Office of the Bursar

The Office of the Bursar is responsible for maintaining all student accounts as it relates to acceptance fees, tuition billing, charges, payments, and refunds.  

Office of Student Aid

The Office of Student Aid administers federal, state, and University financial aid and coordinates multiple funding sources on behalf of sponsoring agencies. The primary sources of student aid funding at Penn State come from federal and state programs. 

Office of the University Registrar

The Office of the University Registrar is responsible for student academic records and related processes including registration, academic transcripts, confidentiality of student records, grade reporting, graduation, diplomas, enrollment verification, and degree audits. Our goal is to provide students with accurate and complete information as quickly as possible.  

A professor addresses their class in front of a slideshow.

A professor addresses their class in front of a slideshow.

Credit: Penn State

Tuition

Account statements are prepared every month. The due date is indicated on the statement. Billing begins in early August for the fall semester, early January for the spring semester, and May for the summer semester. Billing for LEAP and Summer Session II students usually begins in June.  

Students will receive notification via their Penn State email account* when their statement is available to view/pay in LionPATH. Residence hall charges are included on the statement, if applicable. Paper statements are NOT mailed. 

*The Office of the Bursar, as well as other Penn State departments, will communicate important information to students through their Penn State email account. Students should regularly monitor their PSU email account. 

Students must sign a Financial Responsibility Agreement (FRA) before enrolling in classes each semester. FRA is a student’s promise to take responsibility for payment of their account. 

The eCheck option is a fast and convenient online method to pay the tuition statement directly from a personal checking account drawn on a U.S. bank. There is no charge to pay by eCheck. Online credit card payments (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express) are also accepted. A service fee will be charged for debit/credit card payments. eCheck and credit card payments are posted to the student account immediately.  

If you want to mail a check, a payment stub should be printed and mailed with the payment to Penn State. Please allow seven to ten business days for the payment to be received and posted to the student account. A late fee applies if payment is not posted to the student’s account by the due date indicated on the statement.  

Penn State offers an Installment Payment Plan every semester. Enrollment in the plan allows students/authorized payers to pay the semester charges (tuition, fees, and room and meals, if applicable) over four months in the fall and spring semesters, and three-monthly installments in the summer. There is a $45 non-refundable enrollment fee per semester, which covers administrative costs. The payments can be made with eCheck or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express). 

The link to enroll online in the payment plan is available on the student account once the first billing statement for the semester is issued. Students/authorized payers can enroll in the plan online with 1/4 of the balance for fall and spring or 1/3 for summer. Enrolling after the first installment due date will require an initial payment of 1/2 of the balance for fall and spring or 2/3 of the balance for summer (subject to change). Please check the Bursar’s website for installment dates.  

The Anticipated Financial Aid section on a student’s tuition statement reflects the most current known available financial aid. Students with University scholarships, grants, or loans that are not reflected on their statement should contact the Office of Student Aid.

Many students will receive scholarships from various organizations, agencies, and foundations as they graduate from high school. To reflect these outside awards on the student’s tuition statement, send the scholarship checks as early as possible to the address below. Checks must be made payable to Penn State (if a check is made payable to Penn State and the student, then, it must be signed by the student for processing). Please include the student’s PSU ID in the memo line.  

A refund will be issued if there is a credit balance on the student account. eRefund is an electronic deposit of a refund into the student’s bank account and the fastest and most convenient delivery of refunds to students. eRefund is only available to students. Parents receive Parent PLUS loan refunds by paper check.  

Penn State assesses tuition based on the student’s campus, college, major, residency classification, credit load, and semester classification. Once an undergraduate student completes 59.1 or more total credits (which include credits earned through advanced placement or transferred from another institution), the student is considered to have obtained Junior/Senior status at Penn State. The Board of Trustees approves the tuition and fees for the academic year and tuition will increase.  

By law, Penn State representatives can only respond or speak about the student account with the student and individuals designated as an Authorized Payer by the student. Be sure to ask your student to share any pertinent student account information with you or grant you Authorized Payer access to their student account in LionPATH. Learn more about FERPA and student confidentiality, visit https://www.registrar.psu.edu/confidentiality/student-rights.cfm.  

https://tuition.psu.edu/ 

Student Aid

You and your student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each academic year for your student to be considered for financial aid, including grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study. The FAFSA is the ONLY application required to be considered for most need-based aid at Penn State. Complete the FAFSA or submit corrections online at studentaid.gov.  

Students need to submit the 2025-26 FAFSA to be considered for aid for fall 2025, spring 2026, and summer 2026. Students who are admitted for summer 2025 also need to submit the 2024-25 FAFSA by June 30, 2025, if they wish to be considered for aid for summer 2025. 

Students who submit the FAFSA will receive an email notification from the Office of Student Aid with information about the types of aid they are eligible to receive. 

Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loan 

To receive Federal Direct Loans, your student must: 

  • Accept the loan in LionPATH 

After all the steps above have been completed, the Federal Direct Loan will appear as a credit on the student’s bill. 

 

Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan  

The financial aid listed on the Financial Aid Offer in LionPATH may not cover all educational costs. As a parent, you may apply for a Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan. This is a federal loan available only to parents/stepparents of dependent undergraduate students. 

