Resources & Forms - Bursar

Bursar Policy

Bursar Forms

Bursar Resources

Residence Damage Deposit

A $350 damage deposit is charged on a yearly basis to all students who reside in campus housing. The deposit is credited back to the student's account by June 30 of the academic year. Damage charges (if applicable) are assessed to a student's account at the same time.

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Number of Credit Hours 

University students in the Day Program who take more than the standard 19 credit hours must pay for each additional credit hour.

Students registering for more than 14 credit hours in the University College program must pay the standard full-time day rate.

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Health Insurance Information 

Health Insurance Information
Waiver and Voluntary Enrollment Procedure

Payment of Charges 

Charges are due and payable July 3 for the fall semester and January 3 for the spring semester. Payment may be made in person by cash, personal check or money order at the Bursar's Office. Roger Williams University uses vendor, TouchNet, to process your Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and electronic checking/savings payments. There is a 2.95% non-refundable convenience fee on all domestic credit and debit card payments. Beginning February 28, 2024 there is a 4.25% non-refundable convenience fee on all international credit and debit card payments.

The University considers each student responsible for payment of all charges. A student will not be permitted to pre-register until all outstanding balances and or prior tuition and all other charges have been paid in full. Upon registering students agree to be responsible for any collection costs incurred by the University in conjunction with the delinquency of their account.

It is illegal in Rhode Island to present checks which your bank will not honor. The University will re-deposit returned checks once. The subsequent return of your check to the University will result in your account being put on a cash basis and possible cancellation of your registration, housing, and dining privileges. No personal checks will be allowed to replace returned checks. The account must be settled with cash, bank check, or money order.

All students will be charged for the handling of returned checks. The fine schedule is: 1st return, $25 and 2nd return, $30.

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Statement of Account 

Students and those with Student Account Center (SAC) authorized user access can view their up-to-the-minute account activity and view on-demand statements online. The Office of the Bursar emails statement notifications once a month. Students are automatically enrolled in SAC and may add additional authorized payers. More information on SAC access.

If you contract a payment plan with our vendor, TouchNet, payments are due on the first of the month. Payments made via the payment plan are posted to your RWU SAC activity and reflected on your RWU billing statements. Unposted payments are reflected on the SAC Home page in the Payment Plan section. Any balance not covered by a payment plan and pending financial aid is listed under Balance Not Included in Plan. You may need to make adjustments to your payment if new charges are added.

The Office of the Bursar acts as a "bulletin board" for charges posted to your Bursar account. Charges or fees not associated with tuition or the mandatory semester fee are derived from other areas of the campus community. Please use the information listed below when questioning billing charges associated with other departments on campus!

Room, Meal & Room Damage

Residence Life & Housing
401-254-3161

Parking

Public Safety
401-254-4358

Health

Health Services
401-254-3156

Mail Key

Mail Services
401-254-3147

Unreturned Books

Library
401-254-3031

Judicial

Student Affairs
401-254-3042

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Financial Aid Questions 

The Office of Student Financial Aid can be reached at 401-254-3100 or finaid@rwu.edu. Financial aid includes the following items:

  • Federal Direct Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized)
  • Federal Pell Grants
  • Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (SEOG)
  • All loan programs including Federal Direct PLUS Loans
  • Merit and need based scholarships
  • Anything regarding your award letter issued from the Office of Student Financial Aid
  • Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) questions

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Many states and financial services institutions offer 529 plans and each entity has separate rules and regulations governing how funds may be used and disbursed. Please visit your 529 plan’s website to see what information is required to support a withdrawal request. Parents and/or students must contact their 529 plan administrator directly and follow their procedures to process a withdrawal. Many plans will require a three (3) week lead time!

In most cases, you will need to contact the plan provider each semester you intend to use funds. You should inquire what documentation you will need to provide to withdraw funds from the account. The documentation normally required is a copy of the student’s semester bill. This can be accessed for students and families at rwu.rogercentral.com and https://secure.touchnet.net/C20013_tsa/web/login.jsp respectively.

  • We recommend that you have the money sent directly to RWU, if possible, to avoid delays. Note that you must make your transaction in time to meet the due date for the semester bill. The due date for fall is July 7th and for spring is January 2nd.
  • Please allow up to ten (10) business days from the date that your provider sends payment for receipt and processing by RWU.

Funds can be mailed via USPS, UPS or FedEx to:

Bursar’s Office
Roger Williams University
One Old Ferry Road
Bristol, RI 02809

  • Very Important: Please ask the 529 to include the student's full legal name and 7-digit RWU student ID number with the payment.
  • We do not recommend making 529 withdrawals using a semester payment plan. You can of course have your own payment plan unrelated to the 529 withdrawals.
  • Many 529 plans require that disbursement of funds happen in the same calendar year as the term for which those funds are making payment. This means that for the Spring term due date of January 2nd, the turnaround time is very tight. 
  • If you receive a refund due to an adjustment of charges and the refund is coming from 529 funds, please contact your fund administrator directly for how to manage that refund. RWU cannot provide guidance on refunds of 529 funds.

Student Account Center (SAC), administered by our provider TouchNet, is your one-stop for billing and payment. You can view statements, make payment, and enroll in an optional semester monthly payment plan. Students will need to grant access to parents and other users. 

To make an inquiry about your account: 

  1. Contact the Bursar’s Office at (401) 254-3520 or bursar@rwu.edu. The student’s ID number is required for inquiries.

To log in to the SAC (Students ONLY) and add an authorized user: 

  1. Log in to rogercentral.rwu.edu  
  2. On the left sidebar, select Financial Information 
  3. Select RWU Student Account Center 
  4. On the SAC home page navigate to My Profile Setup 
  5. Select Authorized Users 
  6. Select Add Authorized Users 

To log in to the SAC (Parents ONLY): 

  1. Go to Parent SAC Log in. The student needs to grant Authorized User access first! 

To inquire about a payment plan: 

  1. Call our Payment Plan Customer Service Line at (833) 269-3675 

To mail scholarship, loan or personal checks: 

  1. Attn: Bursar’s Office/RWU/One Old Ferry Road, Bristol, RI 02809  The student’s ID number is required in the memo section of the check.

Payment Due Dates: Fall Semester is due July 3rd and Spring Semester is due January 3rd *** 

  • Statement notifications are sent via email (SAC) once a month.
  • RWU does not mail paper statements. 
  • Full-time day students must be registered for at least 12 credits to be billed full-time, flat rate charges (12-19 credits). Credits over 19 are billed an additional per credit rate. 
  • Work study awards are not deducted from your bill (direct cost) since they are earned and paid throughout the academic year. 
  • Fall payment plans begin July 1st and spring plans begin December 1st—semester plans are for 5 months. 
  • Families using the payment plan will see the plan balance reflected on the SAC. If your account is showing a balance due after the pay plan is applied, your payment plan may need to be adjusted. 
  • Waive RWU Health Insurance NOW! All full-time undergraduate students and all international students are required to participate in our university health insurance plan or provide proof of a comparable plan. To waive the University’s plan, submit proof of adequate coverage at www.rwu.edu/go/insurance. Fall waivers are due no later than August 19.

Bursar’s Office Contact Information: 

  • Phone: (401) 254-3520 
  • Email: bursar@rwu.edu  
  • Hours: Mon – Fri 8:30 to 4:30