Frequently Asked Questions

You can view your balance online at any time, through the Student Information System. We will also notify you via email every time financial activity occurs on your student ledger. Statements are emailed monthly.

Direct Loan checks usually come in the mail within the first week of each semester provided all paperwork was submitted by the deadline. Please deposit immediately as it may take several days for the funds to become available. The entire amount of your loan (less processing fee) will be included in your check. You are then responsible for paying your tuition in full to Western directly.

Please use the Student Information System (SIS) portal on our website. You’ll find the link to SIS on the top right-hand corner of the home page at www.westernseminary.edu. Look under the Business Office menu for Pay on Your Account. You can pay by credit card or from your checking account. You may use SIS to register for courses, check grades, view financial aid status and monitor your student ledger.

If you are an international student, please see our International Student Payments page.

Western Seminary gives students the option of spreading their tuition and fee payments over the course of the semester.  By signing up for the payment plan students agree to make on-time monthly payments which will cover the entirety of their account balance. The payment plan is not an option for audit and other non-credit classes as tuition is due at the time of registration for these courses.

• Signup for a payment plan contract in SIS. The deadline for students to register for the payment plan is the Friday before the Semester begins (or late fees may be accrued).
• There is a small administrative fee to setup this option. The plan splits your semester payments across multiple months (if you signup before the start of the term, it will split payments over four months; signing up later will result in payments being spread over fewer months).
• Plan payments are due on the first day of each month, beginning on either September 1st, January 1st, or May 1st, depending on the semester.
• Students make their plan payments through SIS each month - there isn’t an option available for setting up automatic recurring payments. The Business Office sends reminders each month that a payment is due. Be sure to make each monthly payment on time to avoid the $50 late payment fee charged to accounts where a payment is made after the 4th day of each month.
• Students can cancel and then create a new payment plan contract if they make changes to their class schedule at a later date. There is no additional fee for cancelling and starting a new payment plan contract.

See our Monthly Payment Plan Info page for more details.

If a person or organization wishes to make a contribution toward your tuition, the best way is to send a check to Western Seminary, Attn: Cashier, 5511 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97215. Please ask that they write your name on the memo line of the check. Payments made on your behalf are not tax deductible and must be received before the beginning of the semester to avoid late fees. For more information, see our Payments from Other Sources page.

For help with military benefits, please contact the V.A. coordinator at your local campus or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Please log onto SIS to drop all courses. If you need to drop a course, you may be eligible for a partial tuition refund. The refund percentage decreases as the semester progresses. You can find the refund schedule posted in SIS under the Registration menu > Course > Details.  Any refund received will be credited to your student account, to be used in a future semester. If you would rather receive a refund check, please contact the Business Office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Dropping or withdrawing from a course when you have student loans may require you to submit your Direct Loan funds back immediately to Western Seminary per DOE regulations. 100% of scholarships and grants on dropped courses will be reversed, which may create an additional amount owed by the student to Western. Please speak with the Financial Aid department along with your advisor prior to dropping your courses. Tuition paid by a third party, such as a church, may need to be refunded directly to the third party.

Delinquent fees are charged at the end of each month regardless of payment source. “Waiting on Financial Aid” will not exempt you from delinquent fees. (You may be allowed addtional time for military benefits, such as VA, depending on type.)

Accounts will be turned over to collections 60 days after the semester ends, unless payment arrangements have been made with the Business Office.