Tuition Payment Plans

Make College Easier to Pay For with a Tuition Payment Plan

Make college more affordable by paying for tuition and fees over time. Tuition payment plans break down your tuition balance into affordable monthly payments. There's no interest, payment options are flexible, setup fees are affordable, and it's easy to enroll!

Payment Plan Benefits

  • Easy online enrollment
  • Flexible payment options
  • No interest
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Ready to Get Started?

Easy online enrollment through Nelnet Business Solutions, an approved third-party vendor

Payment Methods

  • Automatic payment from checking or savings account (ACH)
  • Automatic payment from credit or debit card

Regularly scheduled payments will process on the 5th of the month.

Cost to Participate

  • $30 per quarter nonrefundable enrollment fee
  • $30 nonrefundable returned payment fee if payment is returned

Simple Steps to Enroll

  • Register for classes

  • If you applied for financial aid, you should wait until your financial aid has been posted to your student account before setting up a payment plan.

  • From your ctcLink student homepage select the Financial Account tile then select Nelnet Payment Plan under Payment Plans
  • Click on the button on the right to enroll in a plan through Nelnet  -It is the little gray unlabeled button on the right
  • You will be redirected to Nelnet to create your account

Target Dates to Enroll By

Spring 2024
  • Payment plans are available for Spring 2024 on February 26, 2024

  • You must owe a minimum of $400 to enroll in the payment plan

  • If you enroll for a payment plan between February 26 -March 19 the required down payment is 40%. You will have 3 months of payments from April 5 - June 5

  • If you enroll for a payment plan between March 20 - April 8 the required down payment is 60%. You will have 2 months of payments from May 5 - June 5

  • Last day to enroll in payment plan for Spring 2023 is April 8, 2024

Note: All down payments and enrollments fees are processed immediately! If your down payment fails, your payment plan will be TERMINATED and you will risk being DROPPED from classes for non-payment. You must enroll in the plan before midnight on your initial tuition due date or you may be dropped from your classes

Payment Plan Availability

Availability of the Payment Plan is determined by Bellingham Technical College. Please be aware the College may elect not to have the Payment Plan available during specific times and dates during registration.

Balance Adjustments

If your balance has changed due to changes in your class schedule or financial aid, please do not assume your balance will automatically be adjusted. You should review your Payment Plan balance online through ctcLink. You should also contact the Business Office at 360.752.8707 or email nelnet@btc.edu to confirm the change.

Important note regarding tuition payment plan refunds: Payments affiliated with the tuition payment plans are processed by Nelnet, not BTC. Therefore, any refunds requested will be mailed by BTC in the form of a check in the student's name to the student’s address on file in registration.

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FAQs

Account management tips:

  • Students are responsible for ensuring payments are received by Nelnet

  • Verify sufficient funds are available in your bank account at least one (1) day prior to the withdrawal date

  • Note that some bank cards have a daily withdrawal limit and may deny large tuition payments

  • Check with your bank if you are using a debit card. Debit cards may fail due to daily limit restrictions imposed by your bank

  • Be sure to add noreply@factsmgt.com to your list of email safe senders so that you don’t miss an email notification if a payment is missed

  • Check your bank account monthly

  • If a payment is missed and there was enough money in the account, call your bank to find out why they denied the payment

Questions?

Contact the BTC business office by email at nelnet@btc.edu or phone at 360.752.8707. Please include your name, student identification number, specific question or concern.

  • How do I enroll in the Tuition Payment Plan via Nelnet Business Solutions?

    NOTE: Only set up a payment plan if:

    1. You have registered for classes and you know your balance due
    2. Your financial aid has already posted to your student account, and
    3. You have a balance owing of at least $400
    Simple Steps to Enroll
    • From your ctcLink student homepage select the Financial Account tile then select Nelnet Payment Plan under Payment Plans

    • Click the button on the right to enroll in a plan through Nelnet. It is the little gray unlabeled button on the right

    • You will be redirected to Nelnet to create your account

       

  • What if my down payment or monthly payment fails?

