For students who are unable to pay their charges in full at the beginning of the semester, DTS partners with Nelnet Campus Commerce in providing a payment plan of equal, interest-free monthly installments. The payment plan can be used for tuition, fees, and DTS Bookstore purchases. The payment plan allows all students (degree and nondegree) at all campuses to spread educational expenses over three, four, or five months.

If your DTS charges (tuition, fees, and books) exceed your Nelnet payment plan amount, any remaining balance must be paid directly to DTS. Note: A financial hold may apply to your account if an outstanding balance exists.

Your payment plan amount will be applied to your DTS student account prior to the payment deadline of the semester and be considered as a payment. The amount of your payment plan will be applied with the description of “Pay Monthly Pmt to Nelnet.”

Nelnet Payment Plan Options

Degree or Courses Plan Options Semester/Term Covered Enrollment Period Maximum Enrollment Fee Maximum Budget Amount Payment Due Dates
Masters or PhD 3-Month Summer Mar-May $45.00 $8,000 5/15, 6/15, 7/15
Masters or PhD 4-Month Fall Mar-Sept $45.00 $8,000 9/1, 10/1, 11/1, 12/1
Masters or PhD 4-Month Spring Oct-Feb $45.00 $8,000 2/1, 3/1, 4/1, 5/1
Masters or PhD 5-Month Fall March-Sept $45.00 $8,000 8/1, 9/1, 10/1, 11/1, 12/1
Masters or PhD 5-Month Spring Oct-Feb $45.00 $8,000 1/1, 2/1, 3/1, 4/1, 5/1
DMin or DEdMin 6-Month Winter July-Sept $45.00 $8,000 10/1, 11/1, 12/1, 1/1, 2/1, 3/1
DMin or DEdMin 6-Month Summer Jan-Mar $45.00 $8,000 4/1, 5/1, 6/1, 7/1, 8/1, 9/1

Payment Plan Examples

  • 3-Month Example: Your Summer bill is $3,000. You enroll in a Nelnet payment plan for $3,000. Your monthly payments will be $1,000 ($3,000/3).
  • 5-Month Example: Your Fall bill is $5,000. You receive a DTS scholarship for $1,000, and you enroll in a Nelnet payment plan for $4,000. Your monthly payments will be $800 ($4,000/5).

Enrollment

You will receive an email from DTS upon acceptance with an invitation to Nelnet. This email will come from Nelnet Campus Commerce and will contain enrollment information.

Forms of Payment Accepted by Nelnet

Your payment is due each month directly to Nelnet. Your payment options are as follows:

Automatic Draft (ACH)

  • No additional fees are assessed.
  • You will need your bank routing number and account number in order to enroll in this method. For most banks, this information is available through your online banking website. If not, you can contact your bank for this information.
  • If you enroll in a plan after the first month’s payment is due, you must pay the first month manually and start ACH payments with the second month’s payment.

Automatic Charge to Debit/Credit Card

  • A service fee of 2.99% will apply in addition to the monthly payment.
  • Enroll using your debit/credit card information.

Delinquent Monthly Payments

  • You will be charged by Nelnet a late fee of $35.00* each month you are late.
  • A hold will be placed on your DTS student account until payments are made current.
  • Note: Nelnet holds are through DTS and are not released on your account automatically. If you pay your current Nelnet account balance, please email stuacct@dts.edu and request the hold be released. DTS will verify the necessary information and release the hold if applicable.
  • If you become three months delinquent in payments, you will be terminated from the Nelnet payment plan, and the remaining balance will be returned to your DTS Student Account, due immediately at DTS.
  • Returned Payments—Nelnet charges a $30.00 returned check fee.* Returned payments include, but are not limited to, payments returned due to insufficient funds or wrong bank account information.

*Fees are subject to change. Fees are in addition to your monthly payment.

Adjustments to Your Nelnet Payment Plan Amount

Note: Adjustments are not done automatically.

