Educational Savings Accounts and 529 Plans

Educational Savings Plan/529 Plan payments are welcomed by Iowa State University. Please contact your plan administrator to let them know your student will be attending Iowa State University. Inquire whether they need an invoice sent directly from ISU on your student’s behalf.

  • If they DO NOT require an invoice, work with your plan administrator directly on how to request the withdrawal of funds from your account. Some plans will deposit the money into your personal bank account and then have you make a payment to ISU. Other plans will cut a check directly to ISU on your behalf. 529 payments should include the student’s full name and University ID number (UID) and should be mailed to:
    • ISU Treasurer’s Office 
      1220 Beardshear Hall 
      515 Morrill Road, Ames, IA 50011
  • Payments typically take 7-10 business days to arrive at ISU after you have requested the funds. Please keep this in mind so the payment arrives before the due date.

College Savings Iowa DOES NOT require an invoice from Iowa State University.

The Accounts Receivable Office will send the invoice after the 10th day of class each semester. The 529 funds typically arrive 4-5 weeks later. During this time, the student’s U-Bill account will be coded so that finance charges will not occur. However, after the 529 payment is applied to the U-Bill, any remaining balance must be paid by the following dates:

  • Fall Semester: October 20th
  • Spring Semester: March 20
  • Summer Semester: July 20th

The most common plans that currently require an invoice from ISU are:

  • College Illinois Institution Solutions
  • Florida Prepaid College Program
  • Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan 
  • Nevada Prepaid Tuition Program
  • Mississippi MPACT Student Billing
  • Kentucky KAPT Student Billing
  • Michigan Educational Trust (MET)
  • Alabama PACT Program

Overpayment of the U-Bill by an Educational Savings Account/529 Plan is discouraged. After review, we will likely refund any overpayment to the direct deposit bank account on file.

For more information:

Contact the Accounts Receivable office at (515) 294-7388 or