Bursar & Student AR

Fee Payment Questions

• I have a balance, whom do I contact? 
  If all eligible/requested aid has not yet paid to your account, contact:
  Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships finaid@sou.edu

  If all eligible/requested aid has paid, contact:
  New students this academic year: Student Accounts studentaccounts@sou.edu

  Continuing students from prior academic years: Student Balances studentbalances@sou.edu 

• How do I set my family up to pay on my account?  
  This is our Friends & Family option and this must be established by the student through the student portal.span data-contrast=”none”>Students can initiate a Payer Invitation through the Overview section./li>
• How to pay a Significant Balance on Hold?
  New students (enrolled in the 2024-2025 Academic Year and forward) have a threshold of $3,000)

  Continuing students enrolled prior to the 2024-2025 Academic Year have a threshold of $6,000If the balance cannot be funded to below the threshold and in order for an  exception request of the hold to be reviewed, the following minimum parameters must be in place and do not guarantee automatic approval as other factors will be considered:

  • 1) A payment plan established with a member of the Student Balances or Student Accounts team
  • 2) Valid financial aid eligibility and all aid accepted, requirements met, and not in Satisfactory Academic Progress or financial aid denied status
  • 3) Future financial aid completed and all aid accepted, requirements met, and not in Satisfactory Academic Progress or financial aid denied status
  • 4) Satisfactory Academic Progress is being met
• How do I make a payment? There are several ways you can make a payment on your SOU account!
  
  Online
  SOU has partnered with Transact, a secure payment processing gateway, to provide a simple and user-friendly tool for online payments. 

  Student Portal
  Friends & Family Portal

  Mail in
  Southern Oregon University
  1250 Siskiyou Blvd
  Ashland, Oregon 97520
  Attn: Bursar’s Office

  In person
  Churchill Hall
  Office 151
  Walk-in hours: Monday-Thursday 9am to 4pm

  529
  Students can utilize their College Savings Plan to make payments towards their student account balance. If the student’s 529 Savings Plan is currently unavailable, a check from the account can be mailed to:

  Southern Oregon University
  Bursar/Churchill Office 151
  1250 Siskiyou Blvd
  Ashland, Oregon 97520

  *Please include the student’s name and ID in accompanying documentation or in the Memo field of the check.

  International Payments 
  International payments can also be made through the Transact system! Once logged into the student portal the student can locate “International payment” as an option under the Make A Payment action.

  Transact, our payment processor, has the following 529 Savings Plans Providers available within the student portal: 

  iShares 529 Plan	AR
  Arkansas Brighter Future Plan	AR
  ScholarShare 529	CA
  CollegeInvest Direct Portfolio College Savings Plan	CO
  Scholars Choice 529 Plan	CO
  DC College Savings Plan	DC
  Path2College 529 Plan	GA
  IDeal Idaho College Savings Program	ID
  CollegeChoice Advisor 529 Savings Plan	IN
  CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan	IN
  Learning Quest Advisor	KS
  Learning Quest Education Savings Program	KS
  KY Saves 529 Plan	KY
  MI 529 Advisor Plan	MI
  Michigan Education Savings Program (Direct Plan)	MI
  Missouri Saving for Tuition	MO
  Minnesota College Savings Plan	MN
  North Dakota: College SAVE	ND
  CollegeAdvantage Direct 529 Savings Plan	OH
  Oklahoma College Savings Plan	OK
  CollegeBound 529	RI
  CollegeBound Saver	RI
  TNStars College Savings 529 Program	TN
  Edvest College Savings Plan	WI
  The Hartford SMART529 College Savings Plan	WV
  SMART529 WV Direct College Savings Plan	WV
  SMART529 Select College Savings Plan	WV

  529 Savings Plans currently unavailable in the Transact system: 

  CHET Advisor	CT
  HI529 – Hawaii’s College Savings Program	HI
  College Savings Iowa	IA
  ACI – Schwab 529 College Savings Plan	KS
  Schwab Learning Quest 529 Plan	KS
  Achieve Montana	MT
  Nebraska Educational Savings Trust Advisor Plan	NE
  Nebraska Educational Savings Trust Direct Plan	NE
  Nebraska TD Ameritrade 529 College Savings Plan	NE
  SSgA Upromise 529	NV
  The Vanguard 529 College Savings Plan	NV
  USAA College Savings Plan	NV
  New York’s 529 Advisor Guided College Savings Program	NY
  New York’s 529 College Savings Program Direct Plan	NY
  Pennsylvania Direct 529 College Savings Plan	PA
  Pennsylvania Guaranteed Savings Plan	PA
  Wealthfront 529 College Savings Plan*	NV

Financial Aid Questions

• How are External Scholarships processed?
  
  All external scholarship checks should be sent to the mailing address below:

  Southern Oregon University
  Bursar/Churchill Hall Office 151
  1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
  Ashland, OR 97520
  
  Scholarship checks are processed once received in the mail and will show up in the Resources section of the student account once Financial Aid has updated it.

  Contact and available hours – Mame Niang:
  Phone: 541-552-8082
  Email: niangm@sou.edu
  Monday through Friday 8am – 4pm

• When does student aid post?
  The Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships runs a weekly disbursement process every Wednesday (some exceptions may occur due to the presence of a holiday)This disbursement will include any financial aid included in the award package and in accepted status as long as all financial aid requirements have been completed (See Why hasn’t my aid paid?).
• When do my private scholarships post?
  Private scholarships as processed as they are received and once included in the student’s file, will post to the student account 48 business hours later.Once the scholarship is added to the student file, it is included on a nightly report that is then reviewed and updated by the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships the next business day.

  After the file has been reviewed and updated by the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships, the funds will then be released to the student account during the next evening’s reporting process.

• The donor said my scholarship funds were sent, why are they not in my student account?
  Most of the time this is as simple as a processing delay between when the check was mailed by the donor to when it is received to the university. If there is a delay, we recommend contacting the donor to inquire about the exact day the check was mailed to better estimate where the funds are in the process.
• Why hasn’t my aid paid?
  Have you “Accepted” your aid or is it still in “Offered” status?
  Have you completed your Terms and Conditions? These must be completed every academic year
  If you are utilizing federal loans, have you completed the Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling?
• How much of my aid can be applied to past balance?
  The Department of Education limits the amount of federal financial aid that SOU can retain toward a prior balance. This is capped at $200 annually.
  Any non-federal aid, including scholarships and institutional aid, can be retained at 100% of the fund’s value to be applied toward a prior balance on the account.