Money Matters

Your guide to costs, financing, and financial aid at Puget Sound.

At Puget Sound we believe that the development of a strong foundation of financial literacy is an integral part of a student’s education. Student Financial Services staff members actively join in partnership with students and families to develop financial solutions that help make a Puget Sound education a reality. This guide is meant to serve as a resource as you begin to prepare and plan for financing your education. We hope this information proves useful. Please feel free to contact us for any assistance you may require. We welcome your questions.

Contact Information

Student Financial Services

1500 N. Warner St. #1039
Tacoma, WA 98416-1039

Jones Hall, 019

253.879.3214

253.879.8508

sfs@pugetsound.edu

Hours of Services

Monday - Friday

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Tuition & Fees

Choosing the right college can sometimes come down to cost of attendance. Learn more about our tuition & fees.

Cost of Attendance

Understanding Financial Aid

Different types of aid and scholarships are available.

Types of Aid

Verification

What to do if you have been selected to verify and correct information on your financial aid application.

Learn About Verification

Financial Aid for Study Abroad

Puget Sound is committed to providing access to study abroad for all qualified students including students who receive Puget Sound need-based and merit scholarships.

Learn More

Loan Assistance for Parents

The Direct PLUS Loan is a credit-based loan which allows parents to borrow up to the cost of attendance, less any other financial aid already awarded.

More information on applying for PLUS Loans

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal and state regulations require that students meet satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward completing a degree in order to receive financial aid.

Requirements

Student Consumer Information

The Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) requires all colleges and universities participating in Federal Student Aid Programs to disclose basic institution information for prospective and current students.

Required Information and Disclosures

Billing & Payment

Puget Sound utilizes an online billing system called TouchNet Bill + Payment. On Bill + Payment students and authorized users can view monthly bills and account activity, and make online payments via e-check.

Your semester billing invoice will be available online in early July for fall and early January for spring semester. The invoice summarizes your semester charges (estimated tuition, fees, room and board) less your estimated financial aid, and calculates the payment due.

PARENT/AUTHORIZED USER LINK

Deadlines and Late Fees

Text Message Notifications

Monthly Statements

Credit Balances

Your financial aid is expressed as an annual amount. The funds are divided equally and disbursed to your student account at the beginning of each semester. If there are any remaining funds on your student account after charges are paid, you may request a refund. The funds will be available to you via eRefund through Bill + Payment or via paper check. Refunds cannot be released until the first day of the semester.

How to Request a Refund

Puget Sound prefers to direct deposit refunds electronically to your bank account (available only to students). Please set up an eRefund profile in Bill + Payment in order to receive your direct deposit. Select the following link for steps to get an eRefund Profile Setup.

Refunds can be requested as soon as a credit balance appears on your account after financial aid has posted (pending financial aid does not create a credit balance). Refunds cannot be released until the first day of the semester.

Undergraduate Students

Must submit a request to sfs@pugetsound.edu or by completing a Financial Aid Refund Request Form in the office (located in Jones Hall 019)
Refund will be processed the first week of class, may take up to 5 business days to receive funds
Funds will be available to you via eRefund through Bill + Payment or via paper check

Parent PLUS Loan Refunds

No request form needed, we will start the refund process about 2 weeks into the semester; once a credit is present on the student account
Paper check is the only way we can refund to parents at this time
PLUS Loan credits are only issued to the student directly if the parent borrowing the loan indicated it is okay to do so via the PLUS Loan Application
- Refunds are delayed to allow for the majority of changes to billing (through 10th day each semester) to finalize
- This minimizes situations where charges are added to the student account after the credit is sent to the family; which would require payment of the new charge back to the student account
- If the refund is needed earlier, please email sfs@pugetsound.edu

Graduate Students

No request form needed, we will start the refund process once a credit is present on the student account (for those borrowing through the federal student loan programs)
Refunds will be processed the first day of class or, once confirmed on site for those participating in Internships (PT), Affiliations (OT) or Student Teaching (MAT)
Funds will be available to you via eRefund through Bill + Payment or via paper check

Credit Balance at the end of the Academic Year

At the end of Spring Semester (mid-May) we will issue refunds of financial aid credit balances back to the student or family. Financial Aid from one academic year will not pay a future (or previous) academic year balance outstanding on the student account.

Step-by-Step Guides

Download PDF walkthroughs to help users navigate Bill + Payment.

Setting up an authorized user (PDF)

Enrolling in a Payment Plan

Making an ACH Payment as an Authorized User

Making a Credit Card Payment as an Authorized User

Scheduling a Payment Plan Payment

Setting up an eRefund Profile

Payment Options

Accepted Methods of Payment

Option 1: Payment in Full

Option 2: Payment Plans

Option 3: Plus or Private Education Loan

Indirect Expenses

Puget Sound is concerned with the overall health of its students and their medical health coverage away from home. It is REQUIRED that students carry some type of health coverage.

Many students have, or can obtain, health coverage through a parent’s or guardian’s policy. All students should:

Remain or enroll under a parent/guardian policy (where feasible) or;
Use an employer’s policy (where feasible), or;
Purchase an individual health insurance policy

There are many individual health insurance policy options. Students should select a policy that best meets their individual needs, preferences, and budget. Therefore, Puget Sound cannot recommend any particular individual policy for all students. Students and/or parents should research options where coverage applies to their home state and Washington.

Students and/or parents also can access multiple individual policy options through eHealth or Washington Health Plan Finder.

