Students can use 529 College Savings Plans to pay their tuition for qualified higher education expenses. Qualified education expenses include tuition and fees, room and board, book supplies, and technology items.

Tuition is a qualified expense for students attending half time or more. For students attending half time or more, room and board directly paid to the University is a qualified expense. Room and board paid to a landlord (off-campus housing) can qualify up to the amount of the University’s room and board estimates for your cohort. Students are encouraged to refer to IRS Publication 970 that provides further guidance on these qualified expenses in addition to eligible book supplies and technology item expenses.

To begin this process, the account holder must notify the 529 Plan administrator of the intent to access available funds. The 529 Plan administrator then transfers the requested funds to the University for that term. If the 529 Plan funds do not cover the entire balance, the student will be expected to pay the remaining amount due by the published date. Students may continue to receive reminders of their outstanding bills prior to receipt of the 529 payment.

Many 529 plans now offer electronic delivery, a faster and more secure alternative to mailed checks. Check with your 529 provider to see if this option is available.

Please note: 529 funds sent directly to the University cannot be used for monthly payment plans. If you wish to enroll in a payment plan, please check with your 529 Provider to have funds sent directly to the account used for your payment plan account.

529 payments should be requested early to allow for processing and postal mail delivery prior to the published bill due dates. If it is anticipated that a 529 payment will not arrive to the university by the published semester deadline, students should notify Miami University of the arriving funds by completing the 529 College Savings Plan & Trust Form. This form is not required to submit payment, but can be used to notify the university of any payment delays. Please note, only students can log in and report the expected 529 payment with this form. Authorized parties should encourage their students to login and register their 529 payments as needed.