Columbia Central

Columbia's payment plan is a formal agreement that requires that the student (or authorized payer) to sign an agreement authorizing a third party (Nelnet Business Solutions) to process a down payment, a non-refundable payment plan fee, and monthly installment payments on behalf of Columbia. A U.S. credit card or bank account is required to sign up for a payment plan. Payments are automatically debited from the credit card or bank account on the 5th of every month.

The terms of the payment plan vary, depending on when the student or authorized party signs up for the payment plan.

Yes, if an authorized party is set up in CCCPay, he or she can sign up for a payment plan. Existing authorized parties in CCCPay will not need to be set up again. Although the holder of the payment plan is responsible for abiding by the terms of the payment plan, the student is ultimately responsible for ensuring that he or she is in compliance with the college's payment policy.

Columbia College Chicago will bill third-party payers each semester after the add/drop period has passed. You or your third-party payer must provide documentation prior to each semester detailing what charges will be covered. You must also submit a completed Third-party Benefit Release form each academic year. 

If you have not submitted your outstanding third-party benefit document, you are strongly encouraged to do so immediately. Once you submit your outstanding third-party benefit documents, you are only responsible for setting up a payment plan for any portion of the bill that is not covered by the estimated third-party benefit. If your estimated third-party benefit is reduced or cancelled based on Columbia's review of the documents, or by the third-party payer, you are responsible for any portion of the balance that is not covered by the third-party benefit. The payment plan holder provides authorization for Columbia to make these adjustments through the agreement that is signed to establish the payment plan.

Payments by credit or debit card require an additional service fee of 2.75% of the amount of your payment. This service fee reflects CCCPay's cost of processing credit card payments on the college's behalf. When the payment plan is established, a service fee will be assessed based on the amount of the down payment; the service fee will not be assessed for the non-refundable payment plan fee. Each monthly installment payment will also be charged a 2.75% service fee. The service fee will appear as a separate line item on the payer's credit/debit card bill.

To avoid the service fee, consider paying by electronic check.

The payment plan holder should ensure that funds are available in the bank account, or the credit card limit, prior to signing up for a payment plan. 

The down payment and non-refundable payment plan fee is typically processed by the bank or credit card company within 24-48 hours of completing the agreement. If the payer is using a credit or debit card, the service fee of 2.75% will also be charged within 24-48 hours. 

The down payment will appear on the student's MyColumbia portal within 24-48 business hours. The non-refundable payment plan fee will never appear on the student account. 

If your account is paid in full prior to the completion of the payment plan, the payment plan will remain active until the date of the last scheduled payment, but will not withdraw any additional payments unless there are new charges. Although Columbia Central will do its best to quickly adjust payment plans to coincide with a decrease in your bill, Columbia cannot guarantee that adjustment will be made in time to reduce or cancel the next installment payment.

If you overpaid for the semester and are entitled to a refund, you can expect to be refunded any refundable portion of the credit balance on your account within 14 business days. Columbia Central will make every reasonable attempt to return any credit balance through the method of payment used to make the payment. If it is not possible to return the payment through the original method of payment, the credit balance will be issued to the student. As a reminder, the non-refundable payment plan fee will not be refunded under any circumstances.

If you drop all of your classes during the refund period, Columbia Central will cancel the remainder of the payment plan. Although Columbia Central will do its best to quickly adjust payment plans to coincide with a decrease in your bill, Columbia cannot guarantee that adjustments will be made in time to reduce or cancel the next installment payment. You can expect to be refunded any refundable portion of the credit balance on your account within 14 business days. SFS will make every reasonable attempt to return any credit balance through the method of payment used to make the payment. If it is not possible to return the payment through the original method of payment, the credit balance will be issued to the student. As a reminder, the non-refundable payment plan fee will not be refunded under any circumstances.

If you withdraw from all of your classes, you are still responsible for paying the tuition and fees associated with those classes. Therefore, the payment plan will continue according to the terms of the payment plan agreement. In some cases, the payment plan may be increased if you qualify for a reduced amount of financial aid or third-party benefits as a result of your complete withdrawal. The payment plan holder provides authorization for Columbia to make these adjustments through the agreement that is signed to establish the payment plan.

If your balance changes, or if your financial aid increases or decreases for any reason, the student or authorized party may be able to log into the payment plan agreement to make an update. 

Prior to and throughout each semester, Columbia Central will regularly compare the amount due to the college to the amount of the payment plan and will make adjustments as needed. 

If you experience issues with logging into your MyColumbia portal, you should call Columbia’s Client Services help line at 312-369-7001.

If you are able to log into MyColumbia and access the payment plan link, but experience technical issues in signing up for a payment plan, you should contact Nelnet Business Solutions at 888-470-6014.

We recommend turning off your pop-up blocker when using CCCPay.

When a down payment or non-refundable payment plan fee is declined, the payment plan holder will be notified via email with the reason for the failed payment. Payments fail primarily due to insufficient funds, exceeding the credit card limit, or data entry errors. In the case that CCCPay is unable to process the down payment or non-refundable payment plan fee, the payment plan agreement is terminated. Per the agreement that the payment plan holder signs for the payment plan, CCCPay will assess a $30 fee for non-sufficient funds, and Columbia Central will place a hold on the student’s account until the issue is rectified.

The student or an authorized payer will need to repeat the process to sign up for a payment plan. Students in this situation are required to establish a new payment plan immediately. Columbia reserves the right to restrict a student’s participation in payment plans or the use of a particular method of payment if there have been two or more declined payments. If a student is restricted from participating in a payment plan, he or she must pay the semester’s charges in full prior to the due date for the semester.

Although the holder of the payment plan is responsible for abiding by the terms of the plan, the student is ultimately responsible for ensuring that he or she is in compliance with the college’s payment policy.

If an installment payment fails to process, it is generally due to the credit card company or bank declining the charge. Per the agreement the payment plan holder signs for the payment plan, the plan will be suspended and CCCPay will assess a non-refundable $30 fee for non-sufficient funds. Additionally, Columbia Central will place a hold on the student’s account until the issue is rectified.

The payment plan holder will have two ways to resolve the hold for the student: either pay the outstanding balance in full, or submit the missed payment and then work with Columbia Central to reactivate the payment plan agreement. Columbia reserves the right to restrict a student’s participation in payment plans or the use of a particular method of payment if there have been two or more declined payments. If a student is restricted from participating in a payment plan, he or she must pay the semester’s charges in full prior to the due date for the semester.

Although the holder of the payment plan is responsible for abiding by the terms of the plan, the student is ultimately responsible for ensuring that he or she is in compliance with the college’s payment policy.

Your financial aid is secured once you have submitted all outstanding documents that are required to determine your eligibility and disburse your financial aid to your account. More information about securing your financial aid is available here.

If you have not submitted your outstanding financial aid documents, you are responsible for setting up a payment plan for the entire balance for the semester. Once you submit your outstanding financial aid documents, you are only responsible for setting up a payment plan for any portion of the bill that is not covered by estimated financial aid. If your financial aid changes, your payment plan will be adjusted accordingly.