Billing Account

That’s a very important question. Some other important questions about managing your student account might be: What payment plans are available? What is Otterbein’s refund policy? What happens if I miss a payment? Answers to all of these questions and more can be found below.

You will also find information about Otterbein’s online bill payment system, ePay, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to use this system to set up a payment plan, authorized users, direct deposit refunds and more.

If you have questions that are not answered in the section, please do not hesitate to contact Otterbein’s Business Office.

On this page:

When will I receive my bill?

The Office of Student Accounts will email a bill to students and authorized users on the student’s ePay account approximately six weeks prior to the first day of the term.

When do I pay my bill?

For fall semester, fees and charges are due on Aug. 1. For spring semester, they are due on December 16.

How can I pay my bill?

You can make your payment by:

Mailing a check:
Otterbein University
Controller’s Office/Accounts Receivable
1 South Grove Street, Westerville, Ohio 43081

Making an online payment: www.otterbein.edu/epay

Making a payment in person with check or cash at the Accounts Receivable Office, 25 W. Home Street, Suite C Westerville, Ohio 43081

What if I miss a payment or cannot pay my bill?

Please note the following policies regarding late payments and delinquent accounts:

• All accounts must be paid in full or enrolled into a payment plan through ePay prior to the published academic calendar term due dates. Failure to do so could result in financial withdrawal. All loans should be applied for prior to July 1 to help ensure the timely receipt. If you have Financial Aid pending prior to the due date, it is recommended that you establish a payment plan through ePay to secure your term registration. Payment plan installments must be paid according to the plan agreement in ePay. Failure to do so would result in a $35 monthly late fee until the account is brought current.
• All accounts must be paid in full or current within their payment plan in order to enroll in succeeding terms (semesters) or to receive copies of certificates, diplomas, and transcripts.
• Otterbein reserves the right to recover all costs involved with the collection and/or litigation of delinquent accounts.
• If an account must be sent to collection or litigation due to nonpayment of the outstanding balance, the University reserves the right to demand payment in full for subsequent terms (semesters) of enrollment prior to the beginning of each term.
• The University reserves the right to cancel the registration of any student if their prior term balance remains delinquent prior to the due date of the subsequent term. The University reserves the right to cancel the registration of any student if their current term balance is not paid in full and is not on a payment plan.
• The University reserves the right to demand payment in the form of a certified check, money order, cash or credit cards in the event that one or more checks have been returned unpaid for any reason.

What payment plan options are available?

Payment plans enable you to divide your educational costs into smaller installments. This option requires a $30 per term enrollment fee to participate. Most families opt for a payment plan of four payments per semester. You can set up your payment plan through ePay. Learn more below or at www.otterbein.edu/epay.

What is ePay?

ePay is Otterbein’s online bill pay system. ePay allows you to:

• pay your bill online using a credit card or electronic check. There is a 2.95 percent convenience fee for payments made by credit card and debit card. To avoid this fee, select “Electronic Check” (Checking/Savings) as your source of payment.
• receive e-refunds directly to your bank account.
• view your most recent statement and billing history.
• see current account activity and up-to-date account balance.
• set up authorized users, such as your parents or others, on your account.

Activating your Otterbein network account (see Otterbein Network Information letter) will automatically generate your ePay account.

How do I log into ePay?

If you are a student, follow the steps below. If you are an Authorized User, log into ePay at www.otterbein.edu/epay.

1. Go to www.otterbein.edu.
2. Click My O-Zone.
3. In My O-Zone, click on the Banner icon.
4. Click on Student.
5. Make Payments.
6. Pay My Bill.

How do I review my billing statement in ePay?

1. Log into ePay.
2. Within home screen, select “View Statement” highlighted in blue.
3. Select Term and click Submit.
4. Control/P to Print.

Please note that there are two available statements in ePay. The “View Statement” highlighted in blue is current. The “View Statements” just beneath is your statement as of a specific emailed date. We encourage students and authorized users to always look at the blue statement for current information, but the “View Statements” would allow you to compare what changed since your last statement was emailed. Typically, changes are a result of registration changes, payments received, or financial aid. 

How do I make a payment in ePay?

1. Log into ePay.
2. Select I would like to Pay …. ↓
   a) Option 1: Pay “Current Account Balance”
   b) Option 2: Pay “Next Installment” (This option is for students who have already established a term payment plan)
   c) Option 3: Pay “Other Amount” (This option gives you the ability to type over the current account balance with the amount you wish to pay. This is helpful if you need to split payments between multiple sources.)
3. After you have made your selection, click “GO!”
4. Review Payment Amount; Continue
5. Select Payment Method; Continue. If you are paying via credit/debit, you will be redirected to “Paypath” to complete your payment.
6. Continue through steps
7. Agree to Terms and Conditions
8. Submit Payment; Control/P to print a copy of your receipt

A confirmation page with the payment detail will appear after the payment is processed. A confirmation email is sent to the student or authorized user submitting the payment.

How do I set up a payment plan in ePay?