  • Nelnet Student Support—Please contact stuacct@dts.edu
  • DTS Student Account Office—Please email stuacct@dts.edu requesting the adjustment
  • Adjustments Limit—There is no limit on how many adjustments you may make, and they can be made throughout the semester.
  • No fee is charged for making an adjustment to your payment plan
  • Adjustments must be completed by the fifteenth of each month to be in effect for the following month's payment.
    • Adjustment Example #1: You increase your Nelnet plan on 8/10; your increased payments will start 9/01.
    • Adjustment Example #2: You decrease your Nelnet plan on 8/25; your decreased payments will start 10/01.
  • Direct Loan Recipients—If you received a Direct Loan disbursement after enrolling in Nelnet, your Nelnet payment plan will be adjusted accordingly, or your plan will be paid in full with your Direct Loan funds prior to any Direct Loan excess refund being issued to you.

FAQs

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I want to enroll in a Summer payment plan, but it isn’t coming up as an option on the Nelnet website.

Make sure you are under the correct academic year in the enrollment process. Summer plans are in the current academic year, not the next academic year. For example, if you want a Summer 2027 payment plan, it will be found under the 2026–2027 academic year, not the 2027–2028 academic year.

I dropped a class. Will my Nelnet payments decrease?

Adjustments are not done automatically. You may submit an adjustment request by emailing stuacct@dts.edu. If no adjustment is made, you will continue to make your monthly payments as they are and the credit balance will carry forward to your future charges. For more information on adjustments, see above.

I received a DTS scholarship. Will my account automatically be adjusted?

Adjustments are not done automatically. You may submit an adjustment request by emailing stuacct@dts.edu. If no adjustment is made, you will continue to make your monthly payments as they are and the credit balance will carry forward to your next semester charges. For more information on adjustments, see above.

If I have a credit balance on my DTS student account, can I have that refunded instead of having Nelnet adjusted?

- Not if your Nelnet payment plan is not paid in full. Your plan will be adjusted accordingly.

- Yes, if your Nelnet payment plan is current.

Is the enrollment fee a one-time fee?

No. Each payment plan you set up requires the enrollment fee to be paid to activate the account.

I enrolled in a Nelnet payment plan prior to the payment deadline. Why was I dropped from my classes?

You may have been dropped due to either 1) not paying the enrollment fee and therefore not activating your Nelnet payment plan by the payment deadline, or 2) your Nelnet payment plan budget amount did not cover the full amount that was due on the payment deadline. Contact stuacct@dts.edu to re-enroll.

Can the due date of the monthly payment be changed from the first of the month?

No. The monthly payments are due on the first of each month. Please plan accordingly. The Master's/PhD three=month plan for Summer is the only plan with the due dates on the fifteenth of the month.

The final Spring Nelnet payment is due May 1. When is the first Summer payment due?

Your first Summer Nelnet monthly payment is due May 15. Please plan accordingly.

Will I be charged a service fee if I pay my enrollment fee or my monthly payment to Nelnet by debit or credit card?

Yes. Nelnet will charge a nonrefundable service fee if you choose to pay by debit or credit card.

If I'm late paying my monthly payment to Nelnet, will I incur a late fee?

Yes. Nelnet will charge a late fee if payment is not received on time.

Will Nelnet charge a return payment fee if my payment doesn’t go through?

Yes. Nelnet will charge a return fee if your payment is returned to Nelnet due to insufficient funds or the wrong bank account information.

I didn’t use all the funds I transferred to the DTS Bookstore. What happens to those funds?

Any unused funds on your DTS Bookstore account remain on your Bookstore account for your future purchases. At graduation, any remaining funds will be refunded to you.

I became current on my Nelnet payments. Why do I still have a Nelnet hold on my account?

Nelnet holds are through DTS and are not released on your account automatically. If you pay your current Nelnet account balance, and the hold is not removed, please email stuacct@dts.edu and request the hold be released. DTS will verify the necessary information and release the hold if applicable.

I received a Direct Loan disbursement. Do I still have to make monthly payments to Nelnet?

If you receive a Direct Loan disbursement after enrolling in Nelnet, DTS will adjust your Nelnet payment plan accordingly or pay in full your remaining Nelnet payments prior to any Direct Loan excess refund being issued to you. Depending on your Direct Loan disbursement, you may still have to make monthly payments, but they may be adjusted to a lower monthly payment amount.

Whom can contact if I have questions about my Nelnet account?

You may contact the DTS Bursar/Student Account Office at 214-887-5086 (800-387-9673 x 5086) or email stuacct@dts.edu.

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