Late Payment FAQs

The registration hold is applied automatically the day after charges are due (e.g. October 1, for charges on the September 10 bill).

No - the hold prevents registration for the next term, but is independent of the late fee being applied.

We apply late fees once a term, usually in November for Fall, in February for Winter, in May for Spring, and in July for Summer. This is applied in batch, based on balances on the account that were due for that term.

The late fee will not be applied until the charges past due are over $499.

Late fees are applied once a term. They continue to accumulate for as long as the account holds an outstanding balance of $500 or more.

Students receive an email each month telling them their bill is available. They also receive an email when the registration hold is placed. Students should pay attention to these emails and check their accounts at least once per month when the bill is generated.

We will waive one late fee that a student receives, upon request and once payment is made. Waiving subsequent late fees is possible but requires a written request and a consultation with our office.

Bills are generated the 10th of each month and payment is due the 1st of the following month.

For TGS students, the tuition and fee charges for a quarter will appear on the next monthly invoice after the student registers for classes. Details can be found on the Payment Due Dates page of our website.

Even though a student may be 'fully funded', there may be charges on the account that are not covered by the funding package. This can include library fines, parking fines, health services, and other incidental charges, but *always* includes the quarterly activity fee, which students are responsible for paying.

Students with questions should contact the Student Finance Customer Accounts team at studentaccounts@northwestern.edu.