Financial Aid | Columbia Law School
Bill and Payment Information
After you send a deposit to secure a place in the entering class, Columbia creates a student account for you. Your student account is maintained at the University’s Student Service Center in Kent Hall.
Student Account Charges
Charges paid to your student account include:
- Tuition
- Health Service fee
- Medical Insurance fee (unless waived; must have proof of comparable coverage)
- Student Activities fee
- University Facilities fee
- Transcript fee (a one-time fee for new students)
- Dining Dollars (if elected through Dining Services)
- International Student fee
- Some University Housing
Apartments rented through University Apartment Housing usually are NOT charged to your student account. Instead, rent is paid each month in accordance with a lease. If you are paying rent for a university apartment with loan proceeds, paying for one term at a time, instead of on a monthly basis, will make budgeting easier.
Payments and Student Accounts
All students are expected to pay for the fall term by mid-September and for the spring term by the mid-January. Each student receives an email at their official Columbia email address from the University’s Student Service Center in August and December announcing that the Student Account Statement is ready to be viewed/paid. These email statements are known as E-Bills.
The Student Account Statement lists estimated charges, as well as an estimate of financial aid, to help students determine what they owe. Students must then calculate and pay any balance not covered by their actual aid. Student balances may be paid online using E-Check, which debits a bank account directly by mail or in person at the University’s Cashiering windows in Kent Hall. For information on all payment options, please visit the University’s Student Financial Services website.
University E-Bills
Once a student submits a deposit to the Admissions Office and receipt of the deposit is confirmed, students are required to activate their Columbia University e-mail address in order to receive an email of their E-Bill account statement. Email accounts can be set up online at CUIT. Students who have submitted a deposit are encouraged to complete this process as soon as possible. This will allow students to receive their E-Bill in a timely manner in order to make payment arrangements and avoid late fee charges.
After registration each term, all students with enrollment recieve an E-Bill which indicates actual charges, payments, and any balance or credit. The notification of additional monthly E-Bills is emailed whenever there is activity on the account. You may contact the University’s Student Service Center directly with any billing questions at 212-854-4400, or visit the website for further information on E-Billing.