Third-party billing

Third-party billing assists students whose attendance at the university is sponsored by:

• public/private sector
• military agencies
• educational institutions
• international embassies

Our office prepares and sends invoices electronically to the third party for approved charges.

The Third-Party Billing Fee is a $75 non-refundable per semester administrative fee to cover the costs associated with processing the sponsorship paperwork, preparing invoices and billing the third-party agency on behalf of the student. NAU will bill this fee to the sponsor agency only if indicated on the Financial Guarantee Letter. Please remember to include this fee when requesting the Financial Guarantee Letter from your Sponsor. Students will be responsible for paying the Third-Party Billing Fee if not paid by their Sponsor.

Student responsibility

Students sponsored by a third-party organization have certain responsibilities to fulfill in order to have the third-party sponsorship applied to their student account. The student:

• must provide a valid authorization from their sponsor prior to the tuition due date
• is responsible for paying any balance not covered by the third-party organization
• is responsible for renewing their authorization when needed

Important to note: Authorization to bill letters received after the 21st day of the semester will result in late fees that will be the student’s responsibility.

Authorization to bill requirements

In order for a third-party organization to sponsor a student, they must provide the university with authorization to bill them for a student’s charges.

The authorization is a document in which the third-party organization commits to pay designated education expenses for the student.  The authorization should include:

• the student’s name and ID number
• the semester or dates being covered
• specific charges covered like tuition, fees, housing, meal plan, parking permit, etc.
• any minimum/maximum amount or a flat dollar rate per credit hour
• the name of the sponsor and contact information
• a signature and date from an authorized official

Important to note: Authorizations are considered guaranteed funds from the sponsor.  NAU does not accept authorizations with stipulations on grades or course completion.

Posting third-party contracts

Upon receipt of a valid authorization, a “defer to third-party payment” will be placed on the student’s account in the amount of the pending payment.  If a balance remains, the student should pay immediately to avoid account holds.

A “defer to third-party payment” is not an actual payment.  It will be placed on the student account so that the student is able to attend class while we wait for the organization to pay.

A detailed invoice will be sent electronically to the third party after the add/drop period.

Payment is due immediately upon receipt of the invoice.

Important to note:  If payment is not received from the third party, the “defer to third-party payment” will be reversed from the student’s account and the student will be responsible for payment.  Students may also receive late fees and a financial hold which would prohibit enrollment activity, obtaining transcripts, diplomas, or certificates of degree.

Authorizations to bill

Send authorizations to bill to Student and Departmental Accounts at:

Attn: Third-Party Billing
Northern Arizona University
PO Box 4079
Flagstaff, AZ 86011-4079

Third party specialist contact:

Phone: 928-523-6061
Fax: 928-523-1126
E-mail: ThirdPartyBilling@nau.edu