Top Navigation

Side Navigation

Payments

Billing System

The Billing and Receivables Office compiles the latest information from University offices (i.e. Financial Aid, Registrar’s, and University Housing and Dining) and prepares the monthly billing statement. Billing statements are sent electronically to the student’s wiu.edu e-mail address as well as any parent/guest e-mail on file when the bill is ready to view on STARS. The e-mail will include the account balance and the due date.

Payment Due Dates

Payment is due on the 28th of each month. Tuition and fees for the fall term are billed in August, charges for the spring term are billed in January, and charges for the summer term are billed in June.

Open Payment Policy:

Students are responsible for paying their account balances within the semester incurred. These charges, in accordance with Western Illinois University Policy, apply to all students billed through the Billing and Receivables office, and are subject to a finance charge of 1% on the unpaid account balance after the 28th of each month. Failure to view a bill will not excuse finance charge assessment or payment of the account. It is the student’s responsibility to update their STARS account of address or e-mail corrections. A financial hold will be place on any delinquent student account that will prevent registration, release of transcripts, and release of diploma.

Payment Methods

ACH:

Make payments directly from your bank account via STARS Payment Online.

Automated Payment Plan:

An automated payment plan is available to divide your cost of attendance into several monthly payments. Payments are deducted monthly on the 5th of the month from the designated bank account. There is not a finance charge assessed on the contracted amount; however, there is a $2.00 per month transaction fee to cover processing. Additional charges incurred above the contracted amount will be billed and subject to a 1% finance charge if not paid by the 28th of each month.

A contract must be completed on STARS by a student or individuals with parent and guest access. Any changes to a completed agreement must be done by the student or guest that originated the contract. Only one contract per semester may be completed for each student.

By Mail:

Mail your payment (personal check, cashiers check or money order) to the Billing and Receivables Office, 1 University Circle, Macomb IL 61455-1390. Include your student ID number on all payments.

Credit Card:

Credit card payments may only be processed through the Illinois Treasurer's Electronic Payment website, www.illinoisepay.com or by calling 1-877-455-3729. They accept MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. There is a convenience fee associated with this service.

In Person:

Take your payment (cash, personal check, cashiers check or money order) to the University Union Service Center outside of the WIU Bookstore.

Return Payments

Personal checks and ACH payments that are accepted by any unit of the University and are returned by the student’s bank unpaid are subject to a penalty of $25.00 per each returned payment. The University suspends the check cashing privilege for a minimum of one full year if an individual has more than two payments returned by the bank for any reason.

Sanctions Against Delinquent Accounts

  • Transcript and Diploma Hold: If an account becomes past due, transcripts of the student’s records will not be released and graduating students who are past due will also have a hold placed upon their diplomas until their account is brought to current status.
  • Finance Charge Assessment: Delinquent accounts are subject to a monthly 1% finance charge assessment. This amount is calculated as a part of the monthly billing process on any unpaid amount due.
  • Internal Collections: Following the end of each semester, students not registered for the following semester should contact the Billing and Receivables Office to make payment arrangements. If your balance is not paid in full or a payment agreement is not made within 90 days of the end of the semester, a claim will be submitted to the State Comptroller’s Office in accordance with the Illinois Collection Act which authorizes the deduction of the amount you owe WIU from an amount normally due to you (i.e. payroll, tax refunds, etc.).
  • Attorney/Collection Agency Placement: If payment arrangements are not made on a timely basis, the account may be referred to an attorney and/or collection agency. The account may also be reported to TransUnion credit bureau.
  • Registration: Students will not be allowed to register for the current or future term if they have a past-due balance and may be required to prepay for the upcoming term. A student will remain a prepay student for a minimum period of two years.

If you have questions regarding certain items on your bill, please contact the following departments:

Finance Charge/Billing Address  Billing and Receivables 309.298.1831
Financial Aid Financial Aid Office 309.298.2446
Library Fines Library 309.298.2705 
Tuition/Fees Billing and Receivables  309.298.1831
Telephone Charges Telecommunications 309.298.2713
Health Center Charges Beu Health Center 309.298.1888
Insurance Fee Student Health Insurance  309.298.1882
Parking Fines Parking Services 309.298.1921
Housing Charges UHDS 309.298.2461
Student ID Card Charges UHDS 309.298.2461
Orientation Fee Registrar 309.298.1891
Athletic Waivers Athletics 309.298.1964

 

Billing and Receivables
1 University Circle
Sherman Hall 106
Macomb IL 61455

Hours: M-F 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Phone: (309) 298-1831
Fax: (309) 298-2032
E-Mail: billings@wiu.edu

Links

Tools