BGSU :: Office of the Bursar :: Office of the Bursar

“Bursar” is a term unique to higher education. It means ‘keeper of the funds’. The office includes cashiers, accounts receivable, collections, installment and short term payment plans, third party billings, fee waivers, payroll deductions, counselors, a Call Center and email to name a few.

The Office of the Bursar collects tuition, fees and other university-related charges including campus housing. The Bursar’s Office also issues refunds of excess aid disbursed to University Bursar accounts.

What is a “University Bursar” account?

Each student who attends Bowling Green State University, including Firelands Campus, will have a financial account with the Office of the Bursar. This account will include tuition/fees, special course fees, room and meal charges, parking violations or other University fines. This account is referred to as a University Bursar account. These charges are billed to the student on a monthly basis with a due date as indicated on the statement.

Where can I find the Office of the Bursar?

The Bursar’s Office is located in room 132 of the Administration Building, Thurstin Avenue. It is Building #64 on the campus map.

How do I contact the Office of the Bursar?

Does your office have a website?

What are your office hours?

The Office of the Bursar is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during summer hours (first part of May to early August). The office does remain open during the lunch hour.

When are University fees due?

Is there a payment plan available?

There is an installment payment plan available for either the entire academic year or per semester. There is no installment plan available for the summer term. For more information please visit our website: http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/bursar/page25682.html

There is a also Short Term Extension Plan available. S.T.E.P.'s require a 1/3 down payment and the balance is due in 45 days. For additional information regarding Short Term Extension Plans, please contact the Bursar's Office at 419-372-2815

What are the requirements for acceptance into the Installment Payment Plan?

To enroll in the Installment Payment Plan you must submit a fully completed application, the first payment plus miscellaneous charges and the appropriate enrollment fee. Upon receipt, you will be enrolled in the program and receive a disclosure form listing your payment amounts and their due dates. Keep in mind that the payment amounts listed are only for the payment plan. Any miscellaneous charges will be added to that amount monthly if applicable. For more information about the Installment Payment Plan, please visit: http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/bursar/page25682.html

How do outside scholarships get applied to my account?

Outside scholarships will be posted to your account when they arrive from the issuing agency. If you have received a bill and the scholarship(s) are not reflected in the balance, please send us a copy of the award letter stating the amount with the student’s name and P# on it and subtract that amount from the balance due. If you are making your payment online, you may fax 419-372-7665 or send the copy to us. If the awarding agency requires an invoice, please remit your request as soon as possible to allow extra time for us to bill the agency and receive the payment from them.

My financial aid is not reflected on my University Bursar account. Who do I contact?

Please contact the Student Financial Aid Office at 419-372-2651 or by email at: https://sfa.bgsu.edu/sa/sfaconnect/login.asp . If you are receiving a Federal Direct Loan, please make sure you have completed your Entrance Interview and signed your Promissory Note. To complete this requirement, please visit: http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/sfa/page43084.html. Your loan will not disburse until you complete these two items. If you are a part time student (under 12 credit hours) your aid may defer, but will not disburse until you notify the Student Financial Aid Office of the number of hours you will be registering for each semester.

Are tuition and fee waivers reflected on the bill?

Tuition and fee waivers should be reflected on your bill once you are registered for classes. If your waiver is not showing, you will need to contact the office from which you are receiving the waiver. The Bursar’s Office is only responsible for the processing of the waivers once they are received from your department.

Will I have any balance due after my fee waivers are posted to my account?

Check your contract closely to see what it covers. In most circumstances you are responsible for the legal service fee, registration fee, photo ID and parking permit. You are also responsible for the general fee and any other charge not covered by your waiver. Failure to pay these outstanding charges by the due date will result in service charges being assessed and holds being placed on your account. Waivers are processed by our office in a timely manner once they are received. If your fee waiver is not yet showing, subtract it from your balance and pay the difference. Any questions concerning your fee waiver should be directed to your college office for clarification.

Can I view my “Bursar” bill on-line?

Bills can be viewed on-line through the http://www.bgsu.edu web portal. You must enter the student ID, username and password in order to gain access.

To view any transactions since the last statement was printed, click on the “My Current Bursar Transactions” link.

What forms of payment are accepted?

Do you accept credit cards?

When using our web or toll free service for credit or debit card payments, a convenience fee will be charged to your credit/debit card account in addition to your authorized payment amount. The convenience fee will be calculated for you before you authorize your payment and will not reflect on your Bursar account; it will only appear on your credit/debit card statement.

Who do I make my check payable to?

Please make all checks payable to Bowling Green State University or BGSU. Also, please include the billing ID number P0# on the check for proper processing.

