The Office of Student Accounts is responsible for all financial matters pertaining to students’ accounts, including the billing and collection of tuition, fees, and overpayment refunds.
The Office of the Student Accounts provides information about how to make payments, waive health insurance, sign up for e-refunds, or learn more about Berklee's Tuition Management Systems (TMS) payment plan.
Payment Methods
Credit Card/E-check (Online) Online: Click the credit card logos below to be redirected to your student account to make payment (login required). Payment made through this option will be posted to your student account immediately. Credit card payments are subject to a 2.5 percent service charge. There is no charge for EFT/electronic checks.
Credit Card (By Phone) To make a credit card payment by phone, please call 617-747-2165. When making payment by telephone, your payment confirmation number will serve as your receipt. Credit card payments are subject to a 2.5 percent service charge.
Alternative Payment If you do not have access to my.berklee.edu and want to make a payment on a student's account, you can go to berklee.edu/altpay. Payment made via the alternative payment website will be posted to the student's account the next business day. Credit card payments are subject to a 2.5 percent service charge. There is no charge for EFT/electronic checks.
Mailing Checks Please include the student ID number with the check payment to:
Berklee College of Music 1140 Boylston Street MS-921 BUR Boston, MA 02215
Bill Pay Since payment received through “bill pay” will be in the form of a check, it will take approximately a week to two weeks before payment is received by the college depending on location and bank.
Pay to: Berklee College of Music
Address: Berklee College of Music, 1140 Boylston Street, MS-921 BUR, Boston MA 02215
Third-Party Scholarships We will be happy to apply advance credit to your account for a scholarship awarded from an outside agency. You must submit a letter to the Bursar's Office from the scholarship source, on their letterhead, stating that the scholarship will be mailed directly to Berklee. The letter must also include the amount of your scholarship, the date when payment will be submitted, a request for a statement (if required by the sponsor), and the name and phone number of a contact person. It is essential for the Bursar's Office to receive this letter prior to your payment due date in order to avoid any delays.
Tuition Payment Plan Since 1990, Berklee has contracted with the company Tuition Management Systems (TMS) to provide students and parents with an interest-free payment plan option. TMS allows students to pay for fall or spring semester over a five-month period as opposed to making payment in full at the start of each semester. Please note that there is a per-term fee of $60 to sign up with TMS.
For the fall semester, students are encouraged to sign up for TMS by June 1. For the spring semester, students are encouraged to sign up by November 1. The payment plan is not available for the summer semester.
To sign up for TMS, please visit afford.com/berklee. Additionally, students may contact the Office of Student Accounts, located on the second floor of the 921 Boylston Street building, for more information. The Office of the Student Accounts may also be reached via email at studentaccounts@berklee.edu or via phone at 617-747-2610.
Policies and Procedures
Students are required to pay tuition and fees at the beginning of each semester, and Berklee has a number of policies regarding balances that have not been fully paid. Read the Collection Policy for more information.
In cases of overpayment, or in which a student needs a refund, see the procedures listed under Student Refund Policy.
Collection Policy Students will be required to agree during registration to pay tuition and fees at the beginning of every semester enrolled. If full payment has not been made or an approved payment plan not set up the student will be subject to the collection process.
Student Refund Policy
If there is an overpayment on your account, we will process the refund as quickly as possible provided the funds have cleared. Because a final assessment of your account balance cannot be determined until your schedule is finalized at the end of add/drop, we cannot issue any refunds during the first two weeks of classes.
We will begin issuing refunds for a credit balance resulting from overpayment starting only after the third week of classes. It is therefore in your best interest to pay only the exact amount due on your account. In addition, we will only be able to process your refund if the credit balance is the result of actual (not anticipated) funds, and all checks have had 10 days to clear (foreign checks may require additional time). After the third week of classes, we will issue refunds one day per week for those students who have become eligible. You may confirm whether you qualify for a refund check by visiting my.berklee.edu and clicking “View My Statement” under the “Financial Information” section.
Depending on the circumstances of your overpayment, you should be aware of the following details affecting your refund:
We encourage all students to fill out direct deposit information by going to my.berklee.edu and clicking on “Direct Deposit Account” under “Financial Information.” For all students that do not elect the direct deposit option, checks will be mailed to the preferred address on file, whether it is a domestic or international address. Refunds will be issued beginning with the Friday after the third week of class.
If the payment causing a credit balance was made by check, the refund will be in the form of a check issued in the student’s name.
If the last payment on your student account was made by credit card, your refund will be issued back to the card used if the refund is processed within 90 days of the initial payment. After 90 days, please expect the refund in the form of a check issued in the student’s name.
If your statement includes estimated Federal PELL Grants, Federal SEOG, Federal Perkins Loans, or other Federal Direct Loans, and this results in a credit balance on your account, your refund cannot be processed until you formally check-in and sign the required documents in accordance with federal regulations, and the funds represented by these awards are obtained by the college from the federal government.
Refunds from Plus Loans will be issued to the initial borrower or student depending on what is stated on the Plus Loan application. At no time after the application is filled out can this be changed. If the Plus Loan application states that any overage should go to the borrower, a check will be issued to the borrower. If the Plus Loan application states any overage should go to the student, a check or direct deposit will be issued to the student. Please note we do not have the ability for Plus Loan borrowers to receive direct deposit refunds at this time.
If you are receiving a private loan or financial aid from any state, local, or private agency, any resulting refund will be made only after the college receives the funds. Theses refunds will not be released any earlier then the third week of classes regardless of whether funds are received before this date. It is important to remember that students should plan to arrive on campus with sufficient funds to cover indirect costs such as off-campus housing, books, supplies, etc.
Please realize that the first money received by the college is the money that is applied toward your tuition and fees. Therefore, if you have taken out a loan for living expenses and it arrives at the college before other financial aid funds are received, the loan will be applied to your tuition expenses. Overpayments or refunds only occur after your tuition and fees have been paid. If you are enrolled in TMS and overbudgeted on your TMS account, we may adjust your budget down or end your plan early to prevent overpayment after the departmental add/drop week of the semester ends.
Any student that does not receive a check due to an incorrect or foreign address will be required to wait at least two weeks (could be longer depending on the address state) before another check will be issued. Due to the volume of lost checks we highly recommend that students fill-out the direct deposit form or verify that the preferred address on file in the Registrar’s Office is correct.
Tuition Insurance through Liberty Mutual As a supplement to the Berklee refund policy, we are pleased to offer an additional tuition insurance program through Liberty Mutual Insurance.
The plan supplements Berklee's refund schedule and provides 100 percent coverage throughout the entire term. If you withdraw from classes due to illness, injury, mental health issues, unforeseen loss of life, or any other eligible reason, the plan will ensure that you receive 100 percent of your insured tuition, room and board, and some fees.
How to Enroll You can purchase a customizable insurance policy for your chosen insured amount and time period (semester or year) directly on the Liberty Mutual website at a cost of roughly 1 percent of the insured amount. You must purchase a policy prior to the first day of classes.
International and study abroad students are also eligible for tuition insurance and must also purchase a policy prior to the first day of classes.
