What is e-billing & e-payment?

Electronic statement billing (e-billing) & electronic payment (e-payment) is being implemented by the University of St. Thomas beginning in the fall of 2009. All charges to student accounts including tuition, fees, housing, meal plans and miscellaneous charges will be available via Murphy online by entering your UST ID and PIN. Effective August 2009, billing statements will be produced in electronic format only and will not be mailed. Electronic payment including credit card and e-check will also be available for the fall of 2009.

What are the benefits & advantages of e-billing and e-payment?

·        Saves the university money and helps keep tuition increases lower – no check writing or stamp buying

·        Saves time for students and parents – no more waiting for the statement in the mail

·        Easy and convenient

·        Private and Secure

·        Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

·        Available world-wide via the Internet

·        Unique login allows parent(s) or other authorized payers to pay student account statements for students

·        Make payments online using credit cards: MasterCard, Discover and American Express with a non-refundable convenience fee of 2.75%. VISA is not accepted.

·        Students can forward their statements to parents or others in an e-mail attachment

·        See current account activity since the last statement

·        Quick access to view and print your most recent statements and billing history

Why is the university going to an e-billing method?

There are several reasons why the university has decided to move to e-billing. Many other applications and processes at the university have become paperless or electronic, bringing convenience and efficiency to our students and parents. E-billing continues this mission. The vast majority of students are familiar and comfortable with the web culture. It has become commonplace to perform many daily transactions and communications via e-mail and the Internet. Electronic statement billing brings time and monetary savings to students, their families and the university.

How am I notified when a new statement is available?

When a new statement has been posted to Murphy online, an email message will be sent to the UST student e-mail address. In addition to the student e-mail address, notifications will also be sent to the e-mail account(s) specified in the authorized payer profiles. Authorized payer profiles can include up to 8 individuals, including either or both parents as well as others.

Do I have to participate in e-billing? Can I get a paper statement instead of (or in addition to) the e-billing statement?

Effective August 2009, billing statements will be produced in electronic format only. There will be multiple notifications of the e-billing statement. All students are responsible for remitting payment according to the published payment deadlines. Students have 24 hour access to online bills and their account balance; therefore, not receiving a paper bill will not be accepted as a reason to miss the payment deadline.

I don’t have a bank account (or don’t feel comfortable paying my statement online). How do I pay my statement if I don’t use e-payment?

Paying the statement electronically is optional. You can pay your statement by printing a (PDF) copy of the statement from the web, then sending it in with a check or money order to the address printed on the PDF version of your statement, which is:

University of St. Thomas

CM 8946

PO Box 70870

St. Paul, MN 55170-0089

You can also pay your statement in person at the University of St. Thomas Business Office window at either our St. Paul or Minneapolis campus location. Paying online is much easier and convenient than paying by mail or in person and saves you time.

Do you accept payments from non-United States bank accounts?

No. All e-payments must be direct debited from a U. S. bank account. We are unable to accept payments from foreign bank accounts.

Can my payment be deducted directly from a checking or savings account? (ACH electronic check)?

Yes, the university has had the ACH method of payment by electronic check, or ACH (Automated Clearing House) since 2004, and this method of payment will continue to be offered with e-billing. You can choose to make a payment directly out of your checking account (electronic check), or savings account by providing your banking information. The payment will be deducted from your account via ACH.

Can I pay by credit card?

As a convenience to students and families, UST has contracted with a third party vendor to accept Master Card, Discover and American Express card payments on-line. A non-refundable convenience fee of 2.75% will be assessed by the vendor to payers making payment by credit card. The University of St. Thomas does not have the ability to directly accept payments made by credit card for tuition and fees.

Why is VISA not accepted by the third party accepting credit card payments on the university’s behalf?

Visa’s rules will not permit our vendor to charge a service fee exclusive to credit card payments. This rule would require the university to charge the same fee for electronic checking or savings payments (ACH), which would add unnecessary cost to those paying via ACH.

Does the university charge for e-billing?

No, the University offers this service free of charge.

How do I log in?

As a student, you can watch your university e-mail account for your e-bill statement notification. When you get your e-bill notification, you will click on a link to a secure web server via the Murphy system. To keep all data confidential, do not share your passwords with anyone. After you login, you can view your e-bill, print a copy of the statement, forward the statement to someone in an e-mail, sign up authorized users, and make an online e-payment.

How can my parents pay my statement?

With the UST system, you can set up your parent(s) or other authorized payers to make payments on your behalf. You will assign them a unique user name and password.

How do parents or other authorized payer’s login?

As a parent or other authorized payer, your student must first set you up as an authorized payer in the UST system. He/she must provide your login name and password. You may then access the system. After logging into the system, you can change your password, review the statement, view any past statements, make a payment, or view any past payment you have made on the student’s behalf.

I’m a parent; how can I get a copy of my student’s statement?

Your student has several options for providing a copy of his/her statement to third parties including parents, spouses, etc. through the UST system:

a.      Your student can set you up as an authorized payer on his/her account, then as an authorized payer, you can view their statements at anytime. (This is required in accordance with the Federal FERPA regulations.)

b.      Your student can forward you a PDF copy of the statement as an attachment to an e-mail.

c.       Your student can print off a copy of the e-bill statement and provide it to you in hard copy format.

How can I make a payment on my student’s tuition statement?

Similar to students, you have several options for paying your student’s statement:

d.      If your student has set you up as an authorized payer, you can login to the UST web site, using the login name and password your student setup, and pay the statement electronically.

e.      You can also print off a copy of the statement and mail a payment (check, money order, or cashier’s check made out to University of St. Thomas) to:

University of St. Thomas

CM 8946

PO Box 70870

St. Paul, MN 55170-0089