Frequently Asked Questions

Our website also has answers to your frequently asked questions about available payment plans.

How can I contact Student Accounting Services?

You can contact us in the following ways:

Send Correspondence to: Boston University, Student Accounting Services, 25 Buick Street, Suite 130, Boston, MA 02215.

How can I find out my Student Account balance?

You can view your current student account balance through MyBU Student* by selecting “My Bill & Aid,” then “Student Account Balance Due.”
*Note:  If you receive an error page when logging in, select the “MyBU Student Dashboard” link (first link) on that page.  From the dashboard, select “Financials” from the menu on the left, then “Student Account Balance Due.”

The Student Account Balance Due page will display any amounts due for applicable terms, with the total due indicated on the top next to “I owe:”.  If you expand a given term, you can view the corresponding due date(s) and outstanding charges.  These amounts do not necessarily represent the full amount of the charge; rather, it is the amount of the charge that is unpaid.  For a full list of your transactions, please view the Student Account Details page (more information below).

What are anticipated items?

Anticipated items reflect anticipated payments or financial aid amounts, and as such may be subject to change. If anticipated loans do not appear on your invoice as either credits or Anticipated Financial Aid, it may indicate that certain requirements for these loans have not been completed, and you should contact BU Financial Assistance at 617-353-2965. Graduate students should contact the financial aid officer at their school.

Anticipated items will only display on the Student Account Balance Due page.  The Student Account Details page only reflects posted transactions.

How do I view all of my student account transactions?

You can view all of your posted transactions through MyBU Student* by selecting “My Bill & Aid,” then “Student Account Details.”
*Note:  If you receive an error page when logging in, select the “MyBU Student Dashboard” link (first link) on that page.  From the dashboard, select “Financials” from the menu on the left, then “Student Account Details.”

By default, transactions for all terms will be listed in ascending date order.  You may click on any of the field headings (Description, Activity Type, Date, Term, or Amount) to sort by that respective field.  Toward the top of the page, you can select a given term and/or start and end date range, to view respective transactions within those parameters.

You may download a list of the current transactions displayed by selecting the “Export to CSV” icon on the top right of the page.  You may also select the “Print” icon to bring up a printable view.  Keep in mind that when exporting/printing, only the transactions within any parameters you’ve set will be presented.  Clear out any filters at the top of the page for a full list of your posted transactions.

Note that anticipated items which have not yet posted, including financial aid and expected payment plan installments, will not display on Student Account Details.  However, they will reduce your current balance due, as seen on the Student Account Balance Due page.

Why does my balance differ between Student Account Balance Due and Student Account Details?

When viewing Student Account Details for a given term, only the transactions for that term are taken into account.  Any balance forward from prior semesters will not be listed.  For example, if you are viewing the current term transactions only (Fall 2025) and notice a larger “subtotal” than expected, it may be that you have credit from prior terms.  You can select those prior terms (i.e. Summer 2025, Spring 2025, etc.) using the filters at the top to review those respective subtotals.  Your current balance due (before taking into account any anticipated items) would be your Fall 2025 subtotal, plus the sum of any subtotals from prior terms.

The Student Account Balance Due page incorporates any balance forward from prior semesters, and also reflects anticipated items.  As such, we would recommend using that page to see your current amount due.  You will also find the “Nelnet Payment & Payment Plans” link on that page, which will direct you to our vendor’s portal where you can make a one-time payment, or enroll in any available payment plans.

Where is my financial aid?

From the Financials section of the dashboard, you can select “View Financial Aid” to review your current aid award.  Please note that certain awards such as Federal Work Study are not applied against your student account.  If you see awards such as scholarships or loans listed on that page, you can review the Student Account Balance Due page to see if they are listed under “Pending Financial Aid.”  If so, the amounts are reducing your balance due and are incorporated in the “I owe” balance at the top.  If you do not see any pending aid, it may be that the aid has already posted.  You can check the posted status of any aid through the Student Account Details page.

If you have reviewed these different pages and do not see the financial aid you expect, we would recommend following up with your respective financial aid department.  Graduate students should contact their school’s department; a full list of those offices can be found here.  Undergraduate students should contact Boston University Financial Assistance; more information can be found here.

What will happen if there are insufficient funds in my bank account to cover a check payment?

If a check is returned for non-payment, Boston University reserves the right to take any or all of the following actions:

  • Assess a $25.00 fee for each returned check
  • Limit access to University services, including library borrowing privileges and release of academic records
  • Restrict future methods of payment to either cash or bank check

What will happen if I have an overdue balance on my student account?

If you have an overdue balance on your student account after the semester due date, a financial hold may be added to your record which restricts access to certain University services such as course registration or adjustment, awarding of financial aid, eligibility to move into your assigned on-campus residence, and purchase of convenience points.

Will I be charged a late payment fee?

If your balance remains unpaid after the payment deadline, you may be subject to late fees. If you are assessed a late fee and have extenuating circumstances regarding your late payment, please write to studenta@bu.edu after your principal balance less the late fee has been resolved. Please indicate:

  • Your full name and student identification number
  • The Semester(s) in which you received the late payment fee
  • The circumstances that you wish to be reviewed

In addition to tuition, what are the other charges on my invoice?

Please refer to Tuition and Fees for information about specific fees.

Am I required to pay the student health insurance charge?

Please refer to our Student Health Insurance Plan page for information regarding insurance coverage requirements and waiving the student health insurance charge.

Please note: Full-time students are charged a Health & Wellness Fee each semester. This is a mandatory fee, unrelated to the student health insurance, and cannot be waived. For more information, please refer to the Fees Explained section.