Center for Student Success Frequently asked questions

Online

Make a payment online through myPortal Secure link, login required.. Once logged in to myPortal, click "Make a Payment" under the left panel entitled "Shortcuts."  You may select to pay your current account balance or enter a different amount. You may also change the payment date for a future date.

If you do not have a saved payment method, enter your account information and click "continue."

Select to which academic term you want to apply your payment. Be sure to apply your payment to the correct academic term, otherwise payment plans may not calculate correctly and prevent you from registering later.

Review your payment confirmation and click "Submit Payment." Save your receipt for your records.

In person

The main campus in Columbia, Missouri no longer accepts payments in person but is happy to show you how to make payment online. Please contact your nationwide campus directly for in person payment options.

All students are required to enroll in a payment plan. If you do not enroll in one of the payment plan options, you are at risk of being dropped from the course(s).  After completing registration, you will be directed to enroll in one of our payment plans.  Please Note:  You will be asked to re-sign into MyPortal during this time to access ePayments.

Students who are currently enrolled should log in to MyPortal, to set up a payment plan:

• Click the “Enroll in Payment Plan” button in the “Student Account” box located at the top of the screen.
• Select the appropriate dropdown option in the “Select Term” box
• Click the yellow “Select” button next to the correct payment plan
• The next screen will show estimated charges and financial aid, and any required down payment.
• Respond to the “Set up Automatically Payments” option at the bottom of the page
  • **Please Note: Automatic payments are not required in the majority of payment plans**
• Click “Continue”. If you are required to make a payment at this time, the next screen will request payment information.
• Review and agree to the “Payment Plan Agreement” pop-up and then click “continue.”

Students have the following plan options:

Four-installment plans allow students to pay in four installments each semester. A $29 late charge will be assessed when payments are not made by due dates. Due dates will be provided upon payment plan enrollment.

 

Financial aid fully funded plans are plans where educational expenses are paid entirely by financial aid. The plan will show the entire balance due by a specific date near the end of the semester. However, the plan will be paid in full when financial aid is posted to your account. No out-of-pocket payments should be required. If financial aid is cancelled or reduced, payment would be due by the listed due date.  The due date will be provided upon payment plan enrollment.

 

Scholarship plans are for students who utilize percentage-based CC Scholarships for educational expenses.  The plan will have 3 due dates with the first due date deferred until after the 2^nd week of classes when the majority of our scholarships will post.  The remaining balance, if any, will be due in 3 installments over the semester.  Due dates will be provided upon payment plan enrollment.  A $29 late charge will be assessed when payments are not made by due dates.

 

Tuition Assistance plans are for students who utilize corporate or military tuition assistance for educational expenses.  Students are eligible for this plan once they have submitted their authorizations for payment to the school.  The plan will show the entire balance due by a specific date near the end of the semester. However, the plan will be paid in full or amount due reduced when assistance payment is posted to your account.  If any outstanding balance remains, payment would be due by the listed due date.  The due date will be provided upon payment plan enrollment.

 

VA benefit plans are for students who receive VA benefits for educational expenses. Students are required to schedule automatic payments made on the due date via electronic check or credit card.  The payment will not process unless the student has a balance on the due date.  The due date will be provided upon payment plan enrollment.

There are two ways to pay your account in full:

• Set up a payment plan. After a plan is set up, click the "Payment Plans" tab, then click "Pay Off", or
• Click any "Payment" button. The "Total Balance" due will automatically appear in the Payment Amount window. Pay balance (this amount does not include any pending financial aid).

The student ID is available under the "My Profiles" tab, or is available on the face of a billing statement under the "eBills" tab.

Complete a Verification of Payment and Billing Request Form in MyPortal.

 

You may request a paper copy by contacting the CSS at SUCCESS@CCIS.edu, (573) 875-7252 or (800) 231-2391, ext. 7252. You may also visit us in Missouri Hall 205.

Yes. To set up a payment for a future date, proceed to make a payment. On the screen "Step 2: Payment Options", change the "Payment Date" to your desired date. The payment will automatically be processed on the date you specify. You may change or delete scheduled payments until the day before the scheduled payment.

Schedule Payments will be automatically paid on the due date specified. You must set up a saved payment profile which will be used to make the payment.
Payment Plan Installments will not be paid automatically. You will be required to make payment by the due date.

In most cases, payments are recorded immediately. On rare occasions, our student account system is taken offline for maintenance. Payments made during these times are recorded within one business day.

It takes up to two business days for an ePayment to clear with your bank. You can check the following to verify successful payments:

• A "Payment Confirmation" screen will appear immediately after a payment is made.
• You will receive an email confirmation of the payment.
• Check the "Payment History" under the "Payments" tab. A history of successful ePayments is available for review.
• Under the "eBills" tab, select "Recent Account Activity". Successful ePayments are generally posted immediately to accounts.

To save credit card or checking/savings account information, select "My Profiles", then "Payment Profiles" and complete the desired payment information.

You can change or delete this information at any time here as well.

Columbia College personnel do not have access to credit card numbers and cannot create unauthorized payments. Only you can schedule and delete saved payments though this system.

