Paying Your Semester Bill

Paying your semester bill by the due date is an important step to avoid a late fee and ensure that you can enroll in courses in the future. You can view and pay your bill in LionPATH.

You will receive an email to your Penn State email account when your bill is available. Your bill will reflect any financial aid that you have been awarded and accepted. If you participate in a payment plan, you will be billed accordingly.

Bills are generated beginning in August for fall, January for spring, and May for summer. If you schedule courses earlier for an upcoming semester, you will not receive your bill earlier for that semester. Your space in the courses will be reserved, and you will receive your bill for those courses in August, January, or May, depending on the semester.

If you do not pay your bill by the due date on your billing statement, a 1.5 percent late payment fee will be added, and an enrollment hold will be placed on your account. You will not be able to enroll in any additional courses until you pay your bill, and any future semester courses you may be enrolled in will be canceled.

You can always contact the Penn State World Campus Bursar Office for billing questions at 814-863-8300 or [email protected].

Find more information about:

How to Pay Your Bill

You will receive an email to your Penn State email account when your bill becomes available for you to view and pay in LionPATH. You can review tutorials to learn more about viewing your bill and paying your bill.

Payment Options 

Financial Aid

If you plan to use financial aid to pay your bill, you will need to accept any financial aid that you are awarded. After you accept your aid, it will be applied to your bill and your balance will be adjusted accordingly. View a tutorial about accepting your financial aid and other important actions.

Credit Card or Electronic Check

Credit Card
Penn State accepts MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and VISA for bill payment. If you choose to pay with a credit card, a 2 percent convenience fee will be added. Penn State cannot accept credit card payments by mail, phone, or in person.

Electronic Check
The electronic check option allows you to pay your bill directly from a personal checking account drawn on a U.S. bank. There is no surcharge to pay by electronic check. To make an electronic check payment, you will need to provide the routing and account numbers for your checking account.

Pay by Mail

If you choose to pay by sending a check in the mail, all checks and money orders must be made payable to Penn State. Remit payment to:

The Pennsylvania State University
Office of the Bursar
103 Shields Building
University Park PA 16802-1200

Please include your Penn State ID on your check or money order. Your canceled check will serve as your receipt. Penn State does not accept post-dated checks. Please do not mail cash. Your payment must be received by the due date indicated on your bill to avoid the 1.5 percent late payment fee. Please allow time for processing (5–7 business days) for payments sent through the mail. In addition, returned checks will invoke a $25 Returned Item Fee.

Flywire for International Payments

Students who need to send international payments for their tuition can use Flywire, Penn State’s preferred international payment method. You can find more information on the Penn State Office of the Bursar website.

Requesting a Receipt 

The Penn State World Campus Bursar Office can provide an itemized receipt for your payment if you need one for any reason. To request an itemized receipt, please submit our itemized receipt request form. We will review and process your request within up to two business days.

Penn State Installment Payment Plan

Penn State's Installment Payment Plan allows you to pay over a period of several months, with payments divided into equal portions of the semester charges. The first payment is payable by the original due date of the tuition bill, and the remaining amount is payable over the subsequent months.

For the fall and spring semesters, you can pay over a period of four months, with payments equal to one quarter of the semester charges. For the summer semester, you can pay over a period of three months, with payments equal to one third of the semester charges. 

There is a $45 fee to use this plan, payable with the first payment.

For more information, visit the Penn State Office of the Bursar.

Third Party Payment

Payment of your tuition and fees may be made by a third party — your company, for example. If your company is paying for your tuition and fees, our Penn State World Campus Bursar Office must receive an Authorization to Bill or voucher. An Authorization to Bill is a letter from your company on letterhead and must include your name, semester, company name, company address, and payment amount.

Please submit your Authorization to Bill or employer voucher using our payment document upload form. If you have questions, you may call the office at 814-863-8300.

Once the Authorization to Bill or voucher is received, Penn State will adjust your tuition as showing expected payment, and the company will be billed. Your employer must then pay your tuition within 30 days.

World Campus Employer Reimbursement and Tuition Deferment Program

World Campus offers an employer reimbursement and tuition deferment program to students whose employers offer tuition reimbursement. The program allows you to defer your tuition payments until completion of the semester with no finance or interest charges. This program should not be used by students who use authorizations to bill or third party vouchers to pay their tuition.

To participate in this program, you will need to submit an online application. Find complete details and submit the application on our Employer Reimbursement and Tuition Deferment Program page.

Military Payment

If the military is paying for your tuition and fees, the Penn State World Campus Military Educational Benefits Office must receive a Tuition Authorization form.  

The Tuition Authorization form may be faxed directly to us at 814-863-1385 or emailed to [email protected]. If you have questions, you may call the office at 814-863-6638.

Once the Tuition Authorization is received, Penn State will adjust your tuition bill to show expected payment, and the military will be billed. The military must then pay your tuition within 30 days.