My bill has a due date in the future, yet I am told that I am past due.

If the current billing shows a previous balance due and no payment has been received, that current balance was due the previous month and is therefore now past due. If you wish to pay that amount immediately to clear up the past due balance and have holds removed, if applicable, you may do so and pay the rest on the due date on your current bill.

What happens if I pay my bill late?

Payments received after the indicated due date may be subject to a service charge based on the amount of the past due balance for that month and each additional month the account remains delinquent. See http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/bursar/page25846.html

Accounts on the payment plan (IPP) will be charged a late payment fee of $30.00 for each partial or full payment made after the due date and each subsequent month the account remains delinquent along with the service charge if applicable.

Why is there a service charge / late payment fee on my account?

A service charge, based on the outstanding balance due, is assessed when the Office of the Bursar receives your payment after the payment due date. Students enrolled in the Installment Payment Plan are subject to an additional late fee of $30.00 for each late payment received. For more information about the service charge structure, please visit:

How do I change my billing address?

An address change form must be completed and returned to the Registrar’s Office. The form can be obtained on my.bgsu under the Academic Services section, click on the Data Verification link to print the form. You may also obtain a form on the Registrar’s website http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/registrar/page5616.html

What do I do if I don’t receive a bill?

It is your responsibility to know the payment due dates, which are posted on our website http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/bursar/page25841.html A new statement is printed approximately every 30 days. Payment is due regardless of whether or not you have received a bill. You can view your bill at any time by accessing http://www.bgsu.edu Authentication is required.

What if I have a question about the “Bursar” bill?

The Office of the Bursar is the centralized billing office on campus. Any questions about a specific charge other than tuition and fees such as a parking ticket or library fine should be addressed to the particular University office where the charge incurred. Please remember to double check with the student concerning specific charges on their statement to clarify with them their understanding of the charge. Otherwise, you are welcome to contact the Bursar’s Office via telephone at (419) 372-2815, in person or via email at mailto:bursar@bgnet.bgsu.edu.

Do I need to make an appointment to speak with a counselor?

The Bursar’s Office works on a first come, first served basis. A counselor or counselors are available during regular office hours and through the lunch hour.

When do I receive my University ID/BG1 Card

Photo identification cards are issued to all fully admitted and registered students. For most new students, I.D. cards are issued at the completion of Orientation and Registration. This card serves as proof of payment, verifies enrollment in the particular term and includes the student’s name, identification number, class, college, hours registered, term and year.

BGSU employees are permitted to use the library with their photo id card, but must purchase a recreation center membership and athletic tickets at the published employee or general public rates.

The BG1 Card serves as your photo ID, debit card in any campus dining services area for students with a prepaid meal plan and as a prepaid debit card to be used to make purchases at affiliated merchants.

The I.D. is also a library card, facilitates cashing checks, picking up checks and permits students to obtain tickets for plays, athletic events, campus movies and other campus events. The I.D. is valuable and costs $25 for the first ID and each subsequent replacement.

*What is the refund policy if I drop classes or withdraw from the University?

Refunds are issued by the Office of the Bursar and are usually mailed unless otherwise specified within 4 weeks of withdrawal notification. In the case of a course drop (reduction in hours, but still enrolled) the student will need to contact the Bursar’s Office to request a refund.

A student must officially withdraw or drop from class(es) through his/her respective college office.

*Your last class cannot be dropped on the web when you are withdrawing from the University. You must contact your college office or Registration and Records to complete your withdrawal. Please make sure to do this before classes begin so that you will not be charged a penalty.

On campus students withdrawing require an official room check-out with the residence hall for refund eligibility of room and meal plans. Refund of tuition/fees, room and meals are all based on standard reduction schedules and are calculated on actual time frames of enrollment and/or occupancy in a residence hall.

It is highly recommended if a student is a financial aid recipient that he/she contact the Student Financial Aid Office when dropping or withdrawing his/her course load. Aid awards are contingent upon enrolled hours. https://sfa.bgsu.edu/sa/sfaconnect/tutorial.asp

Why am I being charged for health insurance?

Following a resolution passed by the University’s Board of Trustees, students taking eight or more credit hours on the main campus beginning in the Fall of 2006 will be required to have health insurance coverage. The resolution does not apply to students at BGSU Firelands or distance learning students. This requirement is a change from the voluntary program, which was previously in place for domestic undergraduate students; however, it is not a change for international students or graduate students. Under the new “hard waiver” program, students will be required to have health insurance coverage that meets a basic minimum set by the University, provide that information to the University and sign a waiver to that effect. If they do not have basic minimum coverage, they must purchase the University’s Student Health Insurance Plan. For more information regarding student insurance, please visit: http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/sa/studentinsurance/page19407.html

Why is there an insurance hold on my account?

