When, Where and How to Pay

Due Dates, Late Fees and Interest

Tuition, mandatory fees, course fees, on-campus housing and meal plan charges are due on the first day of each term.  Changes made after the due date that effect these charges are due immediately. 

Late payment penalties ($55 late fee, 1% interest) are assessed at the close of business on the 15th of each month.

Miscellaneous charges such as bookstore purchases, medical service charges, Western ID card replacement, etc. are due 30-days after the charge is placed on the account.

Tuition and Fee Schedule

The 2023-2024 Due Dates and Late Fee Assessment Dates are:

Term Tuition & Housing Due Date Late Fee Assessment Day
Fall September 27 October 15
Winter January 9 January 15**
Spring April 2 April 15
Summer June 25 July 15

*$55 late fees are assessed on balances that are $100 or greater and 1% interest is assessed on all past due balances.

**For January 2024 only: The $55 late fee will not be assessed, however a 1% interest charge will be assessed on past due balances that are 30 days or older.

Payment Methods

Paying by eCheck is Western's preferred method for accepting payments. Paying online is available 24 hours a day with immediate credit to the student’s account. Online eCheck payments are free and convenient. Enter your U.S. checking/savings account information and payment will be made electronically. To make a payment now, visit our Make a Payment page and click on the appropriate button. Parents--or other third parties--making online payments to the student account must be set up as an Authorized Payer by the student in order to access student account information.

It can take up to 5 business days for your eCheck payment to clear your bank. If your bank rejects your payment for ANY reason (i.e. NSF, incorrect account information, etc.), your student account will be assessed a $25 returned check fee, and a $50 returned check fee for each subsequent rejected check payment. Your student account may be subject to late fees and interest, and a student account hold, if a rejected payment causes the balance to remain unpaid after late fee assessment day. When in doubt, contact your bank to verify your account information.

Western also accepts online credit and debit card payments with Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express branding. Please note, an additional fee will be added to the payment transaction.  The fee, which is charged and collected by Transact, is $3 for charges $20-$106 and 2.85% for charges outside of that range.

To make an online payment now, visit our Make a Payment page and click on the appropriate button. Parents--or other third parties--making online payments to the student account must be set up as an Authorized Payer by the student in order to access student account information.

Checks should be made payable to Western Washington University. Checks are credited when received by the Student Business Office, not by postmark. A valid student number (WID) must be included on the front of each check. Checks with incorrect information, that are delayed or lost, or written for less than the amount due may incur late fees and interest charges.

The Student Business Office is located in Old Main, room 110.  Our lobby is open from 9am to 4pm, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays). We have three self serve computer kiosks and a cashier window to assist you.

GET is Washington state’s 529 prepaid college tuition program. It is governed by federal IRS rules and Washington State law (RCW 28B.95). With GET, you save money by prepaying part or all of your child’s college tuition costs now, to avoid paying higher costs in the future. The State of Washington guarantees that the value of your account will keep pace with the cost of resident undergraduate tuition and state-mandated fees at the most expensive public university in Washington. For more information, visit the GET/Dream Ahead website.

Requesting GET Payments

From the GET website:

When it's time for college, you'll need to choose your payment option. It's easy to use your units by logging in to your GET account, selecting "My Account," and looking for the "Use Units" section. To have GET send a payment directly to the school, you will submit a "Direct Payment Request." If you want to pay the school yourself and have GET reimburse you for the expenses paid out-of-pocket, you will complete a "Reimbursement Request." You can also request to use your units by completing the paper forms found on our Forms page under "Use Your Units."

Please allow 14 days for your disbursement to apply to the student account.

For more information or questions regarding your GET account, please contact the GET program:

1-800-955-2318 (toll-free)
360-753-7803 (Olympia, Washington)
Fax:  360-704-6200
get.wa.gov/

If you are planning to pay using a 529 plan, you have several options for getting the money to Western.  You are encouraged to check directly with your provider for the fastest and most convenient option.  Depending on how you choose to send money, you should consider lead times, processing fees by third party vendors, and provider restrictions.

  1. Direct Payment to You - This option allows you to request funds from your 529 provider to be sent directly to you.  Once you receive the funds, you can remit payment to the university via the free eCheck service through Western’s payment portal.
  2. Flywire - If your 529 provider is set up to distribute payments through Flywire, a secure payment platform, your payment will be sent via ACH to Western.  Users log into their 529 plan providers site and select the Flywire option.
  3. Western’s Payment Portal - If your 529 provider is set up with Transact, our payment processor, this option allows users to send payment directly through Western’s payment portal.  Login in as a student, or authorized user for this option.
  4. Physical Check - Contact your provider and request a payment be sent to:
    Western Washington University
    Old Main 110, MS9004
    516 High Street
    Bellingham, WA 98225
    Include the student identification number (WID) on the check.

If you have any further questions, please email sbo@wwu.edu. Keep in mind that Western does not offer any financial advice. Contact an accountant or tax professional for any personal financial questions.

Western’s Payment Plan is offered quarterly to students with a current balance.  During the open enrollment period students enroll by selecting the option in their Western Account Online. Students with past due balances are ineligible to enroll in this plan. For more information please visit our payment plan page. 

Western Washington University has partnered with Convera (formerly Western Union) to offer students an easy way to make international payments. The preferred payment process for an international student to pay their tuition and fees is through International Funds Transfer via Foreign Currency payment. This option allows you to pay your student fees in the currency of your choice in an efficient, secure and inexpensive manner. Watch Convera's short video in your select language to find out how to make a payment:

Financial Aid Disbursements

Financial aid (grants, scholarships, loans) will automatically be applied to current quarter charges on a student’s account. Once University charges have been paid, a refund of excess aid be released. If a student incurs additional registration charges after financial aid has been applied to their account, the student is responsible for paying the charges by the tuition due date.

Miscellaneous charges to a student’s account, such as bookstore purchases, Western ID card replacement fee, and health center charges will not be paid by financial aid unless authorized by a student. Fill out the Authorization to Apply Financial Aid Funds form, available online or at the Student Business Online, to allow financial aid to pay these charges.

Using Your Western Account Online 

Students

Make a payment here, or go to your MyWestern account; select the Student tab; select Student Records; select Western Account Online

Authorized Payer

Go to Western’s home page; scroll to the bottom of the page and select Pay Bills.

  • If a student created an “Authorized Payer” login for you, enter the Authorized Payer ID and Password provided by the student to access the account.
  • If you do not know or forgot your Authorized Payer ID or Password, you can either reset it using the Forgot Password  link, or contact your student to reset your Password.

Students will receive email notifications at their WWU email address when their newest statement is available to be viewed. Authorized Payers will receive notifications at their specified email address.

The statement reflects account activity up to the date of the statement. Check Current Activity Detail for real-time updates of charges/payments on your student account.

Note: Mac users will need to download and install Adobe Reader to view the statement PDF’s. Other PDF viewers may have trouble displaying the statements.

When entering payment details on the ACH (eCheck) or credit card payment sites, you may choose to have the site save your payment information for future use by entering a name for the payment method at the bottom left of that page. Saved payment methods are only available to the account in which they were created; students cannot make payments using saved payment methods from Authorized Payers on their account and vice-versa.

If the student updates the Authorized Payer’s account information (such as password or email address), the saved payment methods will be removed, ensuring the security of your payment information.

Contact Us

Phone & Email

Call us at 360-650-2865 during business hours or email us at sbo@wwu.edu at any time and we will get back to you as soon as possible. 

Mailing Address

Western Washington University
Old Main 110, MS9004
516 High ST
Bellingham, WA  98225 

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