Sponsored Students

For sponsors requiring Columbia to send an invoice for educational costs directly to them, the Third-Party Billing staff in Student Financial Services handles the process.

Reimbursed By Your Employer?

Students who pay Columbia first and are subsequently reimbursed by their employers are not handled by Student Financial Services. Students who receive reimbursement upon submission of grades or completion of sponsor terms must adhere to the University's established payment due dates.

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Initiating Third-Party Billing

Upon entering Columbia University, sponsored students must:

• be on the third party’s official letterhead
• specify the student’s name and nine-digit Columbia University Identification number (also known as a PID), a number that will begin with the letter C + 9-digit number
• outline the educational costs that the sponsor will cover
• list the sponsorship terms
• indicate the billing address to be used on the invoice
• contain a valid sponsor name, address, phone number, and email address

For additional details about filling out the form, see the Sample Third-Party Billing Agreement (PDF).

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Medical Coverage

Students may be eligible to waive the University’s student medical insurance if the sponsor provides medical insurance coverage. Guidelines for waiving Columbia's student medical insurance plan may be found on the Columbia Health Website.

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Sponsor Invoicing and the Student Account

Upon submission of the sponsorship letter and Third Party Billing Agreement, Columbia will directly invoice the student's sponsor.

If a sponsor has not previously sponsored a student at Columbia, it must complete the sponsor verification process:

• For U.S. domestic sponsors, a copy of the company’s Employer Identification Number (EIN) is required and should be emailed to [email protected].
• For international sponsors, we will verify financial documents and sponsorship agreements submitted to the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO). Copies of documents submitted to ISSO can be emailed to us at [email protected].

Most invoices are mailed after the end of the Change-of-Program period for non-flat rate schools because many students add or drop classes during this period. Since changes in registration often correlate with changes in tuition charges, Columbia normally waits until after this period ends in order to ensure that all invoices are accurate for non-flat rate schools. This delay in invoicing is taken into account when considering late fees on the sponsored portion of a student's tuition. Please see the current term invoicing schedule below.

Students will also receive an email notification that their Student Account Statement is ready to be viewed/paid online. The student is responsible for reviewing charges billed to the sponsor and payments made by the sponsor and ensuring that these fulfill the Third Party Billing Agreement. Students must pay any portion of the bill not covered by the sponsor. Students can check balances and pay non-sponsored charges through the E-Billing system, accessible via Student Services Online (SSOL).

Please note: Students must pay the non-sponsored portion of their tuition by the due date, or late payment charges may be assessed.