No. Only the person that sets up a saved payment method can use it. A student does not have access to see or use an authorized user's saved payment profiles. Likewise, an authorized user cannot use a student's saved payment profile.

Students with a Columbia College balance are sent monthly billing statements via Cougar email. A student's balance is considered past-due if not paid in full by the last day of courses. Initial attempt to collect payment for a past-due balance will be made by Columbia College.  

Columbia College partners with Heartland ECSI to solicit payment after all attempts to do so have been unsuccessful by Columbia College.  Heartland ECSI will mail letters and make calls to notify students of their outstanding balance.  Mailed letters are sent to the most current address on file with Columbia College.  It is the student’s responsibility to ensure his or her address is correct.  Students can make one-time payment or setup a payment plan to pay their balance in installments with Heartland ECSI.  

Students with a past-due balance will not be allowed to obtain a transcript of academic work, obtain a diploma or apply for a residence hall room.  Students with a past-due balance will not be allowed to register for any subsequent term, unless the balance is under current determined amount by Columbia College and the student is in an active payment plan with Heartland ECSI.  If a student with a past-due balance pays with a personal check or ACH, he or she will have to wait fourteen (14) business days before being cleared to register, receive a transcript or diploma. 

If you have a balance from a prior session, contact the Center for Student Success at (573) 875-7252 or (800) 231-2391, ext. 7252 for options.

If a student bill is unpaid for 90 days or more, it is subject to be sent to a collections agency.

A student will receive a first notice if a bill is unpaid after 30 days, and a final notice if a bill remains unpaid after 60 days. Notices are sent by postal mail to the most current address we have on file.

We work with two agencies that assist us in collecting unpaid balances. They are:

Recovery Management Services: (800) 932-2851
Windham Professionals: (800) 208-5076

Once a student account has been sent to a collection agency, Columbia College can no longer set up payment arrangements. The balance at Columbia College will not reflect any additional collection fees that may accrue with the agency until the payment is made. You must work with the agency to receive your final balance, including any collection fees.

All payments on collection accounts and bad debt write-off accounts should be made in the form of cash, money order, cashier’s check or credit card. Students paying the collections agency by personal check will have to wait 10 days before being cleared to register or receive a transcript.

Students who receive employer tuition assistance may have the cost of their educational expenses paid by their employer. This could happen through direct billing or reimbursement.

Employers making direct payments for students must send the college a letter authorizing and describing the arrangement. Students must ensure the letter is on file with the college’s Business Office and campus or venue.

Students attending under employer reimbursement are required to follow the college’s standard payment policies. Students can then receive reimbursement based on the employer’s guidelines. Students are required to pay. If full payment is not possible, students may request a deferred payment plan.

You may email your Tuition Assistance (TA) forms directly to your local venue, and they will monitor the entire process for you. Once you submit your TA forms, the paperwork will be forwarded to the Business Office at the traditional campus for billing.

If you are active Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard, submit your TA request through our Application Portal.

Tuition Assistance will not be billed until after the last day to drop each session has passed. Until your TA is applied to your student account, it will show a balance. If you have not seen your TA applied to your account after the third week of class, email SUCCESS@CCIS.edu or call the Center for Student Success at (573) 875-7252 or (800) 231-2391, ext. 7252.

The Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) provides up to $4,000 of financial assistance over two years for military spouses. Visit the Military OneSource External link Portal to apply or for more information.

If using MyCAA, you do not need to send in paper authorization each session. Our Accounting Department will electronically pull over funds and apply them to your account after the last day to drop classes each session. If you do not see the funds on your account after the third week of classes, make sure you have selected the correct school in the portal and contact your Military One Source Counselor.

Have your MoVR (Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation) counselor fax an Authorization Bill directly to our Business Office at (573) 875-7262. Payment amount varies for each student. Learn more about MoVR.

The following are reasons why Financial Aid may not be figured into your payment plan.

• Only financial aid that has been awarded will be included in a payment plan. Aid that is estimated or pending will not be included.
• Some financial aid is available only when a student is registered full time. If total registered hours are less than full time, the aid will not be computed, or may be computed at a lower amount. Full time status for 8 and 16 weeks terms is at least 6 or 12 credit hours, respectively.

Examples of aid that adjust include:

• Pell Grants are prorated based on ½ time, ¾ time, or full time enrollment.
• Most institutional aid for 16 week semester Day Campus students requires full time attendance. No aid will be computed until registered hours total at least 12.
• Student loans will not be included as available financial aid if total registered hours are less than half time.

Financial aid that is included in a payment plan will automatically adjust as your enrollment or financial aid change. For example, suppose you have a Pell Grant and register for 3 credit hours in an 8 week session. Only half of the Pell Grant will be included in your payment plan.
If you add another 3 credit hours, for a total of 6 hours, the Pell Grant included in your plan will automatically be figured at the part time rate, and your plan will adjust accordingly.

All students are required to enroll in a payment plan. If you do not enroll in one of the payment plan options, you are at risk of being dropped from the course(s). If you received this message, you will need to log into ePayments and follow the steps above for enrolling in a payment plan.