Financial Aid & the Bill
For students beginning spring classes on Jan. 13, your aid will apply to the bill one week before the first day of class, on Monday, Jan. 6 as long as all your to-do items are complete and your aid has been accepted.
Find your Bill & Financial Aid
Tuition & Fee Bill
You will receive an email from the Bursar's Office when your official bill is ready. Bills are only available online. View how to access the bill.
Watch a video to see how aid appears on the bill.
Financial Aid
Your financial aid will display in in one of two forms: estimated aid or accepted/offered financial aid, depending on the time of year and where you are in the application process.
Estimated aid is available for incoming students and assumes that you will enroll full time. If you enroll less than full time (12 credit hours for undergraduates, and 6 credit hours for graduates) your financial aid will likely be adjusted.
How Financial Aid is Applied to the Bill
Students who complete the following will have aid applied to their bill as early as one week before the first day of class for fall and spring or 7 days before the start of summer of classes.
- Do the for the coming academic year
- Complete any additional requests for information from our office received by email or posted as a “to-do” item in Buff Portal
- Accept any offered loans in Buff Portal that you'd like to borrow and complete entrance counseling and the Master Promissory Note (MPN) (only required first time you borrow).
Any remaining financial aid will be returned to you in the form of a refund (see below). Remember: Work-study is not paid to the tuition & fee bill.
Some financial aid may be displayed as anticipated aid on your bill, but if it's not there - don't worry. Simply review your aid on the Financial Aid card in for accuracy.
Using AmeriCorps funding? AmeriCorps funding is sent to CU Boulder in two separate payments, at the start and midpoint of each semester. For more information, visit Using AmeriCorps Funding.
Parent Loans on the Bill
Parent loans are applied to the bill the same way student loans are.
- View your student's bill online - Parents can view the bill if they're set up as an authorized payer. See how to access the bill.
- Check the status of a parent loan - Parent PLUS Loans won't show up as anticipated aid on the bill statement. The borrower will know their loan has been approved once they receive a loan disclosure statement from the Federal Direct Loan Servicer. Also, ask your student to check to make sure there are no missing items that could delay the payment of the loan.
- Parent loan refunds - If the Parent PLUS Loan exceeds the student’s bill, the excess will be refunded to whoever was designated on the PLUS application. If the parent elected for the student to receive the refund, it will direct deposit into the student's bank account. If the parent elected to receive the refund directly, a check will be mailed to the parent's permanent address which could take up to 2 additional weeks.
Refunds
Set up Direct Deposit for Refunds
While not required, Direct Deposit is the easiest and fastest way to receive your financial aid refund. Visit the Tuition and Fee card in , select Account Setup and then Direct Deposit to begin.
Students who are not signed up for direct deposit for refunds will be issued a check which will be mailed to their mailing address in 7 to 10 business days.
Receive your Refund
Any aid that exceeds your bill will be available to you per the Bursar's Office refund policy and schedule. Check to make sure there are no items in your "To-Do" list. Missing items can delay your financial aid. Financial Aid payments are made nightly.