Frequently Asked Questions
- I plan to waive health insurance. Do I need to pay for it until the waiver is processed?
- When will my bill be updated to show my recent payment?
- Who do I contact about one of the charges on my bill?
- I have a negative balance on my bill. What does this mean?
- Can I pay my bill with a credit or debit card?
- How can my family make a payment if we do not have a U.S. bank account?
- Why is my student loan not credited to my account?
- I forgot my MITPay authorized payer username and/or password. How do I retrieve them?
- When will my loans be reflected on my account?
- How do I access my credit balance?
- I thought I already signed up for direct deposit. Why do I have to do it again?
- How will summer housing billing work for undergrads?
- How will summer housing billing work for grad students?
As long as you have submitted the health insurance waiver by the deadline, you do not need to pay for health insurance. More information on the Student Health Insurance Plan is available from MIT Medical.
Online payments made through MITPay are reflected in your student account immediately. Payments made via check or Flywire, are updated upon receipt. Bills are updated monthly around the 10th of each month.
The charges on your student account originate from different MIT departments. SFS is responsible for billing you for those charges. For a question about a specific charge please contact the MIT department where the charge originated. The department contact information is listed on your MITPay statement on the same line as the charge.
A negative balance indicates that your bill was overpaid and that you may be eligible for a refund. You may only receive your refund after the semester starts and your anticipated credits are disbursed to your student account.
MIT does not accept cash, credit card, or debit card payments for student accounts. Learn more about your payment options here.
Most families opt to pay online, but you may also pay by check or Flywire. You can learn more about how to pay internationally here.
If this is the first time you are borrowing from a specific loan program you may need to complete the requirements by signing a promissory note and completing entrance loan counseling. Check with a member of the financial aid delivery team for more information on these requirements.
Unfortunately, we do not have the permission to reset usernames or passwords for authorized users.
If you have forgotten your username, you will need to have your student reset your access to their account.
If you have forgotten your password, you can change it by clicking the “forgot password” link, which will send an email with instructions on how to reset your password. If no email has been received, we advise you to check your spam folder.
After you have completed the necessary loan requirements, your federal loans will disburse to your student account once your term registration becomes official, usually within the first two weeks of the term. Federal loans will be split evenly between all registered terms for the academic year. The amount of your federal loan will always be slightly more than the amount disbursed to your student account due to federal loan origination fees.
Private loan funds are received from your third-party lender and therefore the date the funds are sent to MIT is determined by your lender. Most private lenders will notify you that your funds have been sent to MIT.
We send your credit balance to you through direct deposit. After you set up direct deposit, you may either stop in to meet with your student services counselor, or contact us by phone or email to initiate your direct deposit transfer.
You can learn more about how to request a refund here.
If your financial aid exceeds your charges, or your account is overpaid, you may be eligible for a refund, available after registration, which can be used for your out-of-pocket expenses, such as books and supplies. You must sign up for direct deposit in MITPay before requesting these funds.
To be paid for employment at MIT you must also sign up for Payroll Direct Deposit in Atlas.
MITPay and Atlas are two unique systems; you must fill out both direct deposit forms to receive their corresponding services.
For undergrads living on campus for the summer, you will see the total cost of your summer housing charges spread over three months: June, July, and August. You can view your current account balance on MITPay.
You may also start to see fall charges on your bill in mid-July. Don’t worry! The fall charges are not due until August 1 along with the second summer installment. However, we recommend that you make your summer payment by July 31 if you intend to set up a payment plan for the fall. Summer charges cannot be included in fall payment plans.
We also want to remind you that all three summer installments must be paid prior to registering for the fall term, and financial aid for the fall cannot be used to pay summer charges. If your account has a balance due prior to registration day, you may be placed on registration hold.
If you have questions about any of the summer charges, you should contact Housing. If you have any questions about paying the bill, you should reach out to us at sfs@mit.edu.
For graduate students living on campus for the summer, you will be billed monthly for housing. You can view your monthly bill on MITPay. Payment is always due on the first of the following month.
We want to remind you that if your account has a balance due prior to registration day, you may be placed on registration hold.
If you have questions about any of the summer charges, you should contact Housing. If you have any questions about paying the bill, you should reach out to us at sfs@mit.edu.