Sponsored students are those for whom an agency outside the university is paying student fees. This usually is an employer but includes government agencies, Vocational Rehabilitation, Military branches, foreign governments, Trusts, 529 Plans and other such funding sources.
To become a sponsor at Indiana University, you must be able to enroll in and utilize our vended sponsor portal. This portal will be used to obtain invoices and submit payments and will ensure enhanced security for our sponsors via email authentication.
Sponsors who have questions regarding the sponsor process or would like to set-up a sponsor account can contact us by email at iuspon@iu.edu. Student questions should be directed to eabursar@iue.edu
How does it work?
To initiate the sponsor process, students are responsible for obtaining and submitting their voucher indicating what portion of their tuition and fees should be billed to their sponsor. Depending on the sponsor, the voucher could be referred to as an authorization, letter of credit, financial guarantee or, for 529 plans, a letter indicating how many hours the student has remaining.
A voucher should include:
- Student's name
- University Identification Number (UID)
- Authorized term (or dates)
- Sponsor contact information: name, phone number, and mailing address
- Amount or charge type authorized for payment.
Vouchers may be submitted using One.IU.
By furnishing us your voucher, you are authorizing the release of pertinent student Bursar records as required for our office to invoice your sponsor.
To avoid late fees, vouchers should be submitted to the Office of the Bursar by the due date listed on the student's bill. Vouchers that are submitted after the fourth full week of a term may be declined and returned to the student. Payment of fees by the sponsor can't be conditional upon final grades, course completion or employment status.
Within 48 hours of receipt of the voucher, the Office of the Bursar will place a credit on the student's bursar account, which will defer the student's fee payment obligation and keeping the student's bursar account in good standing. The appropriate charges are transferred to the sponsor's account and invoiced after the term's refund periods are over. The invoice is due in full approximately 30 days later. If the invoice becomes past due, the Bursar Office will continue to follow up with the sponsor to determine why there is a delay in payment. If payment is not received or the sponsor does not respond, the student will receive an email to their university email account. In order for the student account to remain in good standing, the sponsor must pay or contact us within 14 days. At this point, the student should follow up with the sponsor to determine why the sponsor has not paid. In most cases, the sponsor needs additional information from the student.
Due to the nature of the sponsor process, most sponsor credit adjustments or cancellations happen late in the semester, once the Bursar Office has exhausted all efforts to collect the balance. It is important for sponsored students to monitor their university email as that is the official means of communication for the university. A credit on the student's bursar account does not mean the sponsor has fulfilled their obligation
Failure on the part of the sponsor to pay shall result in charges reverting back to the student's bursar account. Often this results in a past due balance on the student's account, subject to late fees and service restrictions at the University. IU East reserves the right to decline further authorizations from the sponsor when the student's bursar account remains past due
Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33)
The Post-9/11 GI Bill is an education benefit program established for veterans who have served on active duty after September 11, 2001. For approved programs, the Post-9/11 GI Bill will provide up to 36 months of education benefits, generally payable for 15 years following an individual’s release from active duty. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) awards education benefits on a scale from 100% to 40% depending on a Service member’s aggregate length of active duty service after 9/11/2001.
Additional funds may be available to students through the Yellow Ribbon program. The Yellow Ribbon program (YRP) provides financial assistance to nonresident students (eligible at 100%) with academic costs that exceed the coverage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
How does it work?
To initiate the certification process to use Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, a student should submit the following documentation to the VA Certifying Official:
- A copy of the official “Certificate of Eligibility” (COE) to establish the student’s unique level of eligibility and the start date of benefits. This document is kept as part of your student record.
- A completed “Veteran Request for Enrollment Certification” form is required to formally signify a student’s intent to use Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for a specified academic term. Students must file a new form for every term in which Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits should be used.
Once the VA Certifying Official processes the “Veteran Request for Enrollment Certification” form, basic certification information is conveyed to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and to the IU East Office of the Bursar. While the new certification sits in VA queues, the IU East Office of the Bursar places an “Estimated Post-9/11 GI Bill Credit” on the student’s bursar account to serve as a placeholder for the entitlement payment that the VA will eventually disburse to the university.
The IU East Office of the Bursar uses the “Estimated Post-9/11 VA Credit” to ensure that Veteran students are not penalized for outstanding balances that will likely be satisfied by the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The estimated credit process also ensures that any refundable items (Pell Grants, student loans) are disbursed to the student in a timely manner following the same schedule as all other students at IU East. In most cases, the estimated credit that is placed on a student account by the IU East Office of the Bursar mirrors the payment received from the VA. However, there are situations where the university’s estimated credit may not match the payment disbursed by the VA. If this happens, the university will adjust our estimated credits accordingly which could create new account balances. In the event that such adjustments are made, the university will contact you via email to explain the issue.
The most common situations that cause discrepancies between the university’s estimated credit and the actual VA payment are as follows:
- The United States Department of Veterans Affairs frequently prorates Post-9/11 GI Bill payments due to student schedule adjustments that are performed after the start of a term. If a student adds or withdraws from a course after the start of a term, the adjustment could have an impact on Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility.
- Some types of state-based aid (Frank O’Bannon Grant, 21st Century Scholar Grant) and other military-based financial aid directly impact a student’s Post-9/11 GI Bill payment. Modifications to any of these items can lead to Post-9/11 GI Bill payment adjustments.
- Students may receive prorated payments due to the exhaustion of entitlements.
- Entitlement eligibility errors can cause issues with the benefit estimation process.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.