Financial Matters
It is important to regularly check your Earlham email account and pay attention to all materials and communications from Earlham, especially information concerning bills and finances. Explore the subjects below to learn more about bills, making payments, expenses, and more.
Please pay very close attention to the information that you receive from the Accounting Office. They will provide you with detailed information about your expenses at Earlham and about your payment of those expenses. It is important to check your bills to be sure that information is accurate.
All information about your account is online in our Student Account Center (SAC) administered by Nelnet. You will receive an email when a semester bill is ready to be viewed. In order to view your semester bills or account balance you must register for access to the SAC. You will be receiving an email to your Earlham email address from "noreply@afford.com" with an invitation to register in late June or early July. You must also register your parents or others who pay your bills so that they, too, can have access to the SAC. Otherwise, they will be unable to see and pay your bills.
Fall charges are normally posted the first week of July with payment or approved payment arrangements due by the middle of August. If the balance due is not paid in full by the middle of August, or acceptable payment arrangements are not made with the Accounting Office by then, your account will be put on hold and you will be notified of that hold by email. Students with accounting holds may not register for classes. All payment arrangements must be approved prior to your arrival on campus. Your registration will be delayed and additional late registration fees could be charged if payment arrangements are not made or payment is not received by the day before classes begin.
In addition to tuition, room, and board, which appear on the Fall Semester Bill (payment due the middle of August) and the Spring Semester Bill (payment due in the beginning of January), other charges may be billed to the student account such as library fines, lost key fines, late registration fees, health service charges, insurance fees, cost of music lessons and overload charges (if you are taking more than 18 semester hours in any given semester). Please pay these charges as they occur.
All information about your account is online in our Student Account Center (SAC) administered by Nelnet. You will receive an email when a semester bill is ready to be viewed. In order to view your semester bills or account balance you must register for access to the SAC. You will be receiving an email to your Earlham email address from "noreply@afford.com" with an invitation to register in late June or early July. You must also register your parents or others who pay your bills so that they, too, can have access to the SAC. Otherwise, they will be unable to see and pay your bills.
Fall charges are normally posted the first week of July with payment or approved payment arrangements due by the middle of August. If the balance due is not paid in full by the middle of August, or acceptable payment arrangements are not made with the Accounting Office by then, your account will be put on hold and you will be notified of that hold by email. Students with accounting holds may not register for classes. All payment arrangements must be approved prior to your arrival on campus. Your registration will be delayed and additional late registration fees could be charged if payment arrangements are not made or payment is not received by the day before classes begin.
In addition to tuition, room, and board, which appear on the Fall Semester Bill (payment due the middle of August) and the Spring Semester Bill (payment due in the beginning of January), other charges may be billed to the student account such as library fines, lost key fines, late registration fees, health service charges, insurance fees, cost of music lessons and overload charges (if you are taking more than 18 semester hours in any given semester). Please pay these charges as they occur.
The college does not make new financial aid awards to enrolled international students. If you were not offered financial aid, you will not be able to obtain financial assistance from the college after you have enrolled. If you have received a financial aid award, your award will be renewed each year as outlined in your acceptance letter but you will not receive any additional financial assistance. On-campus jobs are limited and eligibility for work award does not guarantee that you will be able to find work on-campus. Working off-campus is prohibited except for specific, program-related employment with approval from the US Department of Homeland Security. Therefore, it is essential that you have arranged for the funding of your education before the beginning of your studies here.
Earlham College has partnered with Flywire in order to streamline the process of international payments. Flywire allows you to pay securely from any country and any bank, generally in your home currency. By making your payment with Flywire you can
Another option is PayMyTuition. Please see details from the Accounting Office at Earlham
Students may also pay by wire transfer. You may contact the Accounting Office at Earlham to receive instructions. Remember that there may be fees for electronic transfers, so be sure to wire sufficient funds to cover these fees. You should know your government's regulations on currency exchange and transfers to the United States. Delays in the transfer of funds can create a hardship and an inconvenience as you may be prevented from attending classes if your bill is not paid.
If you have questions about payments towards the student account, please contact the Accounting Office.