1. Log into ePay
2. Click on the Payment Plan tab at the top
3. Click Enroll Now
4. Select the Term
5. Within the Payment Plan, click “Details” to review plan information. To continue with enrollment, click “Select”
6. Review installment due dates, amount due, and required down payment. You may also increase your down payment here.
7. Once complete, click “Continue”
8. The next screen will verify your down payment. Click Continue.
9. Select Payment Method and Complete Information
10. Agree to terms of payment, Continue
11. To print your agreement, select Control/P.

An email confirmation will be sent to your email address. You will also be sent a payment plan reminder by email five days before your next installment due date.

What is an authorized user on my account?

An authorized user is any individual a student adds to their ePay account for the purposes of viewing bills and making payments on behalf of the student.

How do I create authorized users on my ePay account?

1. Log into ePay.
2. Click the Authorized Users tab at the top.
3. Fill in the email address of the person to whom you wish to give access.
4. Answer the questions about access.
5. Click Continue.
6. Click I Agree to the Authorization Agreement.
7. Click Continue.

The authorized user will receive an immediate email with login credentials to ePay. I would encourage your authorized user to log into ePay immediately as the emailed temporary password is only valid for 24 hours after set-up. If logging in after this timeline, your authorized user would enter their email at log in and then select “forgot password” to retrieve a new password.

What is Otterbein’s refund policy?

Otterbein’s refund policy exists for calculating the refund of institutional changes and assistance. Students who withdraw from the University will receive a prorated refund of educational fees due or paid, according to the refund schedule. Room and Board are prorated based on the check out date, not on the refund schedule.

To be entitled to a refund, you must officially withdraw from your class or classes by contacting the Office of the Registrar. See https://www.otterbein.edu/registrar/ for the steps you will need to take. The actual withdrawal date is the date this is accomplished. Non-attendance and/or non-payment of fees does NOT constitute official withdrawal. Application fees, laboratory fees, applied music fees and other similar charges are not refundable.

All financial aid recipients who receive a refund as a result of withdrawal may be subject to a Title IV refund calculation. The allocation of funds must follow those outlined by federal regulations. Anyone who has received a Federal Direct Stafford or Perkins Loan must complete exit counseling.

Tuition refund deadlines and policies can be found on www.otterbein.edu/business-affairs/student-business-office.

If a student withdraws or is suspended from Otterbein University, then the school or the student may be required to return some of the federal funds awarded to the student.

Credit Card Convenience Fee

Otterbein has contracted with Touchnet PayPath, a third-party company, to provide credit card processing services for student accounts. Through this new service, a 2.95 percent convenience fee ($3.00 minimum) will be charged to cover the credit card transaction costs assessed by credit card companies. We are working hard to contain our expenses in order to keep the cost of attending Otterbein affordable for everyone.

Please note that the convenience fee only applies to student account payments made online via credit/debit card; no fee will be charged for electronic check payments. By selecting electronic check payment online, you will be required to enter your bank account and routing number. Do not enter your debit card number for an electronic check payment as this payment will be rejected.

For more information visit www.otterbein.edu/BusinessOffice. You may also contact the Otterbein Business Office at 614-823-1151.

How do I set up bank direct deposit for my refund?

1. Log into ePay.
2. Click on the “Refund” tab at the top.
3. Click on Set Up Account.
4. Fill in the information requested in the form.

If the account credit is the result of a parent plus loan on file, and the parent borrower did not request within the loan application that the refund be given to the student, the credit on the account up to the plus loan disbursement for the term, will be refunded directly to the parent borrower. If the parent borrower is an authorized user in ePay using the same email address as provided on the loan file, the borrower can set up a direct deposit refund under their login credentials to ePay as shown above. The parent borrower must answer all required security questions such as the last four of social security number and date of birth of the parent borrower. These security questions are validated within the loan file. If these questions remain blank, the direct deposit will fail to process. If a direct deposit account is not set up for a parent borrower, a paper check will be mailed home to the address on the loan file.

When a refund has been completed, you will receive an email alert that the University has processed your refund. After receipt of this email, it can take up to two days for bank processing. Please confirm receipt of deposit through your banking institution.

Tuition Insurance

Optional tuition insurance is available through a third party within ePay. Insurance enrollment opens each term as tuition is billed and closes at 11:59 EST the day before the first day of each semester. Insurance plans provide peace of mind by reimbursing the financial losses if a student withdraws at any time during the semester for a covered reason as advised by a licensed medical professional for the covered term, which can include serious injury or illness, chronic illness, or mental -health conditions. For additional information, proceed to https://gradguard.com/tuition. For additional questions, feel free to call Grad Guard customer service at 877-794-6603. If you purchased tuition insurance and need to file a claim, call 800-426-5252.

Student Financial Responsibility Agreement

Each student must read and sign our student financial responsibility agreement located in Self-Service Banner. This agreement provides relevant information about Otterbein’s policies and student financial responsibilities. To access this agreement, follow the steps provided below: · www.otterbein.edu

Menu – My O-Zone

• Log in
• Select Banner
• Select Student
• Select Student Financial Responsibility Agreement