Skip to main content

How to Enroll in Tuition Option Payment Plan

Ohio State’s Tuition Option Payment Plan (TOPP) allows you to divide the cost of tuition, fees, and housing (if you live on campus) into installment payments. The deadline to enroll in TOPP is by the second installment due date of a term.

TOPP enrollment is optional. To participate, you must sign up each semester through your My Buckeye Link account. A $30 non-refundable enrollment fee is assessed each term you enroll and due with the first payment plan installment.
 

Enroll in Tuition Option Payment Plan (TOPP)

  1. Navigate to buckeyelink.osu.edu and click My Buckeye Link in the Quick Links section at the top right of the page to log into your student account. Use your Ohio State name.# and password as your log-in credentials.

  2.  Click the Finances tile, then choose Enroll in Payment Plan from the left sidebar menu. 
     

    A screenshot of the Finances page in My Buckeye Link with Enroll in Payment Plan selected in the left sidebar menu. An arrow points to it. Also illustrated on the screen in the example is Step 1 of the payment plan enrollment process: Select Payment Plan.
  3. Review the payment plan details, then click Next.
  4. Review the installment schedule and amount you will owe per installment, then click Next. 
  5. Review the TOPP terms and conditions, then switch the “Yes I have read the agreement” toggle button to On. 
  6. Click the Enroll button to complete the enrollment process.  

Pay TOPP Installments

To make a payment toward a TOPP installment, choose from one of the payment methods listed at https://go.osu.edu/paytuition.

If you pay online, you must manually initiate a TOPP installment payment ahead of each due date; automatic account withdrawals are not available. We recommend setting a recurring calendar reminder to help you remember to make your monthly payment installment prior to the due date.
 

TOPP Late Fees and Non-Payment

Failure to pay by the due date listed for each installment may result in late fees being assessed to your account:

  • Up to $300 for the first installment
  • $25 per installment for subsequent installments

Additionally, nonpayment of TOPP installments may result in the addition of a financial hold and/or finance charges to your account, the dropping of future registration, and other consequences as outlined in the Financial Responsibility Statement.

Important Information

  • Most charges assessed to your student account are eligible to enroll in TOPP. The following charges CANNOT be enrolled in TOPP. These charges are due as noted on your student account.
    • Late Payment Fees (including those assessed by University Housing and Dining)
    • Late Registration Fees
    • Collection Charges
    • Returned and Rejected Payments
    • Prior Term Charges
    • BuckID Charges
    • John Glenn Washington Intern Housing (aka WISH Housing)
       
  • Changes made to your account after a TOPP installment due date will adjust your remaining TOPP installment amounts equally. Changes can include but are not limited to adding or dropping courses; financial aid adjustments; and housing and/or meal plan changes.
     
  • When you enroll in TOPP, you automatically authorize any federal financial aid on your account to pay non-institutional charges that you may have incurred which are TOPP eligible (for example, Student Health Insurance).