SPU uses the Banner Information System to process registration materials and complete financial arrangements. After a student registers for classes online or in Student Academic Services, the student is obligated to pay for the contracted services in accordance with the University’s current schedule of charges.
The registration contract between SPU and the student remains binding to both parties unless either party terminates the contract pursuant to the applicable catalog procedures (see also Refunds and Account Adjustments).
Student account system
An electronic notification of a statement reflecting tuition and fee charges, miscellaneous charges, payments, and amounts due will be sent to the student’s SPU email address each month. Student Financial Services will also send a copy of the account statement to an additional recipient (such as the student’s parent) with the student’s authorization.
It remains the student’s responsibility, however, to see that proper payment reaches Student Financial Services by the payment due date. If students need assistance determining the proper amount due, they should contact Student Financial Services to talk with a coordinator.
Students will continue to receive a statement after they withdraw or graduate and if they still have an outstanding balance. Statements will continue to be sent to the student’s SPU email address. Starting in 1999, SPU email accounts for former students are no longer purged. It is our intention that these addresses persist indefinitely, but we reserve the right to change this policy at some point in the future. If you graduated prior to 1999, your SPU account may have been purged.
Checks for the correct amount due should be made payable in U.S. dollars ($US) to Seattle Pacific University, and should include the student’s name and student identification number. Checks may be delivered in person to Student Financial Services, located in Demaray Hall 10 or be mailed to:
Seattle Pacific University
Student Financial Services
3307 Third Avenue West, Suite 114
Seattle, Washington 98119-1922
In addition to checks, the University accepts electronic payments via an e-check (electronic payment directly from a checking or savings account) toward student accounts.
The University does not directly accept any credit cards for payment of student-account balances. Rather, it has arranged for a third-party provider to facilitate this type of payment if desired. Additional fees apply for this service. Students may authorize additional individuals to pay a student account online.
Payment policies
Student Financial Services provides students with three options to meet their financial obligations:
- Plan A: Quarterly Plan — paying in full on quarterly due dates (i.e., three payments for the year).
- Plan B*: Academic Year Monthly Plan — paying monthly for Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters (i.e., nine payments).
- Plan C*: Single Quarter Monthly Plan — paying monthly for one quarter only (i.e., three payments for one quarter.
Benefits for payment plans B and C include:
- SFS provides a worksheet at the beginning of each quarter estimating your monthly installments.
- You and your family can pay the quarterly owing balance with monthly payments.
- You are exempt from late fees or financial holds, provided you make on-time payments.
*Plans B and C are not available for summer terms.
Note: For the payment plan application to be completed, you must be enrolled for the quarter, have submitted all financial aid* requirements, and your account must be current.
Plan A: Quarterly Plan
Plan A requires no application and no fee. Your remaining balance, after financial aid* is applied, will be due in full with the first payment due date for each quarter.
Plan A: 2017–18 Academic Year due dates
- Autumn Quarter: October 5, 2017
- Winter Quarter: January 16, 2018
- Spring Quarter: April 16, 2018
If payment in full is not received by these dates, the account will be subject to late fees and registration/transcript/diploma holds (see Late Charges and Payments). You are automatically enrolled in Plan A if you do not apply for Plan B or Plan C.
Plan B: Academic Year Monthly Plan
If you choose Plan B, you complete only one application and pay a one-time $80 fee for the year (i.e., Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters.)
- You will make three payments per quarter, or nine payments annually.
- SFS will provide a worksheet each quarter with your estimated monthly installments, after financial aid has been applied.
Find the payment plan application in
Banner through the Student Menu Student Accounts Menu. You must complete the online application by September 5, 2017.
Once you complete the application, the $80 nonrefundable fee will be charged to your student account and will be due as
part of your first month’s installment.
Plan B: 2017–18 Academic Year due dates
Application due date: September 5, 2017
Autumn Quarter 2017
- First payment and $80 fee: October 5, 2017
- Second payment: November 2, 2017
- Third payment: December 4, 2017
Winter Quarter 2018
- First payment: January 16, 2018
- Second payment: February 6, 2018
- Third payment: March 9, 2018
Spring Quarter 2018
- First payment: April 16, 2018
- Second payment: May 18, 2018
- Third payment: June 13, 2018
If payments are not received by their dates due, the account will be subject to late fees and holds on registration, transcripts, and diplomas. (See Late Charges and Payments.)
Additionally, if your financial aid* and/or account charges change after enrollment in the payment plan, your amount due will change.
Consult your monthly electronic statements for actual payment amounts due.
