Sponsor Billing (Third Party Contracts)

The Student Accounts Office processes all third-party contracts/sponsor payments for Illinois State University.

Sponsors or third-party programs include employers, public agencies, or any other entity that agrees to assume financial responsibility for all or a portion of a student's educational costs. The sponsor must agree to make payment regardless of the student's performance/completion of courses. Additionally, the sponsor must require that a detailed invoice be sent directly to them before payment can be processed.

Third-party billing is separate from our scholarship programs, and scholarships should be sent to ISU Scholarships .  

Third Party/Sponsor Payor Requirements:  

• Signed MOU or agreement by both ISU and the sponsor.   
• This agreement must be reviewed by multiple areas of ISU prior to being signed and implemented.  
• You must agree to make payment regardless of the students’ performance or completion of the courses.  
• Requires direct billing from the sponsor. Two standard billing options are available.  
• Acceptance of a bill each semester after the 10 th day of classes and before the midpoint (week 8) of the semester.  
• Sponsor must maintain FERPA waivers for each individual student and provide them to ISU upon request.  
• A minimum of 5 students are to be covered by a sponsor.  
• Must be first payer on the student’s account.  
• Provide a specific list of charges the sponsor will pay on students' accounts.  
• Provide sponsor point of contact, email, phone, address  
• Provide Address for refunds   

  Each sponsor must send a letter, list, voucher, or other form of verification of support to the Student Accounts Office at Illinois State University before the student can be processed.  

  The verification document must include:  

• Student's name and identification number  
• Semester/term being covered  
• Specific charges covered (e.g., tuition, fees, meals, and housing)
• Any minimum/maximum amount, OR a flat dollar rate per credit hour
• Name of sponsor and contact information
• Signed and dated by an authorized official 

 

Verification should be received prior to the start of each semester. It can be mailed to the Student Accounts Office or emailed to SponsorBilling@IllinoisState.edu. A personal letter from the student is NOT acceptable as proof of sponsorship.

Once ISU receives notification of a sponsor's intent to pay on behalf of a student, a third-party contract payment is placed on the student's account. Late payment fees will accrue if there are other charges outstanding.

  Sponsor Responsibilities (once approved):  

• Initiation of a new MOU or agreement if expiring.  
• Send the list of qualified students (name, ID, DOB) by the beginning of each term to sponsorbilling@ilstu.edu .
• Understanding that if students are disqualified due to a requirement of the MOU or agreement that the student will not be added to the sponsor billing until sponsor communicates to ISU that student has met the requirement.
• Payment within 30 days of receipt of bill from ISU or the student will be removed from the sponsor contract and will become responsible for any balance on their account.  

Options if sponsor does not qualify for direct billing:  

• Students can provide a sponsor with a copy of their bill.
• Sponsor can send a check for the amount that you are paying.  Include student ID number, amount for each student and the semester that the scholarship is for.
• Mail check to:
  Illinois State University Financial Aid Office
  Attn: Scholarships
  Campus Box 2320
  Normal, Il 61790-2320
  

Further information: Scholarships or  financialaid@illinoisstate.edu  

  Student Information  

• Documentation must be submitted before the start of the semester.  
• Late submission may cause the student to receive late payment fees and generate balance holds on their account.  
• If your sponsor is only paying a portion of your charges, you will be responsible for payment of the difference by all deadlines.  
• If payment is not received for your share of the charges by the due date, a late payment fee will be assessed.  

  NOTE: Once your contract has been set up, it will appear on your student account as an offset payment.  This does not mean that ISU has received payment on your behalf. Payment is not guaranteed until funds are actually received by the University from your sponsor. If payment has not been received by the due date on the sponsor bill, your contract will be deleted and cannot be reinstated until guaranteed funds are received. Thus, students are ultimately responsible for the contracted balance if their sponsor does not pay in a timely manner. ISU reserves the right to discontinue future third-party billing for agencies that are delinquent in making payment.