Business Office

Students, parents and other authorized individuals can pay online using eCheck, MasterCard, American Express, VISA or Discover. There is no fee for eCheck. A 2.85 percent convenience fee is charged for credit card payments.

Students can view, print and pay their online bill through CNU Live.

Students must designate those who are authorized to pay bills online. Parents and authorized payers can view, print and pay at the link below.

The Cashier’s Office receives and deposits all university funds and accepts payments on student accounts (cash, check and money order only; no credit or debit cards). Please make checks and money orders payable to Christopher Newport University. You can mail your payment or bring it to the Cashier’s Office on the first floor of Christopher Newport Hall.

Mailing Address:
Christopher Newport University
Attn: Office of Cash Services
1 Avenue of the Arts
Newport News, VA 23606

Hours of Operation:
Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Returned Check Policy

A returned check fee will be assessed for all checks returned from the bank to the University for any reason. An individual has seven calendar days to repay the amount of the check and the returned check fee. If a check for tuition and fees is returned to the University from the bank for any reason, a late payment fee will be assessed in addition to the returned check fee. If the student does not repay the total amount due within seven calendar days, his or her registration will be canceled.

If a student who is being reinstated presents a check to the University that is returned by the bank for any reason, his or her registration will be canceled. If the University receives two nonsufficient fund checks from a student, the University may no longer accept checks from the student or on the student’s behalf.

Monthly Payment

Students may select to use the monthly payment plan and must sign up separately for each semester. There is a $35 enrollment fee, that is charged per semester to enroll in a payment plan. This payment option allows payment of tuition, fees, room and board in monthly installments. If you have any questions on payment plans, please contact the Office of Student Accounts at studentaccts@cnu.edu. 

The University offers the following payment plans:

• Auto Adjusted - this plan pulls the amount from the student's account to determine the amount of payment plan automatically.
  • You will be prompted to accept any additional charges added, once the plan has been established. 
• Fixed Plan - this plan will need to be determined by the student/parent by inserting the budget amount to pay.
  • When determining the amount to budget, please consider tuition fees, applied music fees, lab fees, and room and board (if applicable) less any financial aid or payments from other sources.
• Fixed Plan 529 - this plan requires prior approval from Student Accounts and is utilized for 529 plans and prepaid payments. Please contact studentaccts@cnu.edu for more information.

These plans may be used by full-time or part-time students. The initial payment for the first two plans above is due at the time of enrollment. Please "opt-in" for automatic payments when you enroll as a $10 late fee is assessed on any missed payments. These are interest-free payment plans.

Payment plans become available for enrollment in July for the Fall semester and December for the Spring semester. 

Plan Enrollment and Due Dates

• Students
  • Log into your CNULive account, click "Tuition and Fees"
  • Scroll down and click "View payment plan options" and follow the prompts.
  • To set up an authorized payer, who can enroll in the plan, select "My Account" and then "Send a payer invitation". Enter their information and send. 
• Authorized Payers
  • Log into Authorize Payer Portal (The link would have also been in the invitation to set up your account. If you have not received the invitation, your student will first need to send you one. 

• 5-Payments - Enroll by the payment due date for Fall and January 8th for Spring
  • Scheduled Payment Dates
    • Fall-Date of Enrollment, August 16, September 16, October 16, and November 16
    • Spring-Date of Enrollment, January 16, February 16, March 16, and April 16
• 4-Payments - Enroll by September 6th for Fall and February 7th for Spring
  • Scheduled Payment Dates
    • Fall-Date of Enrollment, September 16, October 16, and November 16
    • Spring-Date of Enrollment, February 16, March 16, and April 16 

• 5-Payments - Enroll by September 6th for Fall and January 8th for Spring 
  • Scheduled Payment Dates
    • Fall-Date of Enrollment, August 16, September 16, October 16, and November 16
    • Spring-Date of Enrollment, January 16, February 16, March 16, and April 16
• 4-Payments - Enroll by September 6th for Fall and February 7th for Spring
  • Scheduled Payment Dates
    • Fall-Date of Enrollment, September 16, October 16, and November 16
    • Spring-Date of Enrollment, February 16, March 16, and April 16

The Invest529 prePAID plan pays full tuition and required fees each semester. If you are enrolled in a 529 plan, please note the following:

• You must notify Invest529 that you will attend Christopher Newport.
• The University will invoice Invest529 after the add/drop period (see the academic calendar).
• Invest529 will pay the University directly.

