When an organization not owned by you or a family member makes a commitment to pay your educational expenses, they are considered a third party sponsor by the University of Minnesota. The sponsor is billed by the University for charges on your student account through a payment process called "third party billing."
Information for students
The University will bill the sponsor for allowed expenses on your behalf. You are responsible for paying your portion of the bill by the due date. To avoid late payment fees and a hold being placed on your account:
- Work with your sponsor to ensure their billing authorization is received prior to the first billing due date.
- Find out what your sponsor's requirements are to receive your funds.
- Find out what the sponsor commits to pay on your behalf.
- Pay your portion of the bill by the due date.
If payment is not received from your sponsor or your sponsor notifies us that they will not pay a portion of your bill, a hold will be placed on your record and you will be billed for the unpaid amount.
If you have more questions or need further information, please call 218-281-8325.
Information for sponsors
As a sponsor, you cannot be related to student beneficiaries. You must satisfy all prior commitments in a timely manner and agree to abide by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) and not disclose student information to others without the express written approval of the student.
The University of Minnesota's Federal Employer ID Number is 41-6007513.
A third party authorization must be provided to the UMC Business Affairs Office.
The authorization should include the following information:
- Sponsored student's name and University of Minnesota student identification number;
- Amount of the sponsorship;
- Type of charges the sponsor will pay, such as tuition, mandatory fees, optional fees, health insurance, on-campus housing, and parking;
- Non-required fees, which are not authorized under the description "fee" and must be listed individually;
- Sponsorship period. If the term(s) or date(s) the authorization is in effect are not indicated, the effective period will be the current term. The University does not notify the student or sponsor when authorization expires;
- Sponsor's name and billing address;
- Contact name, phone number, and email address;
- Signature of the sponsor or other person authorized to make commitments on behalf of the sponsor;
- Purchase order numbers, work order authorizations, or other billing codes, if applicable.
You may mail, fax or bring the authorization document to the UMC Business Office.
Submit authorizations to:
UMC Business Office
110 Selvig Hall
Crookston, MN 56716
Attn: Renee Mulcahy
Phone: 218-281-8325
Fax: 218-281-8040
Email: [email protected]
Billing and Payment
Third party billing invoices are prepared on a separate schedule than student billing and will be mailed directly to you. The student will not be able to review or sign bills before they are mailed.
The statement of account provides the student's name, file number, breakdown of charges by fee type, dollar amount, and the number of academic credits attempted that term. If the agency has requested an identifier, authorization, or purchase order number, that number will be on the statement.
Payments can be made either by a check made payable to the University of Minnesota or online as an electronic funds transfer.
Payment by U.S. Postal Service
To ensure that check payments are applied correctly and to avoid giving the students duplicate credit, mail payments to:
UMC Business Office
110 Selvig Hall
Crookston, MN 56716
Attn: Renee Mulcahy
Electronic funds transfer
Contact the UMC Business Office to obtain electronic funds transfer (EFT) bank instructions. Include any information that would help identify the payment in the text portion of the transfer. The customer number, student name, or student ID number of the person expecting the money is particularly helpful.
To ensure proper credit, EFT payment notification is encouraged to be sent via e-mail or U. S. Postal Service to Third Party Billing and include the following:
- amount due
- trace number
- payment transfer date (approximately)
- academic term
- billing statement number
- student's name
- partial payment amount (if a billing statement is not being paid in its entirety.)
Revoking sponsorship
A sponsor may revoke current financial support for any student by sending the University an official notification by mail or e-mail. Revocation does not apply retroactively. Upon notification, the student will be expected to pay outstanding charges. Until the charges are paid, the student may be subject to late payment sanctions, including assessment of late payment charges, inability to register for future terms, cancellation from classes, and inability to obtain transcripts.