Some students may have third-party payers, such as government/military agencies, school districts, embassies, or private companies. The Office of Student Financial Services is responsible for billing third parties for payments on the student’s behalf.

Providing consent to release student information

Under the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, UMaine is not authorized to release any student information without written consent from the student.  There are two methods for students to provide this written consent.
Agency-provided release: Many of the agencies/organizations that are third-party payers to UMaine students provide written releases from the student at the time that a payment authorization is submitted.  UMaine does accept agency-provided releases.
Third-Party Billing Student Consent and Acknowledgment Form: If an agency/organization does not provide a written consent release at the time a payment authorization is released, the student will be notified to complete a Third-Party Billing Student Consent and Acknowledgement Form. This form is completed by the student and submitted to the Office of Student Financial Services.

Billing Procedures

Financial Aid Exchange Forms: Some agencies request financial aid information prior to sending Authorizations. These forms require written consent (see above requirements) prior to information being sent.

Authorization/Purchase Order (PO)/Letter of Credit: The third-party submits either a roster of students attending or sends individualized authorizations for students that will be attending UMaine. We will accepts agency-provided purchase orders. Agencies can also complete UMaine’s purchase order here. If the agency is proving a purchase order, the following information should be included:

Invoicing: An invoice is created based on the authorization the third-party sent, as well as the student account information. This process requires written consent (see above requirements) prior to an invoice being sent. If the Office of Student Financial Services does not have written consent on file for the student and third-party organization, notification will be sent to the student and the authorization will be held until written consent is received. Invoices are sent after the add/drop period of each semester. Information on the add/drop period can be found on the Student Records website.

Payment Processing: Once the purchase order has been submitted and reviewed, and we have received written consent (see above requirement), the charges will be transferred to the third party’s account and appear as paid on the student account. Charges will then be invoiced to the third party organization to pay. If the third-party sends less than the amount authorized and invoiced, there may be a balance that is left over on the student account that would be the responsibility of the student. Students should continue to monitor their billing account activity often for changes. Payment is due no later than 6 weeks after the conclusion of the term. Failure to remit payment will result in the transfer of charges back to the student’s account and they will become responsible for the balance, per the Financial Responsibility Statement signed by each student.

Financial Aid Award Update: Once the purchase order has been posted, an item will be added to the student’s financial aid award to account for the financial resource that the student is receiving. The receipt of a third-party payment could reduce the amount of financial aid that a student is eligible for.