The Invest529 InVEST plan can be used for tuition and required fees, room and board, textbooks, and other qualified higher education expenses.

The Virginia Line of Duty Act (LODA), established in Title 9.1 of the Code of Virginia and enacted in 1972, provides a waiver of undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees at any public institution of higher education to eligible family members of eligible employees and volunteers killed in the line of duty while serving under certain Virginian Commonwealth occupations (please see Code of Virginia link above for specific eligible state occupations).

Waiver Criteria

Institutions that grant waivers "shall waive the amounts payable for tuition, institutional charges and mandatory educational fees, and books and supplies¹ but shall not waive user fees such as room and board charges."²

Eligibility Criteria

According to the Virginia Line of Duty Act, a waiver of undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees³ at any public institution of higher education under the following conditions:

1. The chief executive officer of the deceased individual's employer certifies that such individual was so employed and was killed in the line of duty while serving or living in the Commonwealth; and
2. The surviving spouse and any child between the ages of 16 and 25 of an individual who was killed in the line of duty, as defined by the code² is admitted to, enrolls at, attends, and applies to such institution for the waiver. Waiver recipients who meet federal satisfactory academic progress (SAP)⁴ are eligible for renewal of such waiver.

Required Eligibility Documentation

• Verification letter of line of duty death and benefits from employer.
• Proof the deceased is the parent or spouse of the receiving student.
  • Dependent: Copy of student’s birth certificate for dependent children
  • Spouse: Marriage license for spouse

Application Process

If you meet the eligibility criteria for Virginia Line of Duty Waiver, please submit required eligibility documents to the Office of Student Accounts by email to studentaccts@cnu.edu.

Once received, we will review and follow up with an update within 5-15 business days of receipt. If eligible, the waiver will remain effective during the enrollment as long as SAP continues to be met.

Tuition and fees waiver will be applied directly to the account. To receive reimbursement for books/materials forward proof of required course books and receipt of payment or request for payment to be made to the University Bookstore to studentaccts@cnu.edu.

¹ Books and Supplies: If the books/materials are required for the course, both the tuition and the books/material will be waived.

² “§23.1-609. Surviving spouses and children of certain individuals; tuition and fee waivers.” Code of Virginia.

³ Tuition and Fees: Waiver applies to undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees. The waiver excludes graduate tuition and fees, and additional charge categories such as Housing and Dining.

⁴ SAP: To comply with federal satisfactory academic progress (SAP) requirements, at the end of academic year, the student’s grades will be reviewed to verify the student meets the SAP standards which is a requirement of all financial aid recipients. If a student is placed on financial aid suspension, the student is no longer eligible for financial aid, including the line of duty benefits, per the code of VA. More information about CNU’s SAP policy and process can be found here: https://cnu.edu/financialaid/conditions/sappolicy/

In accordance with the Senior Citizen’s Higher Education Act of 1974, senior citizens can enroll in courses as full-time or part-time students for academic credit, without charge, providing taxable income for federal income tax purposes did not exceed $23,850 for the year preceding the enrollment year.

Senior citizens may also, without charge, audit courses and enroll in noncredit courses without regard to income. The student is responsible for certain course fees (e.g., music, lab, or online course fees).

Under this program, the categorization of senior citizen applies to those whose 60th birthday falls before the registration term and who have been a legal resident of Virginia for one year.

For more information, please contact the Office of Student Accounts.