There are three possible billing arrangements for CIEE study program participants, depending on the standard agreement CIEE has in place with the participant’s home school.
Please be sure to read the additional very important information below, regardless of which of the three outlined arrangements applies to you. To read about the different billing scenario, follow the links below. If you are still unsure which arrangement applies to you after reading this information, please contact your home school study abroad office for clarification.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL STUDENTS RECEIVING AN INVOICE DIRECTLY FROM CIEE:
- Students receiving invoices directly from CIEE are typically billed within 6-10 weeks of the program application deadline, regardless of whether they have confirmed their place on the program.
- For any portion of your program fees that is billed directly to you, the payment due date will be listed as approximately 3 to 4 weeks after the invoice mailing date, or one month prior to the start of your program (whichever is later).
- The reverse side of the invoice explains how and where to send payment, as well as gives explanations for the codes used on the front of the invoice. Please note that confirmed receipt of payment is not automatically sent to students—your cancelled check or credit card statement will serve as your proof of payment.
- If you recently sent in your Participation Confirmation payment (only for students who are billed directly for this fee, not for students whose schools agree to pay it via a signed confirmation form or a Participant Confirmation List), and it is not reflected on the invoice you received, please DO NOT pay this fee twice. (Quite often the confirmation payments cross in processing with the production of the invoices.) If you accidentally send this payment twice, CIEE will refund any overpayments during the course of your program.
- If circumstances arise that prevent you from being able to attend your program, please send an email to your Enrollment Officer to notify him/her of your decision to cancel. CIEE must receive your cancellation request in writing to update your records. Until we have received your written request of cancellation/withdrawal, you will continue to receive invoices and emails from CIEE.
- If you decide to defer your acceptance to a later term, you must decide to do so before the official start date for your program and all relevant withdrawal fees will still apply; however, you will be granted a credit toward another CIEE study program within 12 months for the same amount as the withdrawal fee you will be required to pay, assuming the fee is paid in full by the application deadline for the future term you plan to go abroad. (More information about this deferral credit will be mailed to you at your permanent address after your official notification of deferral has been received by CIEE.)
- Please note that if you have already confirmed your participation in the program when you send your notification of withdrawal/deferral, your Participation Confirmation fee is non-refundable. Submission of a Participation Confirmation form with a school signature guaranteeing payment, rather than submitting the form with a check or credit card payment, is your commitment to pay this fee even if you cancel prior to receipt of payment from your school. Additionally, if you withdraw/defer 30 days or less from the official arrival date for your program, you will be held responsible for 25% of the program fee, plus the Participation Confirmation fee. To review the CIEE withdrawal/deferral policies and fees in full, please visit our website at www.ciee.org/study/apply/terms.aspx. (Please also be aware that your home school may have their own fees and withdrawal policies for which you will be held responsible, in addition to CIEE’s policies.)
- If after you receive your invoice from CIEE, you are still unsure of this process or if you don’t believe that your invoice correctly reflects the fees to be billed directly to you, please contact the CIEE Billing Coordinator at 1-800-40-STUDY.
You are billed for all program fees.
If your school does not have a pre-existing billing agreement for your program, or if you are studying through Spelman College as a School of Record (not your home school), you/your payment contact (as listed on your program application) will receive an invoice.
- Waiting on Financial Aid?
If you are unable to pay your fees by the payment due date listed on your invoice because you are waiting on financial aid from your home school, you MUST complete a CIEE Financial Aid Deferral Request Form. You may submit the deferral request at any time, but it should be received at CIEE no later than the payment due date listed on your invoice. This form does require certification from your home school financial aid office, so please be sure to allow enough time for them to complete their portion of the form.
- Prefer to pay your fees in installments?
If you are not anticipating financial aid for your time abroad, but would like to pay your fees in installments (or if your financial aid doesn’t cover the full amount of your bill), you may also apply for the CIEE Standard Payment Plan. This payment plan option will allow you to pay your balance in three payments (50%, 25%, and 25%), and costs an additional $100 processing fee (due with your first 50% installment). The Standard Payment plan option is not available for summer or winter term program participants.
- If you receive an invoice and believe that your school should be paying the fee,
please contact your school’s study abroad office to verify their billing arrangements for your program. If they tell you that they should be receiving the bill, please have them contact the CIEE Manager, Billing and Registration immediately to clarify the situation—this contact/explanation must come directly from your school in order for any changes to be made, and you will be held responsible for any fees for which you are billed directly unless your school notifies CIEE otherwise.
Your school is billed for a portion of your program fees, and you are billed for the rest.
The two most common arrangements are: (1) Only tuition is billed through your school, and all other fees are billed to you directly; or (2) you pay CIEE the Participation Confirmation fee, but all other fees are billed through your school. (These are the most common, however, there are a number of different “split bill” configurations.)
- Waiting on Financial Aid?
If you are unable to pay your fees by the payment due date listed on your invoice because you are waiting on financial aid from your home school, you MUST complete a CIEE Financial Aid Deferral Request Form. You may submit the deferral request at any time, but it should be received at CIEE no later than the payment due date listed on your invoice. This form does require certification from your home school financial aid office, so please be sure to allow enough time for them to complete their portion of the form.
- Prefer to pay your fees in installments?
If you are not anticipating financial aid for your time abroad, but would like to pay your fees in installments (or if your financial aid doesn’t cover the full amount of your bill), you may also apply for the CIEE Standard Payment Plan. This payment plan option will allow you to pay your balance in three payments (50%, 25%, and 25%), and costs an additional $100 processing fee (due with your first 50% installment). The Standard Payment plan option is not available for summer or winter term program participants.
- If you receive an invoice and believe that your school should be paying the fee,
please contact your school’s study abroad office to verify their billing arrangements for your program. If they tell you that they should be receiving the bill, please have them contact the CIEE Manager, Billing and Registration immediately to clarify the situation—this contact/explanation must come directly from your school in order for any changes to be made, and you will be held responsible for any fees for which you are billed directly unless your school notifies CIEE otherwise.
Your school is billed by CIEE for all advertised program fees: Typically this IS NOT the same as having financial aid pay your fees.
In this instance, you will be billed for all fees related to your program by your home school because CIEE has a pre-arranged billing agreement with them. In this case, you/your payment contact will NOT receive an invoice of any sort from CIEE.
- If you receive an invoice and believe that your school should be paying the fee,
please contact your school’s study abroad office to verify their billing arrangements for your program. If they tell you that they should be receiving the bill, please have them contact the CIEE Manager, Billing and Registration immediately to clarify the situation—this contact/explanation must come directly from your school in order for any changes to be made, and you will be held responsible for any fees for which you are billed directly unless your school notifies CIEE otherwise.