Frequently Asked Questions

Payment plans allow students to pay their balance in installments through the semester according to specific payment schedules. Depending on when they sign up, students can choose to make between two and five equal monthly payments with a 10 percent down payment.

Please note: Five-payment and four-payment options are not available for Summer Session due to the shortened length of that semester.

You must sign up for a payment plan each semester if:

• you do not wish to pay in full by the due date.
• you do not have enough accepted financial aid.
• you do not have a third-party billing authorization.

Because the payment plan is specific to a semester, you must sign up for a new payment plan each semester.

Once you have enrolled in a payment plan, you will receive a confirmation of your payment amount via email. The notification also serves as a reminder that a 10 percent down payment will be processed against the chosen payment method at that time.

• Log into MyNIC → Self Service → Student Finance and click on the Student Account Center.
• Click on Payment Plan tab on the top menu bar.
• Click on Enroll Now.
• Select a term from the drop-down list and click on Select.
• The installment plans you are eligible to enroll in are listed.
• Review the various requirements for the payment plan and determine which plan you would like to enroll in.
• Select the payment plan name from the drop-down listing and click select.
• A description of the plan and plan details are then listed. Click on continue.
• Eligible charges and credits for the select term are presented.
• If you would like to put a larger down payment than required, input this amount, and click display schedule. Click on recalculate schedule and then click on continue.
• Select payment method – either add a new payment method or select a saved payment method.
• Review payment plan agreement.
• You must agree to the terms and conditions at the bottom of the page. Click "I Agree" and then click continue.

If you have any questions, contact the Student Finance office at (208) 769-3311 or studentfinance@nic.edu.

Signing up for a payment plan will have no impact on the amount of your aid, nor will it affect the time required to process your aid. Signing up for a payment plan will ensure that you don't receive a $50 late payment fee but does not guarantee that financial aid will cover all or any of your charges for the semester.

Changes to your class schedule or eligibility could also cause adjustments or changes to the amount of financial aid you can receive, which could create a balance due to the college.

To ensure that you will not receive a $50 late payment fee, you MUST have accepted your aid and completed all required paperwork by the designated due date. Even though you may be receiving a financial aid award, the amount of your award may not cover your outstanding balance in full.

Payments are made electronically by registering a checking account, savings account or credit card (VISA, MasterCard, Discover or American Express) when enrolling in a payment plan. Completing the enrollment process for a payment plan authorizes NIC to withdraw a specific amount of funds according to a specific payment schedule from the payment method you provide.

Every time a credit or charge is posted to the student account, it results in a change to your payment amount, and you will receive an email notification.

If the payment plan option you choose requires a down payment, funds will automatically be withdrawn almost immediately from the account you provide. Subsequent payments for the monthly payment will be withdrawn by the due date.

If the due date falls on a weekend or a banking holiday, it will be withdrawn on the following business day. Your financial institution determines the time of the day the payment is debited from your account. NIC recommends that you check with your financial institution to determine how far in advance funds should be deposited into your account to ensure that the automatic payment will clear.

You must use a bank account or credit card to sign up for an installment plan. If you do not have a bank account or credit card and do not wish to open one, you may ask someone else (such as a parent or relative) for permission to use their account. If you choose to use someone else's account, you can list that person as an authorized user. The authorized user can only see your billing and payment information.

If you have designated or want to designate an authorized user to access and/or pay your bill, you will set up the authorized user through your MyNIC Self Service Student Finance portal under the Authorized User tab.

No. TouchNet acts as an agent for institutions in administering payment plans. It is the policy of TouchNet to protect all personal and financial information provided by all participants. TouchNet does not sell or share any nonpublic personal information or client lists to any third party, except as agreed to by you, or as may be necessary to complete a transaction in the ordinary course of business, or as required under an applicable law.

Your bill ­ – or statement of account – is always available through your MyNIC account. Paper bills will not be mailed. Your statement of account will give you the most up-to-date account balance. You may print a copy of your account information through your MyNIC Self Service Student Finance portal by clicking on the expand arrow above the semester.

NIC reserves the right to charge a $50 late payment fee OR de-register any student that has not paid tuition in full by the payment deadline.

If your payment is returned for non-sufficient funds, you will be assessed a $25 non-sufficient funds fee. Please be aware it is illegal to write a check on non-sufficient funds. These return checks are treated seriously by the Student Finance Office. If anyone wrote a check on non-sufficient funds for your student account, NIC will not accept a check for any future payments.

You must pay your tuition or face additional penalties to avoid being placed with a collection agency.

Find detailed payment information here.

Your tuition must be paid on time regardless of financial aid status.

If you have just applied but have not yet been awarded financial aid, you may still take advantage of our installment plan. NIC does not grant deferments for pending financial aid. Your tuition must be paid on time regardless of financial aid status. To help families eliminate the debt of borrowing loans, NIC offers several installment plans. To apply, please refer to the payment plan tab through your Student Account Center.

Financial aid cannot be used as a down payment for the payment plan. The down payment is required at the time that you enroll in the payment plan. Any financial aid you receive will reduce the balance of your payment plan.

If you received financial aid, you are required by federal law to return any funds you did not earn because you didn't attend the whole semester (i.e., for every day you attend you earn a percentage of the financial aid you received).

You must apply for financial aid online at studentaid.gov. For questions regarding financial aid, contact Cardinal Central at (208) 769-3311 or cardinalcentral@nic.edu.

You are responsible to pay tuition on time. If you do not withdraw before the 100 percent refund deadline date, you will be liable for all charges whether you attended class or not.

You must follow the procedures for dropping your course(s) through MyNIC. Refunds are only granted during the refund periods. If you are dropping the course after the refund period, you will not receive a refund. Refund periods are strictly followed, and refund dates are posted in the academic calendar.

• Dropping Individual Courses
  You may receive a 100 percent refund if courses are dropped by the posted refund date. No refund will be issued for individual courses that are dropped after the posted date.Late start or short-term courses need to be dropped five days after the class starts for a refund.
• Total Withdrawal
  You may receive a 100 percent refund of resident and non-resident fees for total withdrawal of all courses by the posted refund date. All official withdrawals must be made through MyNIC. A stop payment placed on a check or credit card does not constitute withdrawal from NIC; you would be responsible for any fees resulting from the stop payment.
• Financial Aid Recipients
  If you drop courses during the refund period, you will receive a refund if you did NOT receive financial aid. Refunds are applied first to any financial aid source the student received. After the financial aid portion is adjusted a refund disbursement will be issued if there is a credit balance remaining.

A Hardship Refund may be granted when circumstances beyond the control of the student prevent the student from completing their enrolled courses. This can include medical issues for the student or a close family relative, or a documented death of a close family member. Students must be officially withdrawn from all classes in the semester which they are requesting a Hardship Refund. 

Refunds are disbursed starting on the third Friday of the semester for financial aid purposes. All refunds are disbursed once a week throughout the rest of the semester.

Registrations are held if a student owes NIC money. You will also be unable to receive an official grade transcript until payment in full; however, an unofficial transcript is available when owing a balance to NIC.

If you have a hold, Cardinal Central can provide details on why you have a hold and what you can do to have the hold cleared. Contact Cardinal Central at (208) 769-3311 or cardinalcentral@nic.edu.

If you are not able to pay your tuition, come to Cardinal Central to discuss your options before tuition payments are due.

As most financial information is confidential, your options and circumstances will not be discussed over the phone so you must make an appointment through Cardinal Central. All information submitted is completely confidential.

Contact Cardinal Central at (208) 769-3311 or cardinalcentral@nic.edu or visit the office in Room 116 in Lee-Kildow Hall.