This hold is an informational hold only. It is letting you know that you must meet the University’s insurance requirement. The hold will remain on the account until the student logs on to my.bgsu, clicks on the “Student Insurance Requirement” link and completes the necessary information. Upon acceptance an email will be sent as a confirmation. Shortly thereafter the hold will be removed. It is recommended that the waiver is completed as soon as possible so that your account is not assessed the charge. If you have already been charged the premium, the charge will be credited when the waiver form is completed. This hold does not affect any of your student services, registration or graduation.

Why is there a charge on my account saying “refund”?

Our computer system refunds credit balances only. In order to remove the credit balance and create a refund check, we must charge the check to your account to take away the credit and issue a refund check. The check can then be picked up at the cashier window at the Bursar’s Office or if requested mailed to your permanent or local off campus address. We do not mail refund checks to on campus addresses. Firelands checks are sent to the Firelands Campus for distribution there.

Why am I receiving a refund?

When the financial aid disbursed to your account exceeds your account balance for allowable expenses, a refund check is issued for that overpayment. The refund check may be picked up at the cashier window at the Bursar’s Office unless you request to have it mailed to your off campus or permanent address. Firelands refund checks are sent to Firelands on the shuttle for distribution there. Title IV aid cannot be used to pay for certain miscellaneous charges on your account. Therefore, you may still have a balance due even though a refund has been issued.

When can I expect my refund check?

Refund checks are issued the first day of classes each semester as long as your financial aid is in place and you are registered full time. If you are registered less than full time, you must contact the Student Financial Aid Office https://sfa.bgsu.edu/sa/sfaconnect/tutorial.asp and inform them of the number of hours you plan on taking so that they can recalculate the amount of aid you will be receiving and make any necessary adjustments. If you fail to do so, your check may be delayed.

Why are there holds on my University Bursar account?

Holds are placed on University Bursar accounts on the Tuesday following the due date listed on the current billing statement and will remain there until that balance has been satisfied.

In some cases registration holds remain on accounts permanently due to past payment history and require an approved payment arrangement or prepayment before you will be allowed to register. If you have any questions concerning your holds, please contact our office.

How do I go about getting a verification of enrollment?

Verification of enrollment can be obtained via the http://www.bgsu.edu web portal. Authentication is required using the student’s user ID and password. Once logged in, click on the “My Enrollment Verification” link. You will then be directed to the National Student Clearinghouse where you fill out a request by entering the student’s name, date of birth and social security number.

Items in red (*) are required.

LOGIN INFORMATION

Student Name:


*First Name*	*M.I.*	*Last Name*

Date of Birth:

mm/dd/yyyy (with or without slashes)

Social Security Number:

The SSN should be entered either with or without dashes, e.g. 123-45-6789 or 123456789.

An enrollment certification will then be filled out and available for you to print off.

BGSU enrollment is submitted to the clearinghouse four times during Fall and Spring semester and once for Summer semester.

I have paid my balance in full. Why can’t I register?

All students are required to accept the Financial Responsibility Agreement annually in order to register for classes. If the University does not have an accepted Financial Responsibility Agreement signature on file, a registration hold will be placed on your account and you will be unable to enroll until you successfully complete the document.

What is a FERPA form?

FERPA stands for Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. In order for our office to discuss your student’s account information with you, we must have a form, completed by the student, on file. One should be included with your initial billing or you can print one off at our website: http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/bursar/page25673.html

Where can I find a list of the tuition rates?

The Board of Trustees meets each year in May or June to approve tuition rates for the upcoming academic year. We cannot determine what our rates will be until after that meeting. We make every effort to update the rates as soon as we receive approval from the board.

My summer bill is due, but I have aid coming. What do I do?

Summer session financial aid is not disbursed until right before the May statement is printed and therefore is not deferred on your account.

A Third Party Sponsor is paying my tuition. When will I receive a refund?

1. Third party sponsors must send the Bursar’s Office authorization to bill them for all or a portion of a student’s tuition and fee charges.

2. The appropriate tuition and fee charges are then transferred (deferred) to the Third Party Sponsor’s account for payment.

3. If tuition and fee charges are paid by a personal payment or financial aid before authorization is received from the third party sponsor, a refund is processed as soon as authorization is received and the refund is mailed to the student’s active ‘mailing’ address.

4. If a Third Party sponsor overpays a student’s charges, the overpayment is refunded to the Third Party Sponsor.

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What is a Bursar?