  

Private Education Loans  

If the PLUS loan is not an option for you, your student can seek additional funding from private education loans, which typically require a cosigner.  

All admitted students who submit the FAFSA to Penn State are considered for scholarships awarded by the Office of Student Aid. If your student was awarded a scholarship from the Office of Student Aid, it will be listed on the Financial Aid Offer in LionPATH. Some academic colleges, campuses, and administrative units require separate applications. 

https://www.psu.edu/costs-aid/types-of-aid/scholarships 

All students who apply to Penn State and indicate interest in the Federal Work-Study program on their application to Penn State are considered for work-study employment. If your student was offered work-study, it will be listed on the Financial Aid Offer in LionPATH. If your student did not receive a work-study offer, there are many employment opportunities available on campus. For information on employment opportunities, visit https://www.psu.edu/costs-aid/types-of-aid/student-employment.  

https://hr.psu.edu/careers 

As a financial aid recipient, your student must be well informed about their rights and responsibilities. Be sure that your student carefully reviews this important information on the Office of Student Aid's website and understands Penn State’s Satisfactory Academic Progress Standard and what is required of students to remain eligible for student aid. 

The Office of Student Aid is required by the federal government to confirm the accuracy of the information submitted on the FAFSA, a process known as verification. If students are selected for verification at Penn State, they will be notified by the Office of Student Aid. This notification will include the specific information needed and a due date. Please respond promptly to any requests from the Office of Student Aid for verification documents to avoid a delay in the processing of student aid. Not all students are selected for verification. Please do not submit any documents unless you or your student receives a request. 

Students should check Penn State email frequently. The Office of Student Aid communicates with students through their Penn State email account. They will also be able to access their student aid information in LionPATH. Be sure to ask your student to share any pertinent student aid information with you or grant you Delegated Access to their Financial Aid Offer in LionPATH. 

Student Records & Privacy

The Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, FERPA (also known as the Buckley Amendment), is the federal law that protects the privacy of student education records and identifies the rights with respect to student education records kept by institutions.  

Penn State is committed to maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of the student’s Social Security number. The primary student identification number used to conduct University business is the Penn State ID number (known as PSU ID).

Under FERPA, institutions may not release education records, except under certain circumstances, without written consent from the student. This regulation does not apply to information that the University has identified as directory information (e.g., name, address, phone number, major) unless the student has blocked disclosure of such information. The primary rights of students under FERPA include the rights to:  

  • Have some control over the disclosure of information from their education records 

  • Inspect and review their education records 

  • Request the amendment of inaccurate or otherwise inappropriate education records 

To view a comprehensive list of directory information, visit https://registrar.psu.edu/confidentiality/directory-information.cfm.  

When a student reaches the age of 18 or begins attending a postsecondary institution, regardless of age, FERPA rights transfer from the parent or guardian to the student. This means that you may not obtain your student’s education records (including end of semester grades) without the written consent of your student. Parents may, with the student’s permission, access their student’s grades and other portions of their student’s education record online through Delegated Access in LionPATH. Parents and guardians do not have access to mid-semester grades. We encourage you to discuss this with your student. 

Under FERPA, an institution is permitted to release directory information without written consent from the student. However, a student has the right to prevent this release in one of two ways. The student must complete and sign the Request to Withhold Directory Information form found on the Registrar’s website under Student Forms. The signed form must be taken in person or mailed along with a copy of photo identification to the Registrar’s office. Students with access to LionPATH may complete the request in the following ways: 

  • Upload a clear and valid photo identification to your request 

  • An email notification will be sent to your student’s official Penn State email account when the withholding of directory information is in effect 

Withholding directory information means: 

  • Student name/address is excluded from the online directory 

  • Student name will not appear in the commencement program  

  • Verification of enrollment, graduation or degrees awarded will not be provided to third parties, including potential employers 

  • No information about the student will be released to any person (including the student) on the telephone or via email 

If a student later wishes to remove the directory hold, the student must complete and sign the Request to Release Directory Information form found on the Registrar’s website under Student Forms. The signed form may be taken in person or mailed along with a copy of photo identification to the Registrar’s office.  

Students with access to LionPATH may complete the request in the following ways: 

  • Complete and submit the Change Directory Info (FERPA) form in LionPATH 

  • Upload a clear and valid photo identification to your request 

  • An email notification will be sent to your student’s official Penn State email account when the release of directory information is in effect 

Insurance companies, financial lenders, or employers may require proof that a student 

was or is currently enrolled at Penn State. Enrollment verification provides proof of enrollment, graduation, student status, and other related information. 

Students can request an enrollment verification through the Academic Records tab in LionPATH Self Service. The student may immediately download an unofficial copy for personal use or to submit to a third party. The student may also request an official verification, containing the University Registrar′s signature and University seal on security paper, to be mailed to the specified address via first-class U.S. mail within three business days. This function is also available to families through the LionPATH Self Service if their student has granted them Delegated Access. 

All other parties may contact the National Student Clearinghouse for verification of students′ enrollment and degree information at https://www.studentclearinghouse.org/.