Columbia Central

Make a Payment

If you have charges that are not covered by financial aid or a third party benefit (like a 529 savings plan), you must cover your remaining out-of-pocket costs by:

• August 1 for the Fall semester
• January 5 for the Spring semester
• May 13 for the Summer term

You have two options to cover your remaining costs.

You can either pay in full or establish a formal auto-debit payment plan. 

You can do both of these using CCCPay, an electronic bill payment system that is accessible through your MyColumbia portal in the MyFinancials tab.

CCCPay accepts payments via savings and checking accounts as well as Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express credit cards (note: you will be charged a 2.85% service charge for all debit and credit card payments). 

Note: Any authorized parties—parents, spouses, guardians, or other third-party payers—who have been authorized by a student can access CCCPay through the Authorized Party Login page. You will need to disable pop-up blockers to access the page. 

Returned Payment

If a payment is returned on CCCPay, you will be notified, and a $30.00 Returned Payment Fee will be automatically processed from the account provided. The Returned Payment Fee will not show on your tuition account billing.

If the $30.00 Returned Payment Fee is returned, the payment will be rescheduled.

If a personal check payment submitted via mail is returned, a $30.00 Returned Payment Fee will be assessed on your tuition account and shown on your next statement. Fees are subject to change.

If your payment history shows multiple returned payments, you will be restricted from paying with ACH or check payments.

 Here are ways you can make a payment to Columbia directly:

• Online E-check Payment
  This secure online payment deducts automatically from a checking or savings account. The payer receives a receipt via email with a confirmation number, and payment is posted to the student account within two business days.
• Online Credit/Debit Card Payment

  You can pay by Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express. All payments by credit or debit cards require an additional service fee of 2.75% of the payment amount. This charge will appear as a separate line item on the card statement.

  On June 1, 2022, the debit and credit card payment service charge will increase to 2.85%.

• Pay by Mail (Personal Check or Money Order)

  To pay by mail, write the student ID number (located next to the student's name on the bill) on the front of the check or money order. Print a copy of the bill from CCCPay.
  
  Mail the bill and payment to:
  Columbia College Chicago
  Columbia Central
  Attention: Payments
  600 S. Michigan Ave.
  Chicago, IL 60605

• Payment by a Third-Party Sponsor

  To have part or all of your student account paid by a third party, you must complete the Third-party Benefit Release Form prior to the start of each academic year.

  2024-25 Third-party Benefit Release Form

  You or your sponsor must also provide the appropriate letter of authorization prior to the start of each semester the benefit will be used.

  Examples of Third-party Benefit Sponsors include:

  • Veterans' Benefits (all branches and programs)
  • DORS 
  • State-sponsored 529 College Savings Plan
  • Out-of-State Grant
  • Parent's Employer

  Columbia Central also allows you to set up your sponsor as an Authorized Party, giving them direct access to your billing statements and payment options. 

  Columbia Central will bill all third-party sponsors, for which we have a completed Third-party Benefit Release Form, after the add/drop period has passed. The billing is based on your balance at that time, and the instructions/limitations indicated on the letter of authorization. 

  An estimate of the amount to be received is added to your Financial Aid Award once billing has been completed, but ultimately your sponsor determines the actual amount to be paid. Please note that payment is normally received within six to eight weeks of the bill, and it is released to your Student Account within five to seven business days. You are responsible for paying any charges not authorized by your sponsor, and the Financial Hold policy will apply.

  If Columbia Central receives third-party funds in excess of charges, and third-party funds are not authorized to be refunded to the student, Columbia Central will return the excess funds directly to the third-party sponsor.

  To ensure priority billing once the add/drop period has passed, both the Third-Party Benefit Release Form and Letter of Authority must be submitted as soon as possible.

• Wire Transfer with Foreign Currency

  Flywire streamlines the process for paying your bill with a foreign currency. Foreign exchange rates are guaranteed at the time of payment, allowing you to pay in your home currency from any country without the fees associated with traditional banks. Payment is posted to your student account quickly and you will be notified by email when it's received. You also will receive dedicated multilingual customer support.

  After you have initiated a payment on Flywire, you will receive detailed instructions on how to transfer funds to Columbia. Flywire will keep you informed throughout the process, including letting you know when Columbia has received your payment. Support via phone, email or chat is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

  To access Flywire:

  1. Log in to your MyColumbia portal
  2. Select the MyFinancials tab on the menu bar at the top of the page
  3. Select the button Enter CCCPay
  4. Select the Make Payment menu option and enter the payment amount
  5. Select International Wire in the Payment Method box, and click on the Continue button
  6. You will be directed to the Flywire website to set up a user account on the site. After you have set up your user account, follow the instructions to complete the wire transfer payment.

  You can also download detailed instructions for paying with Flywire. 

  Please note that if you have submitted a prior payment on Flywire, you should initiate all future payment transactions through Flywire on CCCPay using the same payment method. Please do not initiate payments directly on Flywire using your saved profile, because the funds will not automatically be transferred to your Columbia account. 

• Payment Plan

  For more information about our no-interest payment plans, or to set up a payment plan, visit our payment plan page.