Plan C: Single Quarter Monthly Plan
Plan C is best for students who do not plan to be enrolled for the full year, or who only need to be on the payment plan for one quarter. For Plan C, you will make three payments for one quarter.
- Each quarter, Plan C requires a separate application and $40 nonrefundable fee.
- Find the payment plan application in Banner through the Student Menu “Student Account Menu.”
- SFS will provide a worksheet each quarter with your estimated monthly installments, after financial aid* has been applied.
Plan C: 2017–18 Academic Year due dates
Autumn Quarter 2017
- Application: September 5, 2017
- First payment and $40 fee: October 5, 2017
- Second payment: November 2, 2017
- Final payment: December 4, 2017
Winter Quarter 2018
- Application: December 1, 2017
- First payment and $40 fee: January 16, 2018
- Second payment: February 6, 2018
- Final payment: March 9, 2018
Spring Quarter 2018
- Application: March 12, 2018
- First payment and $40 fee: April 16, 2018
- Second payment: May 18, 2018
- Final payment: June 13, 2018
*Financial aid, defined
Financial aid includes SPU scholarships, grants, federal grants and scholarships, state
grants and scholarships, outside scholarships, student loans, and parent PLUS loans.
Work study cannot be used in the calculation of payments. Amount of financial aid listed is random.
Late payments
If your billed statement balance is not paid each month, your account will be considered past due and the following penalties will apply:
- A late fee of 1.25 percent of the owing balance will be assessed each month after the payment due date.
- You will not be able to register for future quarters or obtain official academic transcripts or diplomas until your account is in good standing.
- If you were in the Plan B or C payment plan, you will be removed from the plan.
Severely past due accounts may be referred to a collection agency. You will be responsible for collection fees of at least 30% and up to 40% of your outstanding balance in addition to the amount due SPU.
Private College 529 plan and institutional gift aid
Students and families who are Private College 529 holders may redeem tuition plan certificates at Seattle Pacific according to the plan’s stipulations. It is important to note that the total of institutional gift aid (grants and scholarships), plus the redeemed tuition certificate value, will be limited to the total cost of tuition, room, and board charged by SPU.
Reimbursement program/ third-party billing
If your tuition is reimbursed by your employer or a third party (such as an embassy or government agency), you may be eligible for the Employer Reimbursement or Third-Party Billing program.
Documentation confirming enrollment in an employer reimbursement program is required annually and allows approved student account charges to be deferred up to approximately 30 days after the quarter ends. If a third party is involved, the University will bill the third party directly, provided SFS has been given the appropriate documents, such as a purchase order, official authorization, etc. All other account charges will be due when billed.
If you participate in the Boeing Tuition Voucher program, your eligibility is subject to approval by the Boeing Company. Until SFS receives an approved voucher from the Boeing Company for participation in its Third-Party Billing Program, you will receive monthly account statements and be responsible for all charges. Once the process has been completed, the Boeing approved charges will be paid on your student account. You will continue to receive monthly statements if you incur charges not covered by Boeing. For more information about this program, contact SFS.
Unpaid student charges
A student who has delinquent financial obligations, will not be permitted to register or attend classes for subsequent quarters, receive official transcripts or their diploma until such obligations have been satisfied. Seattle Pacific University reserves the right to deny enrollment, including advance registration or extension of credit, and/or to have a student completely withdrawn from classes if the student does not meet past-due obligations or fulfill financial commitments to the University.
A continued failure to meet financial obligations may result in the referral of the delinquent account to an outside agency for collection of the total amount due, plus all applicable collection costs and the addition of a collection fee of at least 30 percent and up to 40 percent of the account balance.
Registration petitions
Registration petitions are requests for exceptions to regular policies and procedures. Exceptions are not granted to supersede policies and procedures because of an inconvenience. The petition process provides students and faculty with the possibility of a response outside the normal bounds of policy when extenuating circumstances are judged to warrant such a response.
Extenuating circumstances include illness, injury, death in the family, and problems with immigration. Unresolved holds by the deadline do not constitute an extenuating circumstance and are not grounds for petition. The petition must not only voice the request, but must also substantiate the validity of the request.
Petition forms are available online and on the forms rack in the Demaray Hall lobby (first floor). Instructions for completing this process are included on the form. A student seeking late registration must seek permission from the instructor to sit in the class while the petition is pending.
In all cases, the final decision to approve or deny a petition will be made by Student Academic Services. SAS reserves the right to deny any petition for any reason. Each approved petition will incur a $50 change of registration fee.
An approved SAS petition may not adjust charges; a balance may remain due.