Payment of Tuition and Fees
Payment for your semester's tuition, fees, and on-campus housing, approximately $13,500-14,500, is due within the first full week of classes. If you have not been awarded a scholarship, graduate research or teaching assistant or graduate fellowship, you must pay the total amounts of tuition and fees during the fee payment period. This can total approximately $11,000-12,000 or more, depending on the number of credits you register for. Graduate assistantships and fellowships generally include the payment of tuition as part of the award and sometimes fees. The UAF Graduate School will process the tuition payment. However even though tuition may be paid on your behalf, you may still be responsible for fees which can total between $1,142 and $2,069 per semester, as well as residence life charges if you live in UAF housing. If you have income subject to U.S. tax withholding, you are responsible for the payment of all U.S. tax which will be assessed to your student account or withheld from each of your paychecks during the year, whichever may be applicable. You should ask your department payroll person if your income will be taxed. Fellowship payments and housing and food awards are subject to 14% tax withholding. It is important to check your student account during fee payment to make sure the balance is paid before the end of the fee payment period. U.S. tax will be discussed during orientation.
Payment Options
- Cash at the Bursar's Office
- Checks or travelers checks drawn on a U.S. bank at the Bursar's Office
- Fund transfers through Flywire. UAF has partnered with Flywire by peerTransfer to provide an easy, fast option for transferring funds from your home country directly to UAF. Generally funds may be transferred in the home country currency and converted to U.S. dollars at the point of transfer or they may be transferred in U.S. dollars. You may use this direct link to the UAF Flywire transfer page. More general information is available at Flywire by peerTransfer. You will need to allow at least 5-7 days for the transfer to be completed and applied to your UAF account. "Paying with flywire" is a video that explains how the process works.
- Credit card. Before you arrive in the U.S., verify the daily amount you are allowed to charge on your credit card with your credit card company to make sure you can pay your tuition and fees in full. If the daily limit is not sufficient to pay the charges, you may need to make several charges. UAF accepts Discover, VISA and MasterCard credit cards. Credit card payments may be made through your UAOnline account. A 2.95% transaction fee will apply.
- Payment plan - you may be able to establish a payment plan with the UAF Bursar's Office. There is an enrollment fee of $60 if established online, or $90 if established in person. Late payments will be subject to late charges added to your account.
Graduate students with funding: Do not depend on money from your assistantship or fellowship when you arrive. You will not receive your first paycheck for at least 4 to 6 weeks after arrival. While awards generally include payment of tuition, you will be responsible for payment of fees before the end of late registration and fee payment which ends the second week of the semester.
Arrive with as much money as possible, preferably in the form of money orders, travelers, cashiers or certified checks drawn on a U.S. bank. You will need this amount of money on arrival for living expenses. Payment for tuition, fees and books must be arranged during the first week of classes. If you are renting housing off campus, you may need to provide both the first and last month's rent, plus an additional sum of money for a "security deposit" (often $400-500). For personal safety reasons, it is best not to travel with a large sum of currency unless absolutely necessary. If you are bringing $10,000 US (or the equivalent) or more, you will need to report it to U.S. Customs and Border Protection on arrival. Ask the CBP officer for the Currency Reporting Form (FinCen 105). This includes cash, checks, money orders. For specific information see the Money and Other Monetary Instruments on the USCBP website. Failure to declare can result in confiscation of the money as well as additional fines and penalties.
All payment arrangements must be made before the end of the fee payment period. Failure to do so may be the basis for students to be dropped from all classes for nonpayment, which leads to possible immigration status violations. Please plan ahead and make arrangements as soon as possible.
SPECIAL NOTE for Summer Session students: If you are issued an I-20 for summer attendance at UAF, payment of tuition and fees must be made before your summer class(es) begin. Some courses have early payment deadlines. Check with UAF Summer Sessions (email summer@alaska.edu) for specific payment dates for your class(es).