Pay Tuition and Fees

Please make all checks payable to The Ohio State University and include the student’s name and OSU ID number in the memo line. Missing information may cause processing delays.

Submit your personal check payment to:

The Ohio State University  
PO Box 183248
Columbus, OH 43218‑3248

All mailed payments must be postmarked by the fee payment deadline to avoid late fees. Please allow 1–2 weeks-longer during peak periods-for your payment to arrive by mail, and 2–3 business days for processing once it reaches the Office of the University Bursar.
 

Resources:

• How to Complete a Paper Check

To submit a paper check in person, please visit the secure payment drop box on the first floor of the Student Academic Services Building (across from the elevators). Your check should be made payable to The Ohio State University and include the student's name and OSU ID number in the memo line. Failure to include this information with your payment may result in processing delays.

The payment dropbox is regularly checked by a member of the Office of the University Bursar payment processing team.

TOPP enrollment is optional. To participate, you must sign up each semester through your My Buckeye Link account. A $30 non-refundable enrollment fee is assessed each term you enroll and due with the first payment plan installment.

When you enroll in TOPP, you automatically authorize any federal financial aid on your account to pay non-institutional charges that you may have incurred which are TOPP eligible (for example, Student Health Insurance).

For assistance with TOPP, please contact Buckeye Link.

The first TOPP installment and $30 enrollment fee are due at the semester fee payment deadline. Subsequent installments are due approximately every 30 days after the first installment. Installment due dates may fluctuate based on semester start dates. Please refer to your statement of account for exact due dates.

Sample TOPP Payment Installment Due Date Schedule:

To make a payment toward a TOPP installment, choose from one of the payment methods outlined on this page.

If you pay online, you must manually initiate a TOPP installment payment ahead of each due date; automatic account withdrawals are not available. We recommend setting a recurring calendar reminder to help you remember to make your monthly payment installment prior to the due date.

Most charges assessed to your student account are eligible to enroll in TOPP. The following charges CANNOT be enrolled in TOPP.

• Late Payment Fees (including those assessed by University Housing and Dining)
• Late Registration Fees
• Collection Charges
• Returned and Rejected Payments
• Prior Term Charges
• BuckID Charges
• John Glenn Washington Intern Housing (aka WISH Housing)

These charges are due as noted on your student account.

Changes made to your account after a TOPP installment due date will adjust your remaining TOPP installment amounts equally. Changes can include, but are not limited to adding or dropping courses; financial aid adjustments; and housing and/or meal plan changes.

Failure to pay by the due date listed for each installment may result in late fees being assessed to your account:

• Up to $300 for the first installment
• $25 per installment for subsequent installments

Additionally, nonpayment of TOPP installments may result in the addition of a financial hold and/or finance charges to your account, the dropping of future registration, and other consequences as outlined in the Financial Responsibility Statement.

Electronic payments post to your statement of account immediately once the transaction is complete, making this the preferred and fastest way to pay.

Mailed personal payments are processed within 2–3 business days after they are received by the Office of the University Bursar. Please allow 1–2 weeks for your payment to travel through the mail and arrive at our office. To avoid late fees, your payment must be postmarked by the fee payment deadline.

529 College Savings Plan payments require processing time with your plan provider, and funds are not always sent to Ohio State on the same day you request a withdrawal. To ensure your payment arrives by the fee payment deadline, we recommend initiating your 529 withdrawal as soon as bills become available—typically 4–6 weeks before the deadline.

Choose electronic 529 delivery to get your funds to Ohio State quickly and securely.

Once received by the Office of the University Bursar, all 529 payments are processed within 2–3 business days.

Foreign currency wire transfers must be fully completed before they can post to your student account. The full process typically takes 5–10 business days from the time you initiate the payment with your home bank. By using Flywire or Convera, you can track your payment step‑by‑step to see when it has been sent, received, and delivered to The Ohio State University.

The following are considered acceptable checks with proper identification:

• Cashier’s Check – a check purchased at a bank for any amount; the bank completes all information on the face of the check with a bank officer signing as the maker.
• Certified Check – a personal check guaranteed by the bank; the check is stamped “certified” and signed by a bank officer.
• Money Order – an item purchased at a bank, post office, or other business establishment. The bank completes only the amount information.
• Traveler’s Check – a special check supplied by banks or other companies for the use of travelers; these checks already bear the purchaser’s signature and must be countersigned in the cashier’s presence.
• Personal Check – a written order payable on demand, drawn on a bank by a depositor; a personal check is written against an individual’s funds as opposed to a cashier’s check, certified check, money order, or traveler’s check, all of which are written against bank funds. Personal checks are accepted for purchase of good or services. Cashing of personal checks is prohibited.
• Starter Check - a generic check obtained at the bank that is generally provided prior to receipt of personal checks containing printed identifying information. Individuals may have to fill in the areas normally printed on a personal check with their personal address, phone number, driver's license number and other identifiers. Starter checks are not acceptable when exchanged for goods and services whose total value is greater than $500.

The following payment types are not accepted by The Ohio State University.

• Counter Check – a non-personalized, non-encoded check that is available at most banks.
• Third Party Check – a check made payable to a person or organization other than the one accepting or cashing the check (for example, a paycheck).
• Foreign Check (unless there are exceptional circumstances) – a check written on a foreign bank (e.g., a Canadian bank) not specifically prepared as U.S. currency.

If you submit a paper check or electronic payment and it is returned from the bank, your balance will become immediately due. Additionally, your account may be subject to a $30 returned check charge. You will be notified via email if your payment has been returned. Reasons a payment could be returned include:

• Account closed
• Account cannot be located
• Insufficient funds in the account
• Stop payment

Additional reasons a paper check payment could be returned include:

• No signature
• Unauthorized signature
• Check incorrectly written

You are encouraged to submit a replacement payment as soon as possible after you are notified of the return to avoid collections activity on your account. When you submit your new payment, please also include $30 for the returned check charge in addition to the original amount.

If you made your payment online and it was rejected for insufficient funds in the account, your ability to pay online in the future may be restricted. Please contact Buckeye Link for additional information.

Multiple instances of payments being returned from any bank may result in a hold being added to your student account. Your payment options may also be limited, requiring you to pay your bill using only certified funds (i.e., cashier’s check or money order). If the situation requires it, further disciplinary action may also be taken.