to ensure they are making timely payment for balances not covered by their Financial Aid. Some additions/adjustments may occur after the initial billing for a term which require payment and are due immediately. These can include, but are not limited to, Add/Drop changes, Financial Aid eligibility changes, Bookstore Charges, Insurance Charges, and/or Room or Meal Plan changes to name a few, and can happen throughout the semester. Please consider the following methods of payment should you need to make payment to satisfy a balance on your account.
Annual Billing and Payment Schedule
Fall Semesters – billing opens in July and balances are due August 15th
Spring Semesters – billing opens in December and balances are due January 15th
Summer Semesters – billing opens in April and balances are due May 15th
Your account balance must be in good standing by these due to avoid Late Fees. Registrations submitted after these dates will require payment the day following your registration.
CASH PAYMENTS
Though payment via cash is discouraged, payment must be presented at the Cougar One Stop in person. Please, for your protection, never mail a cash payment to Caldwell University or anywhere else (this includes Campus Mail) as it cannot be recovered if lost or stolen in transit. If you need to make a payment over $200, please consider one of the other payment methods below as it is not safe to carry large sums of money with you.
CHECK OR MONEY ORDER
A check may be presented in the Student Accounts Office or mailed to:
Caldwell University
Attn: Student Accounts
120 Bloomfield Ave
Caldwell, NJ 07006
Post dated checks are NOT permitted – all check payments are processed upon receipt
regardless of the date written on them and will be honored by banks without regard to the
date. Please note, if there is a hold on your account, the hold will remain on your account for 10 days when payments are made with a personal or corporate check to allow time for the payment to clear (cashier/bank checks and money orders are secured funds and the hold will be lifted immediately as long as the payment satisfies the balance due).
WIRE PAYMENTS
Please reach out to StudentAccounts@caldwell.edu each time you plan to pay by wire and we will provide current information to you as this information can change.
ONLINE PAYMENTS
You can make a payment to your student account using a Credit or Debit Card (convenience fee applies), or your personal US Checking/Savings Account (no fee).
Online Student Account Payments – may be authorized through Nelnet which can be accessed from your Student Portal or by following the link at the beginning of this paragraph. If using a credit/debit card, the convenience fee will be presented to you before you complete the transaction and is based on the amount being paid (minimum fee of $1.00). There is no fee associated with ACH Payments (if you’re using your debit card consider the ACH option instead to avoid the convenience fee).
Online Housing Deposit Payments – If you have submitted a housing application, you can pay your deposit here. Please reach out to Residence Life if you have any questions about all things related to Campus Housing.
Admissions Online Tuition Deposit Payment – If you have been offered admission to Caldwell University, you can pay your Tuition Deposit here. If you have any questions, please reach out to our Admissions Office. Please do not make a Tuition Deposit Payment here if you have not received communication from our Admissions Office to do so as you do not yet have a deposit account for this payment to be recorded in.
PAYMENT PLANS
For your convenience, Caldwell University participates in single semester, installment plan options through Nelnet Campus Commerce. These options consider financing Fall ONLY balances (plans open in June) OR Spring ONLY balances (plans open in November). There is a $45 non-refundable enrollment fee per plan. There are 3 plans offered each Fall and Spring. Please plan ahead as the terms and requirements of these plans are set and cannot be changed.
Add’l Note: There will be an International Sourced Payment Plan option for our International Students who do not have a US Bank Account or Credit Card required for our traditional plans below. The payment method for these plans will be through Western Union (Convera). These payment plans are accessed in the same way as our traditional payment plans through the student’s CU Student Portal. At the point in the activation process where you would select a payment method, international students can select
Convera (Western Union).
FALL SEMESTER PLANS
- 5Pay Plan – opens June 1st and is available until June 30th. Only the enrollment fee is due at the time of activation. Monthly payments are scheduled for the 1st of each month from July through November.
- 4Pay Plan – opens June 1st and is available until July 31st. Only the enrollment fee is due at the time of activation. Monthly payments are scheduled for the 1st of each month from August through November.
- 3Pay Plan – opens August 1st and is available until August 31st. The enrollment fee and 1/3 of the plan balance is due at the time of activation. Monthly payments are scheduled for the 1st of each month from September through November.
SPRING SEMESTER PLANS
- 5Pay Plan – opens November 16th and is available until December 12th. Only the enrollment fee is due at the time of activation. Monthly payments are scheduled for the 15th of each month from December through April.
- 4Pay Plan – opens November 16th and is available until January 13th. Only the enrollment fee is due at the time of activation. Monthly payments are scheduled for the 15th of each month from January through April.
- 3Pay Plan – opens January 14th and is available until January 23rd. The enrollment fee and 1/3 of the plan balance is due at the time of activation. Monthly payments are scheduled for the 15th of each month from February through April.
Please ensure that you can make use of the payment plan option by making sure your monthly payments are successful. An unsuccessful or missed payment may limit your option of using a payment plan in the future.