- Track your payments from start to finish
- Save on bank fees and exchange rates
- Contact their multilingual customer support team with any questions, day or night.
Another option is PayMyTuition. Please see details from the Accounting Office at Earlham
Students may also pay by wire transfer. You may contact the Accounting Office at Earlham to receive instructions. Remember that there may be fees for electronic transfers, so be sure to wire sufficient funds to cover these fees. You should know your government's regulations on currency exchange and transfers to the United States. Delays in the transfer of funds can create a hardship and an inconvenience as you may be prevented from attending classes if your bill is not paid.
If you have questions about payments towards the student account, please contact the Accounting Office.
Be prepared to meet your initial expenses for tuition, room, and board, books, and personal items. For security reasons, it is not advisable to carry large quantities of cash with you. There are ATMs located near campus that you may use to withdraw cash with a card that is affiliated with any of the following networks: Discover, AMEX, MasterCard, Visa, Fastbank, Pulse, Quest, Cirrus, Maestro, US Bank.
In the U.S., it is customary to use credit cards or debit cards rather than using cash because it is easier and safer. It is best to open an account at a bank so that money can be taken out of the account when needed. It is not safe to carry large amounts of cash or to keep cash in your room. Representatives of area banks will be available on campus to assist you in opening an appropriate bank account. If you would like more information now, please visit the Banking page.
The expenses listed by the college for books and personal expenses are an average. Some students find that they need more money, and some less. Personal expenses, especially at first, may be higher than you imagine. You do not need to bring the entire amount for personal expenses with you in August, but you should plan to have at least that amount available to you for your personal expenses each year.
Required books in some academic areas (sciences, economics) are very expensive. Ordering books online or purchasing used books may reduce the price.
The next section may assist you in estimating expenses:
Required books in some academic areas (sciences, economics) are very expensive. Ordering books online or purchasing used books may reduce the price.
The next section may assist you in estimating expenses:
| Total Personal Expenses $150-350 per month | ||
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Supplies:
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Entertainment:
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Cell Phones:
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Personal Items:
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Health Insurance:
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Miscellaneous:
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All F and J visa holders must file appropriate U.S. tax forms. It is each student’s responsibility to file and, if necessary, pay taxes for each calendar year that they are present in the United States. Earlham College provides tax determination and tax preparation software (via Sprintax) to assist with this process.
Any scholarships in excess of tuition and fees, or funds received by students that are not for tuition, might be considered taxable income by federal, state, and local governments. Additionally, any earned income may be taxable.
Taxation rates can vary greatly from student to student and depend on a number of factors. Past students have had to pay taxes of 0% - 30% on taxable income. This is an approximation and individual taxation amount will vary.
In some cases, the college is required to withhold estimated federal taxes from payments made directly to students and to send that money to the U.S. government. Students are responsible for paying any additional federal taxes due at the time they file a federal tax return. The college cannot withhold state or local taxes, so students are responsible for paying the full amount of state and local taxes due at the time they file a state tax return.
College employees are not qualified tax experts, so they are legally restricted from giving tax advice. If you have questions or concerns about your taxes or about how much tax you might potentially have to pay, please contact a tax expert (e.g. H&R Block, private tax service providers, or a tax attorney).
Any scholarships in excess of tuition and fees, or funds received by students that are not for tuition, might be considered taxable income by federal, state, and local governments. Additionally, any earned income may be taxable.
Taxation rates can vary greatly from student to student and depend on a number of factors. Past students have had to pay taxes of 0% - 30% on taxable income. This is an approximation and individual taxation amount will vary.
In some cases, the college is required to withhold estimated federal taxes from payments made directly to students and to send that money to the U.S. government. Students are responsible for paying any additional federal taxes due at the time they file a federal tax return. The college cannot withhold state or local taxes, so students are responsible for paying the full amount of state and local taxes due at the time they file a state tax return.
College employees are not qualified tax experts, so they are legally restricted from giving tax advice. If you have questions or concerns about your taxes or about how much tax you might potentially have to pay, please contact a tax expert (e.g. H&R Block, private tax service providers, or a tax attorney).