Paying For College

In addition to paying in person or by mail to the Alva or Enid Business Offices or the Woodward Administrative Office, online payments are now available through Self-Service. You can access your account at any time by using your Self-Service login. You will find a summary of your charges and credits by navigating to the Account Activity webpage within Self-Service. Credit card payments are accepted online through Self-Service, as well as by phone by calling the Business Office, and applicable fees do apply. The non-refundable convenience fee is assessed by our third-party processor, not Northwestern, and will be included in your total payment amount on your credit card statement.  

To avoid the convenience fees, students and employees should consider several other options. Bursar payment options with no additional cost to payer include:

• Mail checks, cashier checks, or money orders to: NWOSU Office of the Bursar, 709 Oklahoma Blvd, Alva, Oklahoma 73717.
• Pay in person with check, money order, or cash at the Office of the Bursar, Herod Hall, Alva campus, Enid Business Office, or the Woodward Administrative Office.  

A monthly payment plan is available through the Northwestern website for both the fall and spring semesters. This plan gives you the opportunity to spread your payments into installments throughout the semester. A payment plan enrollment fee will be incurred each semester upon enrollment in the program. You can set the payment plan up through your Self-Service account.

Payment is due on the first day of classes each semester. If you have a signed financial aid award letter, payment may be deferred until after disbursement of grants, loans, and scholarships. If you do not have a signed award letter, you are encouraged to make payment to avoid late fees. Financial aid that is awarded and paid after you have personally paid charges will be refunded for reimbursement.

A 5 percent late fee will be assessed to all unpaid tuition, fees, and room and board balances after the 10th working day of October, November and December in the fall semester and after the 10th working day of March, April and May in the spring semester. Late fees are assessed July 31st for the summer semester.

You may be contacted on all phone numbers, including cell phones, provided to the University as a source of contact. This includes contact from Northwestern agents, representatives, and attorneys (including collection agencies) for purposes of collecting any portion of the account financial obligation that is past due.

Any charges incurred by the University in an effort to collect on delinquent accounts are assessed to and will be the responsibility of the account holder. A student will be responsible for the fees of any collection agency that may be based on a percentage of the debt (at a maximum of 33.3 percent). All costs and expenses including reasonable attorney's fees that incur in such collection efforts also will be paid by the student. Delinquent account information is disclosed to credit reporting agencies, which could endanger the student's credit rating on a local or national level.

Past due accounts are presented to the warrant intercept program (WIP) that captures state income tax refunds to pay outstanding Northwestern debt. Oklahoma law has jurisdiction and any disputes arising shall be determined in accordance with the law of this jurisdiction. Accounts must be cleared before a student can obtain the release of any academic records such as a transcript or diploma or enroll for subsequent semesters. Unresolved past due bursar account obligations can automatically terminate future term enrollment. The University reserves the right to request prepayment before allowing registration for future semesters.

Financial aid and scholarship funds are applied to outstanding charges with the student being responsible for the remaining balance. 

You can access your accounts at any time by using your Self-Service login.

The Student Activity Fee supports activities designed to provide the students with extracurricular educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities.

The Technology and Library Services Fee provides financial support for Northwestern computer labs, ITV studios, computer supplies, lab monitors, and library materials.

The Facility Fee provides funding to support various facilities used by all three campuses.

The International Student Fee covers the administrative services rendered in processing, maintaining, and storing various immigration papers. Only international students are required to pay this fee.

The Parking & Safety Fee will be used to upgrade parking lots, upgrade and add lighting, and repair sidewalks.

The Professional Studies & Arts & Science Enhancement Fee will aid in replacing equipment to enhance the learning experience in the classrooms. It also will be used for faculty development. In addition, this fee will allow us to employ more students for mentoring/tutoring.

The Business Enhancement Fee will fund writing software and other departmental educational expenses for all business courses with the exception of personal finance. 

* The Online Business Administration/Accounting Program Fee is a one-time fee assessed when students apply to be an online Accounting or Business Administration major. This will support the additional software and peripherals necessary for the online students.

* Fees subject to approval from the Higher Learning Commission.

The Office of the Bursar must be notified about external scholarships or third-party payments each semester. Some third-party payments require a bill from the Office of the Bursar before they will make payment on the student’s account. In such cases, the student should provide a letter from the sponsor requesting us to bill them. If for any reason the University does not receive payment, the student will be responsible for the charges. It is the student’s responsibility to check with the Office of the Bursar to verify the remaining balance owed.

The refund policies listed below describe the financial obligation of students who withdraw from classes after the official start date.

According to the Oklahoma State Regents’ refund policy, changes in schedules and complete withdrawals from the institution during the defined add/drop period (as listed in the course schedule) will result in full charges for courses added and full credit for courses dropped. No refund will be made after the add/drop period for the session except as stipulated below for Title IV recipients.

All Title IV Aid recipients and the university will be required to return to the federal aid programs the amount of aid received that was in excess of the aid earned for the time period the student remained enrolled.

The percentage of the semester completed is the percentage of aid earned. This is calculated by the number of days the student attended divided by the number of days in the enrollment period. For example, if a student withdrew in the fourth week of a sixteen-week period, the student would have earned only 25 percent of the aid received (4/16=0.25).

Students who remain enrolled through at least 60 percent of the payment period (semester) are considered to have earned 100 percent of the aid received and will not owe a repayment of Federal Title IV funds.

If Northwestern returns funds to the Title IV aid programs, it could result in the student owing Northwestern charges that were originally paid at the time of disbursement. Students also may be required to return funds released to them for personal expenses.

Please note that receiving a refund does not indicate that there are no pending charges on your account.

The Bursar/Business Office on all three campuses disburses financial aid. At the time funds are disbursed to the student, all enrollment fees, tuition, and housing will be deducted. Scholarships awarded by Northwestern will be applied to student accounts after the drop/add period. Student loans and Pell grants are disbursed after the drop/add period. Each recipient must check with the Business Office to determine the application of these funds. It is the student’s responsibility to verify that financial aid has been applied to their account prior to the deadlines to avoid late fees.