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Tuition and billing can raise a lot of questions, especially when your enrollment status changes or someone else is helping cover your costs. Below are answers to some of the questions we hear most often.
In this article:
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What do I do about my billing if I withdraw or am dismissed from Relay?
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How do I view my billing statement after I'm no longer enrolled?
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When will my employer's tuition contribution show up on my financial aid offer or billing statement?
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Why do I have a Bursar Hold, Academic Graduation Hold, or Registration Hold?
What happens if I can’t resolve my outstanding balance?
An unpaid balance puts your enrollment at risk. Depending on where you are in your program, you could be placed on a hold, unable to register for next term’s classes, administratively withdrawn, or kept from receiving your diploma.
You’re at risk of these consequences if you have:
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A balance from the previous academic year: We'll administratively withdraw you or you'll be ineligible to receive your diploma.
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A current term balance over $500: You're at risk of an administrative withdrawal.
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A current term balance over $7,395 as a TFA Corps Member: You’re at risk of an administrative withdrawal.
You can expect action to be taken by the start of the following term, excluding the summer term. Exactly what happens depends on your situation.
If you're registering for your next term within the same academic year
With a current term balance is $500 or less:
You’ll still be able to register, but your account will have a hold. Keep making payments, and check your balance anytime through Nelnet.
With a prior-year balance or a current term balance of over $500:
You won’t be able to register, make a payment as soon as possible. You're still enrolled this term, so continue with your classes and assignments.
Any balance remaining by the end of the term will start the administrative withdrawal process.
Keep in mind:
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If you've registered or been registered for next term courses and are administratively withdrawn, those registrations will be removed.
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If you have incomplete grades and are administratively withdrawn, your grades will be replaced with standing grades.
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If you are a part of TFA, your balance must be below $7,395 to remain enrolled.
If you're graduating at the end of the term
With any balance over $0:
You'll graduate, but you won't receive your diploma until your balance is paid in full. Keep making payments, and check your balance anytime through Nelnet.
If you're taking make-up courses or resolving incomplete coursework
With a current term balance of $500 or less:
Your account has a hold, but you can stay enrolled next term to finish your program completion requirements. Keep making payments, and check your balance anytime through Nelnet.
With a prior-year balance or your current term balance is over $500:
We'll start an administrative withdrawal at the end of the term. If you don't resolve your balance, you'll be withdrawn effective at the start of the following term.
Note: If you are a TFA Corps Member, you are allowed to carry a balance, but it cannot exceed $7,395 at the end of each term.
Keep in mind:
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If you have incomplete grades and are administratively withdrawn, your grades will be replaced with standing grades.
Re-enrolling after being administratively withdrawn
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If you were withdrawn because of a balance, you'll need to pay it in full before we approve your re-enrollment.
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If you were dismissed from your program due to your academic standing, your balance must also be paid in full to re-enroll.
How to resolve your balance
You can pay or lower your balance in a few ways:
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Pay your bill. See instructions here.
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Sign up for a payment plan. See instructions here.
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Apply your AmeriCorps award to your current or prior balances. You’ll find instructions here.
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Apply for federal financial aid [rly.gs/directloan] if you're eligible and actively enrolled in a term.Contact Student Financial Services at [email protected] for more information.
Keep in mind:
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Balances from prior terms aren't added to your payment plan, so you'll need to resolve those separately.
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What do I do about my billing if I withdraw or am dismissed from Relay?
If you're considering withdrawing, review Relay's withdrawal and refund policies first so you understand what you'll owe before you leave the program.
Before you withdraw
Contact us at [email protected] as soon as you're considering leaving Relay, so you fully understand your financial obligations before you make your decision.
If you have a past-due balance
You'll have 30 days after your withdrawal is finalized to access, view, and pay any past-due balance through your original Nelnet portal. For the full steps on what happens after that window — including how to set up your withdrawn Nelnet account and your payment plan options — see “Paying Your Relay Bill”
Federal financial aid funds
If you received federal financial aid — Direct Unsubsidized Loans and TEACH Grants — you may need to return a portion of the funds disbursed to your account once you leave the program. Student Financial Services will evaluate the aid you've received to date to determine how much you earned and how much needs to be returned to the Department of Education.
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How do I view my billing statement after I'm no longer enrolled?
If you take a leave of absence, withdraw, or are administratively dismissed and still owe a balance to Relay, we'll reach out to walk you through what you owe and the steps you'll need to take next.
After your withdrawal is finalized
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You'll have 30 days to access, view, and pay any past-due balance through your original Nelnet portal.
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After the 30 days pass, we'll send a Nelnet invitation to the email address we have on file, with instructions for accessing your withdrawn Nelnet payment portal account.
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You'll set up your withdrawn Nelnet account using unique credentials. From there, you can view your statement, make a payment, or sign up for a 12-month payment plan.
If you need a payment plan that runs longer than 12 months, reach out to our Bursar department at [email protected].
Keep in mind:
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After you're no longer enrolled, your balance won't show up in the enrolled student payment portal, since your financing options change depending on your enrollment status.
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If you have an AmeriCorps award, you may also release it to Relay to pay down any past-due balance at this point. You’ll find a walkthrough for that process here.
Please note: If you haven't signed up for a payment plan or fully paid your balance within 30 days of receiving the withdrawn email invitation, we'll send any remaining balance to collections.
Currently enrolled and looking for your statement? Here's how to view your billing statement while you're enrolled
When will my employer's tuition contribution show up on my financial aid offer or billing statement?
If an external scholarship is helping with your costs or your school is contributing to your tuition with a partner sponsorship, here's when and where that support shows up.
On your financial aid offer
If you've received your financial aid offer and you're getting support from your school or an external scholarship, that contribution will only appear on your offer after we've received the documentation we need to confirm the details. Your offer letter will also include any Relay-awarded financial aid along with approved federal aid requests we've processed.
On your billing statement
If you're receiving a partner sponsorship, the amount will appear on your billing statement in your Nelnet portal as "Anticipated Third Party Payment" once your employer has connected with our Bursar Office to confirm the contribution amount.
After we receive the payment from your partner, we'll update your Nelnet account to read "Third Party Payment - [Partner Name]."
If you don’t see your partner sponsorship
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Let your partner know they can email [email protected] to connect with our Bursar office on next steps.
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If your school needs a statement before they will provide tuition reimbursement, learn how to access yours here.
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If your school or another third party wishes to pay your Relay bill directly, learn how to add them as an authorized payer on your account here or have them email [email protected] for more information.
Please note: You remain responsible for your out-of-pocket tuition costs until we receive the third-party payment. In the rare case that a third-party contributor backs out of the agreed-upon payment, you'll be responsible for the uncovered amount due.
Why do I have an Academic Graduation or Registration Hold?
We place a hold on your account when you still owe a balance.
To lift an Academic Graduation Hold, you'll need to pay your past-due balance in full.
To lift a Registration Hold, you’ll need to lower your past-due balance to $500 or less. If you’re part of TFA, you will need to lower your total balance to $7,395 or less.
Students on payment plans
If you're on a payment plan, we'll remove your Registration Hold or Academic Graduation Hold once you've covered your final installment.
Students with loans
If you requested a loan to cover your out-of-pocket tuition, we'll keep the hold in place until your loan is released and your balance reaches $0.
Keep in mind:
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You can still enroll in your next term as long as your balance is $500 or less. At the end of the year, your balance must be paid in full.
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TFA Corps Members must maintain an annual balance of $7395 or less.
Read up on student holds in the Academic Handbook here.
Still have questions about your finances or billing? Our Student Financial Services team is here to help. Reach out to us at [email protected].