To enroll in a semester plan as a student (or to set up an authorized payer):
– log in to your student portal
– click on the Student tab
– click on Financial Aid and Account Information
– click on the Payment Plan link under the Bursar Links
Please Note: Anyone other than the student who wishes to set up a payment plan for a student’s account must FIRST be authorized by the student. Once a student authorizes a payer, they will be sent an email with a link and instructions on how to activate a plan for that student.
FINANCIAL AID
Financial Aid can come in the form of Scholarships (CU and outside awards), Grants (Federal, State, Private), and/or Loans (Direct, PLUS, Alternative). Students must complete a FAFSA in order to be considered for Federal or State assistance. All financial aid (including outside schol/grants) must be recorded and managed through Caldwell’s Financial Aid Office as part of your Award Package. If you have any questions regarding anything related to scholarships, grants, loans, or completing your FAFSA, please reach out to FinancialAid@caldwell.edu.
ADDITIONAL THINGS TO CONSIDER REGARDING YOUR ACCOUNT BALANCE
Credit Balance Refunds – Refunds for credit balances (negative balance) in a given term will begin to be issued after add/drop closes. Credit balances which depend on transactions that are pending, will not be included until the transaction(s) are finalized. Refunds are issued through electronic ACH deposit directly to the student’s US checking or savings account, or loaded to a prepaid debit card, based on the student’s Refund Method selected at the time a refund is issued. Absent a selection of one of these options, the refund will be issued via check through Nelnet’s payment system, which can take up to two weeks and relies on the USPS for delivery.
To Register/Change Your Refund Method
- Login to your Student Portal
- Click on the Student tab
- Click on Financial Aid and Account Information link
- Click on My Refund link under the Bursar Links on the right (takes you to Nelnet)
- Click on Refunds (this takes you to another domain within Nelnet)
- Complete all information requested (you will be able to edit/update this information if/when necessary)
Please make sure that you review and/or update this each semester or as the information changes to ensure that any refund issued to you is delivered as you desire.
Late Fees – Semester balances not covered by Financial Aid are due according to the following schedule:
| Semester | Semester Billing Opens | Semester Payment Deadline |
| Fall | July | August 15th |
| Winter | December | January 15th |
| Spring | December | January 15th |
| Summer | April | May 15th |
Accounts that are not paid in full or do not have active payment plans prior to the semester payment deadline may be subject to a late fee. Late fees will be assessed on a day following the Semester Payment Deadline noted above. All appeals regarding assessed late fees must be submitted in writing to the email address listed below only after the fee has been assessed (no preclusions are granted) and before the close of the fourth week of the same semester and include information about extenuating circumstances that prevented you from making payment in full, setting up a payment plan, or securing a loan prior to the semester payment deadline. Any appeal submitted after the fourth week of the term will not be considered. No appeal will be considered if the student has not first satisfied their balance with the exception of the late fee which is the only portion of their balance pending review. Appeals may be submitted to: StudentAccounts@caldwell.edu
Holds – Though there are many offices that use a hold process, there are three holds related to your Student Account. All accounts will be reviewed for Registration, Transcript/Diploma, and/or Move In Holds and accounts with any balance due will have a hold placed on their record. This review is conducted twice each year in March and August, and October, but a hold can also be place on any single record at any time as determined by the Bursar. The following holds are managed by the Student Accounts Office.
AR –Bursar Hold on Registration
This hold is placed on a student record whose account balance is greater than $500. This hold blocks REGISTRATION & access to OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS or DIPLOMA. Students should ensure that their balance is zero. During registration periods review of accounts with this hold is conducted on a daily basis (excluding weekends) and you do not need to request it be lifted, however, if you have a pressing concern beyond this, please reach out to the Student Accounts Office.
TH – Bursar Transcript/Diploma Hold
Subject to state and federal law, transcripts may be withheld for international students who are not eligible for federal or state aid and have an outstanding balance of $2,000 or more. This hold will be placed on the student’s record, preventing the release of transcripts until the balance is settled. This hold blocks access to OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS or DIPLOMA only (it does not impact registration). Once a student has satisfied their full balance, they can request the Student Accounts Office to lift this hold.
MH – Bursar Move In Hold
This hold is placed on a student record whose account balance is not zero. Residence Life will not permit any student who has a balance to move into their dorm assignment. If the student arrives to campus on Move In Day and has a balance on their account, they will be directed to the Cougar One Stop in Aquinas Hall to resolve their balance. To avoid this delay, please address your balance before your arrival. To avoid
this delay, please address your balance by the Semester Payment Deadline.
DW – Bursar Deregistration Warning
This hold is placed on a student record whose account balance is not satisfied by the Semester Payment Deadline (noted in Late Fee section). Students should always work toward keeping their account in good standing each term by satisfying their account balance on or before the Semester Payment Deadline to avoid the risk of having their semester registration canceled. Please review the options of payment above.