Students needing to purchase individual health coverage are encouraged to commence research immediately.

The IRS Form 1098-T Tuition Statement reports the payments made for qualified education expenses during the calendar year. This form, in conjunction with personal financial records, is used to assist you and your parents in calculating any educational tax credits you may be eligible for.

To help determine the tax credit you may be eligible for, please review IRS Form 8863 - Education Credits, Instructions for Form 8863, and IRS Publication 970 - Tax Benefits for Higher Education.

For more information, please visit the IRS website.

IRS Form 1098-T Tuition Statement

IRS Regulations require colleges and universities to report all payments received (up to the amount of qualified tuition and fees) in Box 1 of the 1098-T.

(Box 1) Amounts paid for qualified tuition and related expenses (QTRE), includes Spring 2020, Summer 2020 and Fall 2020.
- Amounts reported as payments include personal payments, loans, and scholarships/grants received during the calendar year for qualified education expenses less any refunds issued due to over-payments of tuition. Total payments reported in Box 1 cannot exceed the amount of applicable qualified education expenses.
- Qualified education expenses include tuition and fees required for enrollment. Other charges, including housing and meal plans are not considered qualified education expenses for 1098-T purposes.
- The amount reported in Box 1 is NOT reduced by scholarships and grants reported in box 5.
(Box 5) Scholarships and Grants received during the calendar year, includes Spring 2020, Summer 2020 and Fall 2020.

Per IRS Regulations, universities are not required to provide a 1098-T in the following instances:

You enrolled for courses for which no academic credit is offered, even if the student is otherwise enrolled in a degree program
Students whose qualified tuition and fees are paid entirely with scholarships and/or grants.
If the student withdrew and earned no academic credit.
Students who are not US Citizens, unless requested by the student. If citizenship status is listed as "Other" in our system, contact our office to get the form created.

Puget Sound has partnered with our Bill + Payment provider, TouchNet, to provide you with your Form 1098-T.

View your 1098-T electronically

Students who consented to receive the 1098-T electronically can view the form in the Bill + payment system as well as Authorized Users; if granted permission.

Log into Bill + Payment
From the home page, scroll to the Statements box, and click "View Statements" next to "Your latest 1098-T Tax Statement"

Click "View" button in the Action column for the Tax Year desired

You will be directed to a third-party 1098-T processor page hosted by Heartland/ECSI. Click "View" after selecting the radio button for the desired tax year, to view or print your 1098-T Statement.

If a student did not consent to receive the 1098-t electronically, they must do so to view the 1098-T in Bill+Payment - this will allow authorized users to see it as well.

Students can Consent to Electronic Delivery of the 1098-T by logging in to Bill+Payment and following the steps in the PDF How to change 1098T delivery method.

Authorized Users:

** Your student must give you permission to view her/his 1098-T via the Authorized Users tab in Bill + Payment **

24 hours after your student has given permission for you to view the 1098-T you can access it following the instructions above "View Your 1098-T Electronically".

If you have questions regarding the amounts shown on Form 1098-T, please contact us at 253.879.3214 or email sfs@pugetsound.edu. Questions pertaining to the actual preparation and filing of your personal taxes should be directed to your personal tax adviser or Internal Revenue Service. Puget Sound does not provide tax or legal advice.

If you would like to receive your Form 1098-T through US mail, you do not need to do anything. It will be sent to your permanent address.

Logger Store charge accounts allow students to establish a line of credit at the Logger Store by establishing a pre-selected, prepaid amount to use towards Logger Store purchases. Students pre-select the amount of credit they wish to establish, authorize a charge against their student account so that funds can be transferred to the Logger Store to create their prepaid account, and then begin utilizing their account for purchases.

Students can use their Logger Account all semester as long as they continue to have funds available for spending. Any unused credit at the end of the term will be transferred back to their student account. Logger Store accounts do not roll over from one semester to another. Logger Store accounts do not roll over from one semester to another.

Activating the Logger Store account may create a balance due on the student account. Payment for the balance must be made within the billing cycle (one month) to avoid any late fees.

Logger Store accounts are not required. Students can choose to pay for purchases with cash or by debit or credit card.

Signing up for a Logger Store Account

Students will see a "To Do List" item for the Logger Store account sign up in their myPugetSound portal during pre-registration. This "To Do" item will be removed after account sign up or at the 11th day of the semester if the student does not activate a Logger Store account.

Students with at least .25 units of enrollment for Fall or Spring Semester are eligible to sign up once the Terms and Conditions of Enrollment is completed.

The amount selected during account sign up will be the charge limit at the Logger Store for the upcoming (Fall or Spring) semester only. If you sign up for an account in error or change your mind, please contact Student Financial Services (sfs@pugetsound.edu) to request that the account be cancelled. You will still be responsible for any charges you made against your Logger Store account.

Charge Limit Options

Accounts can be set for $150, $250, $500, $750, or $1000. Be sure to select an amount that will cover spending needs for the entire semester. The amount cannot be changed once selected.

Equal Opportunity Policy

University of Puget Sound does not discriminate in education or employment on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, marital or familial status, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, gender identity, or any other basis prohibited by local, state, or federal laws. This policy complies with the spirit and the letter of applicable federal, state, and local laws, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Questions about the policy may be referred to the university’s affirmative action officer (253.879.2827) or the Office of Civil Rights, Department of Education, Washington, D.C., 20202.