About Student Late Fees, Penalties, & Delinquent Accounts

On this page:

• Types of Student Late Fees
• Penalties for Returned Checks
• Delinquent Accounts

Types of Student Late Fees

Two types of late fees impact students:

1. Late Payment Fees

   • If full payment is not received by the due date, a late payment penalty of 1% of the amount past due will be assessed.
   • If the payment is more than 30 days past due, a financial hold will be placed on the student account. Holds will block future enrollment, transcripts and diplomas. For more information, see the Delinquent Account section below.



Late payment fees are charged to students who fail to pay the balance of their University bill by the due date displayed on the bill. The full amount of the bill must be received by the University Cashier's Office on or before the due date. Reference Overview: University Bill Payment Methods.

2. Late Study List Fees

Students submitting study lists late or making changes to their study list after published deadlines will be assessed a late study list fee. Late fee amounts are listed in the Preliminary Study List Deadline section of the Registrar's New Academic Deadlines page. Late study list fees will be posted to the student account, display on the next University bill, and are due on the 15th of the following month.

Penalties for Returned Checks

Payments made by check or eChecks (through Stanford ePay) which are returned for any reason will result in a returned check fee. Such fees are assessed against the student's account.

The following rules and penalties apply:

• A non-refundable $25.00 administrative fee is charged for all returned checks and eChecks.
• Payments returned may cause holds to be placed on the student account which block future enrollment, transcripts and diplomas from being issued.
• Late payment fees of 1% may also be applied to any unpaid portion of the student account. (Late payment fees are not charged against late payment fees that have already been assessed).

Delinquent Accounts

Students at Stanford University must pay all tuition and fee amounts prior to the end of each term. Unpaid amounts will result in the following:

• Holds will be placed on the student account which block future enrollment, transcripts and diplomas from being issued.
• Delinquent accounts may be reported to one or more of the national credit reporting agencies.
• Severely delinquent accounts may be referred to a collection agency and/or placed in litigation in accordance with state and federal laws.
• Students with delinquent accounts may be held responsible for collection costs, attorney fees, and court costs.