    • If any automatic payment fails for the enrollment fee or for the down payment, your payment plan may be terminated

    • All other failed scheduled payments will be automatically re-attempted two additional times. The first re-attempt will occur once on the 20th (of the same month). If this also fails, a second re-attempt will occur on the 5th day of the following month

    • Nelnet will charge a $30 fee for each failed payment attempt. You and the college will be notified if this occurs. If there are still insufficient funds after the two payment re-attempts, you must make the payment at the cashier’s office located at the college. Your bank or financial institution may also charge a fee for these failed payment attempts

    • If you continue to owe on your student account after the last regularly scheduled monthly payment, your student account will be blocked from any future quarter registration until your account is paid in full

    If your plan is not paid in full by the end of the quarter your account may be transferred to a collection agency and you may be dropped from future classes that you have registered for

  • Why am I charged a $30 fee to use the payment plan?

    The $30 fee is used to support the cost of the payment plan service with the provider, Nelnet Business Solutions, and to support the additional administrative effort at the college in order to provide support for the service. The payment plan is strictly an optional service for students to provide the convenience of spreading the cost of tuition over the course of the enrolled quarter.

  • How does adding or dropping classes – or other reasons why my tuition and fees changed – affect my payment plan?

    Balance Adjustments: If your balance has changed due to changes in your class schedule or financial aid, please do not assume your balance will automatically be adjusted. You should review your payment plan balance on line. You should also contact the BTC Business Office by email nelnet@btc.edu to confirm the change.

    Timeline in order for balance changes to be effective on the next payment cycle:

    • Balance increases must be made at least 10 business days before the next payment is due or your balance will be adjusted on the subsequent payment

    • Balance decreases must be made at least 3 business days before the next payment is due or your balance will be adjusted on the subsequent payment

    You will receive an email notification if there has been any change in the preauthorized payment amount.

  • How do refunds for payment plan students work?

    Refunds for class withdrawals are based on the college’s refund policy.

    All refunds for payments paid via the payment plan will be made with a physical check mailed to your address on file with BTC, regardless of the payment method used.

    If you withdraw from any classes after the 100% refund period, you may still owe the balance on your payment plan.

    If you withdraw after all college refund dates have passed, you will continue to owe the full balance remaining on your payment plan.

  • What expenses can be financed under this plan?

    The Tuition Payment Plan covers tuition and course fees that are charged at registration for each quarter you enroll in the payment plan. Examples of fees that cannot be paid with a payment plan are assessment testing, graduation fees, official transcript fees, bus passes, parking permits, books, tools, fines and non-sufficient fund fees.

  • When will monthly payments begin?

    • Monthly payments will be processed according to the payment schedule you select in the enrollment process. Your payments will then be processed on the 5th of each month. All plans have a down payment and it will be deducted from your account immediately along with the enrollment fee

    • If the payment date falls on a weekend or banking holiday observed by the Federal Reserve, the payment will be attempted on the next business day for both credit card and ACH (automatic bank account withdrawal)

    • If you want to know the time of day the payment will be withdrawn from your account, contact your financial institution

  • How long does it take for my Payment Plan payment to show up on my student account?

    Successful payments are posted to student accounts within 7 business days. As long as your payment was successful, you are not at risk of being dropped due to non-payment.

  • My balance is $0.00; do I need to alert Nelnet or my institution to stop taking payments from my account?

    • Please notify BTC by email at nelnet@btc.edu if your balance is 0.00

    • If it is at least 3 business days prior to a scheduled payment date, no Nelnet payments will be made from your bank account or credit card.

  • What if I activate a new credit or debit card (even if the only difference is the expiration date)?

    You MUST update card information online through your MyPaymentPlan account or contact Nelnet at 800.609.8056 or the payment may not go through and Nelnet will charge you a $30 fee. NOTE: The "Responsible Party" listed on the payment plan must be an authorized signer for the new credit or debit card.

  • Will I be allowed to register for the next quarter while my current quarter is still on a payment plan?

    • You will be allowed to register if you are still in good standing with your current payment plan

    • You may be dropped for non-payment from future quarters if your payment plan becomes delinquent

  • What if my payment plan was inactivated due to incorrect account information?

    • You must contact Nelnet at 800.609.8056 to update the account information. The MyPaymentPlan website is not available for making changes to inactive accounts

    • You should correct the account information ASAP. If your account remains inactive due to incorrect account information, you may continue to owe on your account and are at risk of being blocked

  • Can I use an American Express Credit Card with the payment plans?

    • You can use your American Express Card to set up a monthly payment plan. You will incur the standard $30 per quarter enrollment fee

    • You can also pay your entire balance IN FULL using your American Express Card. You will be charged a $2.00 enrollment fee for this service. If you are paying your entire balance IN FULL using Visa or MasterCard, you can pay without incurring any fee using BTC's Web Credit Card Payments

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