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529 Plans and other College Savings Plans

529 Plans and other College Savings Plans can be utilized for registration expenses. Please select from the options below to find the instructions for most 529 plans or other College Savings Plans. 
 

Santa Barbara City College is experiencing significant delays in posting checks to student accounts. We highly recommend students pay out-of-pocket for their registration fees to avoid drops for non-payment. Please see "I have registered for classes but I only have 7 days to pay before I am dropped?" below for payment options. 

Please send all checks to: 
Santa Barbara City College
ATTN: Cashier's Office
721 Cliff Drive
Santa Barbara, CA 93109

All payments must be received and posted to the student account prior to the drop for non-payment deadline. 
Checks must include the student ID (K#) and the exact balance due on the student account. Please monitor your Pipeline email for any correspondence from SBCC. 

Set Up Information and FAQ's

If your 529 or College Savings Plan has a billing office:
If your savings plan has a billing office, please have the financial institution contact cashiers@sbcc.edu for direct billing of registration expenses. 

Most tuition billing is only valid for one semester, please ensure that you request a new agreement to be sent to the SBCC Cashier’s Office from your financial institution each semester. If your agreement is specifically for one academic year or longer, you will need to email cashiers@sbcc.edu prior to your registration date for each semester to verify your intent to register for the upcoming semester. You will receive a confirmation email from the Cashier’s Office to your Pipeline email. Please read this email carefully as this will include information and additional instructions specific to your third party/outside program. 

If your 529 or College Savings Plan does not have a billing office: 
     1. The student needs to register for classes or calculate the exact amount that will be due on the account. 
     2. The planholder will need to request a disbursement of funds to be sent to the Cashier’s Office for the exact amount due. The cashier will not post payment if the amount on the check does not match the exact amount due on the student account. Over/under payments will be rejected and sent back to the savings plan institution. 
     3. Once the check has been received, the Cashier’s Office will post the payment to the student account.

If you have a billing office: most contracts are only valid for one semester, please ensure that you request a new contract to be sent to the SBCC Cashier’s Office from your financial institution each semester. 

If your contract is specifically for one academic year or longer, you will need to email cashiers@sbcc.edu prior to your registration date for each term to verify your intent to register for the upcoming semester. 
You will receive a confirmation email from the Cashier’s Office to your Pipeline email. Please read this email carefully as this will include information and additional instructions specific to your college savingvs plan. 

If you do not have a billing office: Please follow the steps from “How do I use my college savings plan to pay for my tuition” above for every semester.

If you are concerned about being dropped for non-payment before the Cashier’s Office receives and posts your 529 plan or College Savings Plan check, please see the following options:

Option 1: Pay for your classes out-of-pocket, once we receive the check from your savings plan, we will contact you via phone or Pipeline email to confirm that you would like to utilize the check for tuition expenses. You will be provided with refund information to receive a full refund for your out-of-pocket payment to SBCC. We will not post any checks without your authorization. Checks will be returned to the program if we do not hear from you by the deadline listed in the email.

Option 2: Pay for your classes out-of-pocket. Contact your savings plan to see if they can send you a check directly for reimbursement for your out-of-pocket payment. It is your responsibility to ensure the funds are reported according to IRS guidelines.*

Option 3: (Due to COVID-19 and our limited on-campus operations, we highly discourage this option at this time) Send a request to your savings plan to send a check for Next-Day delivery. The Cashier’s Office must receive the check and post the payment to avoid being dropped within the 7-day deadline. Next-Day delivery must be received during normal business hours (M-F). Please factor in 1-2 business days for the Cashier’s Office to post the payment to the student account after the check has been received. 

If you have questions about how to have your savings plan pay for your books and supplies, please contact the SBCC Bookstore Accountant, Cyndi Rogers at:
clrogers3@sbcc.edu or 805-897-3472. 

Please email Cyndi from your Pipeline email. Please include your K# and the name of your third party/outside program.

SBCC does not offer on-campus housing, please contact your savings plan provider directly for questions regarding utilizing funds for housing or other outside college related expenses. SBCC will not facilitate the disbursement of these funds.

While SBCC will not facilitate the disbursment of funds, your savings plan may be used for other college related expenses. To find out more and about IRS guidelines/requirements, please contact a tax consultant/advisor or your plan provider.*

Please email cashiers@sbcc.edu for questions and assistance. Please include the name of your College Savings Plan and your K#. For security purposes, please email us from your Pipeline email address. 

*Santa Barbara City College is not authorized to offer any personal tax advice. Please address all questions and concerns regarding personal tax matters to a tax consultant/advisor or the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040. 

Students who are requesting accommodations on the basis of disability, including an alternate format of these petitions and forms, should make an appointment with a DSPS (Disability Services and Programs for Students) Specialist in the Student Services Building, Room 160 or call 805-730-4164 or email dsps@sbcc.edu.  

Campus Location

Student Services Building
1st Floor - Room SS-150
805-730-4197