Credit/Debit Card
James Madison University only accepts credit/debit card payments for tuition, fees, room and board through the web. The University accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover cards. Credit/debit card payments can be made through Madison Money Manager - M3. All charges appearing on the student account statement can be paid through this web site. 

To use this web service you will be charged a service fee in addition to the payment amount.

Bank Account
Pay with a bank account through M3. All charges appearing on the student account bill can be paid through this web site. To pay by bank account you will need your routing number and account number.

Payment from a bank account is accepted as long as it is drawn on US banks and is in US dollars. Additionally, we only accept payment from personal bank accounts. This means 529 bank accounts can not be set up to directly pay on M3 and should instead be directed to your own personal account for payment.

If a bank payment is returned to the University unpaid by the bank, the student's account will be placed on hold until restitution is made. Reimbursement must be in the form of a cashier's check, cash or money order by mail or at the University Business Office window or by credit card - Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover through our online credit card payment site. A $50.00 handling fee will be assessed on all returned checks.

Personal Check
Personal checks are accepted as long as they are drawn on US banks and are in US dollars. Make checks payable to JMU.

Mail personal checks to the University Business Office:

   University Business Office
   MSC 3516
   738 South Mason Street
   Harrisonburg, VA 22807

If a check is returned to the University unpaid by the bank, the student's account will be placed on hold until restitution is made. Reimbursement must be in the form of a cashier's check, cash or money order by mail or at the University Business Office window or by credit card - Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover through our online credit card payment site. A $50.00 handling fee will be assessed on all returned checks.

On-Campus Payments
Payments may be made in person by check or in cash at our campus location, Student Success Center room 5100. We do not accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover at the window; you can pay with those online. 

There are countless state sponsored and bank sponsored 529 plans with various rules and regulations. The first step you should always take when looking to pay with a 529 is to reach out to the 529 plan provider. They will have steps for you to follow in order to send money for your student to JMU. 

What You Will Need

No matter the 529 or college savings plan, you will need a few things to ensure payment successfully reaches JMU and is applied to your student's account.

Make sure you have the correct 9 digit student ID number. This can be found on the student's JACard or on their student center in MyMadison.

While some 529 plans will have the option to electronically send funds to JMU, others will cut a check and mail it to our office. Ensure you enter the correct mailing address: 

University Business Office
   MSC 3516
   738 South Mason Street
   Harrisonburg, VA 22807

Mailed checks can take two to three weeks from the time of your submittal through the 529 provider before they are received and posted on the M3 account. Please make sure you are aware of due dates and request 529 payments as soon as possible from your provider to avoid holds or state mandated late fees. 

Virginia529 Plans

Make sure you know which version of the Virginia529 plan you have (Prepaid529 or Invest 529) and login on Virgina529 to complete the steps to send funds to JMU. You will need to include the correct 9 digit student ID number for funds to be sent successfully. 

• Prepaid529: Submit a withdrawal request for the first semester you want to use the plan (you will not need to contact Virginia529 every semester unless you wish to stop payment or use the plan for Summer/Winter sessions). Virginia529 will send a roster to JMU each semester which provides us with the amount we can expect to receive, and JMU uses that information to post an “Expected VA529” credit to your student account.
  • JMU will not invoice Virginia529 until after the add/drop period. The distribution of funds is not received for another 30-60 days after we submit the invoice. Once payment is received, the expected amount will be replaced by an actual payment to the student account.
  • Please be aware that if your student receives financial aid (loans, grants, scholarships) in addition to Prepaid529, JMU cannot issue refunds based on the expected amount; refunds will not be processed until we have received payment from Virginia529 (typically 30-60 days after invoicing).

• Invest529: This plan requires you to initiate the distribution of funds each semester. In your online Invest529 account, choose Withdraw Funds and then select "Higher Education". Enter the school name as James Madison University and the 9 digit student ID number. You can choose to have the funds sent directly to JMU or to have them deposited in your personal bank account. Funds take 3-5 business days to be received and posted to the student's account if sent directly to JMU.  

Refunds from 529 Plans

Refunds created by Prepaid529 plan overpayments will be processed automatically once payment is received. All other 529 plans (including Invest529) require an email request from the student’s JMU email address to initiate a refund. If you receive a refund of 529 funds due to an adjustment of charges or an overpayment from a prepaid 529 plan, please contact your fund administrator directly for how to manage the money received for that refund. The JMU Business Office cannot provide guidance on refunds of 529 funds.

Note: If your student receives financial aid (loans, grants, scholarships) in addition to Prepaid529, JMU cannot issue refunds based on the expected amount; refunds will not be processed until we have received payment from Virginia529 (typically 30-60 days after invoicing).

Taxes and 529 Plans

Your 529 administrator can best advise you on how withdrawing funds will impact your taxes. All 529 and college savings plan payments will be considered personal payments for the purposes of the student's 1098-T form. The 1099-Q provided by your 529 plan administrator represents different information from the 1098-T form provided by JMU. 

If you would like to pay your education expenses monthly, use the Interest-Free Monthly Payment Option offered through Flywire. The payment plan is available for a small enrollment fee. Enrollment for the upcoming year begins in June.

This payment option allows the student to pay tuition, on-campus room, and meal charges in monthly installments. The plan must be established before the beginning of the school year. The student account is considered paid when the budget is sufficient to cover the tuition for both Fall and Spring semesters. For help in determining a budget contact the University Business Office at (540) 568-6505. For more information visit our Payment Plan page.

If you include the cost of a Commuter meal plan, please contact Card Services Office at (540) 568-6446 or cardsrvc@jmu.edu with the student's name, ID number, and meal plan selection.

Send all scholarship checks directly to the University Business Office: 
   
   University Business Office
   MSC 3516
   738 South Mason Street
   Harrisonburg, VA 22807

To ensure proper credit to your account, please ask the donor to include the student's name, JMU ID number or social security number on the scholarship check.

Invoice Requirement
If the donor requires an invoice to be sent, please forward the award letter that requests the invoice to our office. It can be brought in person, mailed to the above address, emailed to ubo-disbursements@jmu.edu, or faxed to 540/568-7363.

W-9 Requirement
If the donor requires a W-9 form from JMU, that form can be downloaded here.  

We proudly partner with Convera to offer you a simple, secure, and smart way to pay your fees online. Convera’s platform is trusted by 800+ institutions worldwide to enable payments in 140+ currencies across 200+ countries and territories.

To start your payment process as a student outside the US please login to MyMadison or to start the payment as an Authorized User or a Guest please click on their links. Choose the International Payment option when you go to make a payment. If you have an issue in the Convera site, you can use this contact form to submit for help. 

For more information on International Payments to JMU view the step-by-step instructions below, go to our brochure, or go to Convera's website to send money online.