Sponsored Students

The Office of the Bursar will process third party billing of tuition, fees and other charges to businesses, governments (domestic and foreign), agencies, organizations, and employers desiring to sponsor a student at Ohio University.

Who are sponsored students?

Sponsored students are those students that are registered and require Ohio University to bill an outside sponsor/employer for their tuition and fees while they attend the University. Please review your sponsor policies and procedures to be aware of their requirements to pay your tuition on your behalf.

Sponsored billing is not tuition reimbursement. Some sponsoring organizations require grades and/or course completion prior to payment. Because payment must not be dependent upon receipt of grades or successful completion of the course, the sponsored billing option is not available for those organizations. Instead, a student is responsible for making the tuition payment by their due date to avoid a late fee, and request reimbursement by their employer. Please visit Tuition Reimbursement for more information.

The Sponsored Student Process

1. The student or sponsor must provide the Office of the Bursar with the authorization letter

• Letters of authorization:A legal document outlining a sponsor’s obligation to remit payment for tuition charges. This document specifies what the sponsor will pay, the academic term(s), the designated courses, and when payment will be remitted. The authorization letter should be on the sponsor’s letterhead with an identifiable contact person listed. Common authorization letters submitted to the Office of the Bursar include: Tuition Waiver, Financial Guarantee, Letter of Credit Form, Tuition Assistance Authorization, Sponsor Agreement, Terms of Appointment, and Tuition Voucher. If your sponsor does not have an official letter of authorization, an Authorization Template[PDF] is available. This completed form allows Ohio University to bill the student's sponsor or employer directly.
• Late fees and financial holds: To avoid late fees and financial holds, a letter or contract must be presented to the Office of the Bursar outlining the Sponsor’s guarantee to pay by the first due date of the semester on your student account. Please refer to Account Balances for information about locating balance due dates.
• Confidentiality: It is the policy of the University to protect our student’s right to confidentiality under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Sponsors must obtain information regarding grades, transcripts, course listings or other specific information directly from the student.
• Payment regardless of achieved grades: The Sponsor authorization must not be contingent upon the student receiving a specific grade or upon a financial need status.
• Letter of authorization submission: The letter of authorization should be submitted prior to the first due date of a semester. Late submissions may result in late fees and financial holds posted to the student account for which the student would be responsible. All letters or contracts must include your OHIO PID number and be submitted through one of the following options:

2. The sponsor credit is applied to the student account

• The Office of the Bursar will review and process authorization letters upon receipt. Please allow up to five business days for processing.
• A conditional credit for the covered expenses will be applied to the student account.
• Sponsor credits do not indicate sponsor payments, nor do they release the student from financial responsibility for the authorized charges.

3. The Office of the Bursar will invoice the Sponsor for the authorized charges after the last add/drop date of the semester

• Please refer to the Academic Calendar for important registration dates and deadlines.
• Initial invoices will be prepared and mailed to sponsors according to the following schedule:

• Invoices for students in the Ohio University RN to BSN program will be issued after the census date of the third, 5-week session of the semester. Please refer to the Nursing Knowledge Center for more information about session dates.

4. The sponsor remits payment for the invoice

• If the sponsor fails to pay the authorized charges within 60 days of the initial due date, the sponsor credit will be removed and the unpaid charges will be reinstated to the student's account. This balance will become the responsibility of the student. Unpaid student account balances will incur penalties such as late fees, financial holds, class cancellation, and university collections. Please visit Account Balances for more information.
• If a sponsor has not remitted payment, it is the responsibility of the student to contact their sponsor to determine why. Ohio University does not negotiate the conditions of a sponsor agreement. That is determined between a student and their sponsor.
• Any sponsor payment resulting in a credit balance will be returned to the sponsor.