Student Accounts/PaymentsCenter for International and Cultural Education

You may have questions about making payments and the logistics and timing of that.

Student Accounts

The Gustavus Office of Student Accounts handles everything related to your bill and payments. Go to Student Accounts for details about costs and payment options. Payment for the year is divided between fall semester and spring semester. If you have questions about your account, you may email studentaccts@gustavus.edu or call 507-933-7502. 

Account Statements

The Gustavus Office of Student Accounts will enter the charges for tuition, fees, room, meal, and health insurance to your account statement. You can access your account statement on MyGustavus. Your account statement may not be updated until mid to late July, after you have been registered for classes. If you wish to mae a payment prior to that, you may contact our Office of Student Accounts and ask for a draft statement.

MyGustavus

You may access your account information on MyGustavus by loggin in with your Gustavus username and passphrase. You may grant parents and/or others access to your account information in MyGustavus. If you have issues accessing MyGustavus, then you should contact the Gustavus Technology Helpline (helpline@gustavus.edu or 507-933-6111).

Fall Semester Payment

Your account statement will indicate that payment for fall semester is due on August 15. You will be billed for 1/2 of tuition, 1/2 of room, 1/2 of the meal plan, all of the fees (new student fee, transcript fee, student goverment fee), and for health insurance for the full year. There will be a credit for 1/2 of your annual scholarship and the enrollment depoist that you paid.

Spring Semester Payment

Your account statement will indicate that payment for spring semester is due on January 15. You will be billed for 1/2 of tuition, 1/2 of room, 1/2 of the meal plan. There will be a credit for 1/2 of your scholarship.

How to Pay

Go to Student Accounts for details about costs and payment options. The best option will depend on the circumstances and preferences of each student. The first time you make a payment, it may take some time to figure out the logistics.

Flywire is a good payment option for many international students. Gustavus partners with Flywire to make international tuition payments easier and to help save on bank fees and unfavorable exchange rates. Flywire has customer service available in multiple languages, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Go to the Flywire website to learn more about their services. You may see what the exchange rate would be, before committing to making a payment or using Flywire.

Other Payment Options

You may also pay by wire, credit card, check, cash or money order. Payment with a credit card is usually not the best option, because there is an additional 2.75% convenience fee. Some students choose to wire payment to Gustavus without using Flywire. If that is the best option for you, contact Student Accounts or Jeff Anderson for wiring instructions. Those wiring instructions sometimes do not fit exactly with the forms used by your local bank, so it can be tricky and take more time. That is one reason we recommend Flywire, though other options may work better for you.

Saint Peter Local Banks

There are three banks in Saint Peter: First National Bank of Minnesota, Nicollet County Bank, HomeTown Bank. To open an account, you must go to the bank in person, and bring your passport, Form I-20, and Gustavus student ID (3 Crowns Card), and funds to deposit. Some banks require a Social Security number to open an account. The Center for International and Cultural Educaiton assists students in applying for a Social Security number soon after the semester has begun, and it normally takes 7 - 10 days for that SSN to arrive. Normally there is not enough time to open a bank account during orientation, but there will be time once the semester begins. You may walk or take the local transit to one of the local bans and open an account. Most students open a free checking account, and get a debit card to go along with their account. We do not recommend any bank oer another. The offer similar account options a nd services. students open a bank account, wire funds to that bank account or deposit a check in that bank account, and them make their payment to Gustavus from that account. You may choose a local bank, a bank that is not in Saint Peter, or none at all.

Financial Aid

The Gustavus Financial Aid Office handles everything related to financial aid. If you have questions about your financial aid, you may go to the Financial Aid Office website or e-mail finaid@gustavus.edu or call 507-933-7527. If you have been awarded a Gustavus scholarship or student employment, the amount of that financial aid award should have been indicated in the information you received regarding your admission to Gustavus. International student financial aid awards renew automatically each year, for four years. The amount of financial aid does not increase, even when the cost of attendance increases. International students do not complete the FAFSA and are not eligible for federal financial aid, so some of the information on our website related to financial aid is not applicable to international students. Your account statement should show the amount of your scholarship, but not the amount of your student employment.

Student Employment

Not everyone has student employment as part of their financial aid. If you do, and you would like to work on campus, then you should go to Student Employment for more detailed information. Students are paid directly each month according to the number of hours worked. There is a maximum amount that you can earn from student employment each academic year, which is specified in your financial aid award. If you choose to work less than that maximum amount, it is okay. The amount of your student employment award will not show on your account statement. You may decide what to do with the money that you earn from student employment. Some students use that money to help pay for their living expenses and other students save it to help pay for their next semester. You may choose for the payments for your work to go into your student account, or into a personal bank account. Most students complete a Direct Deposit Authorization form, after they open a bank account, so that their student employment payments are automatically deposited in their bank account. You will need a Socail Security number to work in the U.S. The Center for International and Cultural Education assists international students in applying for a Social Security number, normally in the second or third week of the semester. Some students choose to work at Gustavus during the summer break. If you do that, the amount that you earn in the summer will not count towards the maximum amount that you can earn from student employment during the academic year.

Meal Plan

You may choose your meal plan option from the Enrollment Checklist. If you do not choose, you will automatically be enrolled in and billed for meal plan option 1, which is the least expensive option. If you choose meal plan option 2 or option 3, you will be charged for that amount. You may change to a larger or smaller meal plan at any point during the semester. You may go to the Dining Service website for more information.

Housing

Gustavus is a residential college, which means that students are required to live on campus, except for some rare exceptions for which most first year students do not qualify. The first year residence halls are the standard cost. If you live in a residence hall that costs more than the standard residence halls, there is an additional cost. You may go to Residential Housing & Rates for more information. When you complete the housing form on the Enrollment Checklist, you may express your residence hall prefence. 

Health Insurance

All Gustavus students are required to have health insurance. Students are automaticall enrolled in a comprehensive health insurance policy administered by UnitedHealthCare, so there is nothing that you need to do. You will be automatically enrolled and the cost will be charged to your student account. This insurance covers all services provided at the Gustavus Health Service and is accepted at clinics across the state and country, including the hospital located two miles from the Gustavus campus. Health care in the United States is very expensive. This policy is designed to comply with the requirements of the U.S. Affordable Health Care Act, as well as meet the needs of most students, at a cost that is less than comparable policies elsewhere. Full plan details are availabe at Gustavus Health Service. International students are not allowed to waive the required health insurance policy, except in some rare circumstances.

Books

Students normally get their books and other course materials from the Gustavus Book Mark through Slingshot, which is an equitalbe access course material subscription service, for which your account statement will be billed. Most students save money by using Slingshot.

Travel and Personal Expenses

You may have some additional travel and personal expenses, which are not reflected on your account statement, and which vary for each student.

Form I-20 or DS-2019 Cost Information

The amounts indicated on your Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 may vary slightly from the amounts indicated on our website, your account statement, or your financial aid award. The amounts on the Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 are an estimate and in a different format.