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DeanDesk billing is powered by Stripe. You collect payments directly through your platform — tuition plans, one-time fees, and invoices — and Stripe deposits the funds into your bank account on a standard payout schedule. No separate billing tool is required.

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Tuition plans and recurring billing

Tuition plans let you charge students on a schedule — monthly, quarterly, per semester, or any cycle you define. You create plans at the program level so different programs can carry different pricing.

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Create a program and pricing plan

1

Open Tuition Plans

Go to Admin Dashboard → Tuition Plans.
2

Create a program

Click New Program and enter a name (e.g. “Part Time Program”, “Full Time Program”). A program groups one or more pricing options.
3

Add a pricing plan

Inside the program, click Add Pricing Plan and configure:
  • Plan name — what students see when selecting a plan (e.g. “Monthly Tuition”)
  • Amount — the charge amount per billing cycle
  • Billing cycle — how often the charge recurs (monthly, every 6 months, annually, etc.)
4

Save

Click Save. The plan is now available to assign to students.
Example pricing plans:
Plan nameAmountBilling cycleTotal per year
Monthly Tuition$100Monthly$1,200
Semester Plan$600Every 6 months$1,200
Annual Tuition$1,100Annually$1,100
Offering multiple plans for the same program lets students choose the payment frequency that works best for them while you collect the same total tuition.

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How students enroll in a plan

Once a pricing plan exists, students can select and pay for it from their own portal.
1

Student opens Billing History

The student logs in and navigates to their Billing History page.
2

Student selects a plan

Available pricing plans appear on the page. The student selects the plan they want.
3

Student enters payment details and pays

The student enters their credit card or bank account information and confirms payment. The first charge is collected immediately. Recurring charges are collected automatically on the billing cycle.
Admins can also enroll a student in a plan on their behalf from Admin Dashboard → User Management → [student profile] → Billing.

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Send an invoice

Use Invoice Management to create and send custom invoices to one or more students. Invoices are useful for one-time charges, supply fees, late fees, or any amount that falls outside a recurring plan.
1

Open Invoice Management

Go to Admin Dashboard → Invoice Management.
2

Select students

Search for and select the students who will receive the invoice. You can invoice one student or a group at the same time.
3

Add line items

Click Add Line Item for each charge. Enter a description and amount for each item.
Example descriptionAmount
Registration fee$75.00
Course materials$45.00
Late payment fee$25.00
4

Review and send

Review the total and click Send. Each selected student receives an invoice by email and sees the outstanding balance on their Billing History page.

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Issue a refund

Refunds are issued as negative line items on an invoice.
1

Open Invoice Management

Go to Admin Dashboard → Invoice Management.
2

Select the student

Search for the student you are refunding.
3

Add a negative line item

Click Add Line Item, enter a description (e.g. “Refund – Registration Fee”), and enter the amount as a negative number (e.g. -75.00).
4

Send the invoice

Click Send. The negative amount reduces the student’s outstanding balance. If the balance goes below zero, the credit carries forward toward their next charge.
Negative invoice line items create a credit on the student’s account inside DeanDesk. If you need to return funds to a student’s card or bank account, process the refund directly from your Stripe dashboard.

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View a student’s billing history and outstanding balance

1

Open the student's profile

Go to Admin Dashboard → User Management, search for the student, and open their profile.
2

Click the Billing tab

The Billing tab shows:
  • Outstanding balance — the total amount currently owed
  • Payment history — a list of every charge, payment, and credit with dates and amounts
  • Active plans — any recurring billing plans the student is enrolled in
Students can see the same information on their own Billing History page and can pay their outstanding balance directly from there.

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Add a payment method for a student

Admins can add or update payment methods on behalf of a student from the Admin Dashboard.
1

Open the student's profile

Go to Admin Dashboard → User Management and open the student’s profile.
2

Go to the Billing tab

Click the Billing tab, then scroll to Payment Methods.
3

Add a payment method

Click Add Payment Method and select the type:
Enter the card number, expiration date, and CVV. DeanDesk stores the card securely via Stripe. The student can use this card for future payments.
4

Save

Click Save. The payment method is now available for future charges.
Payment method comparison:
MethodProcessing feeSettlement timeBest for
Credit / debit card~2.9% + $0.302 business daysSmaller or one-time payments
Bank account (ACH)Capped at $53–5 business daysTuition and large recurring payments

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Stripe payouts to your institution

DeanDesk sends collected funds to your institution’s bank account through Stripe’s standard payout schedule.
  • Default payout timing — funds are deposited 2 business days after a successful card payment; ACH payments settle in 3–5 business days
  • Payout schedule — daily by default; configurable to weekly or monthly in your Stripe settings

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Access your Stripe dashboard

Go to Admin Dashboard → Stripe Configuration and click the Stripe Dashboard link in the top-right corner of the page. From the Stripe dashboard you can:
  • View detailed transaction history
  • Monitor upcoming payouts
  • Update your payout bank account
  • Issue direct refunds to cards
Changes made in the Stripe dashboard (such as refunds or payout schedule adjustments) are reflected in Stripe but may not automatically sync back to DeanDesk’s billing records. Keep both systems in mind when reconciling your finances.

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Export financial data and reports

DeanDesk provides built-in financial reporting to help you track revenue and reconcile accounts.
1

Open Financial Reports

Go to Admin Dashboard → Reports → Financial Reports.
2

Set your date range

Select the start and end dates for the report period.
3

Filter by program or student (optional)

Use the filters to narrow the report to a specific program, pricing plan, or individual student.
4

Export

Click Export CSV to download the data for use in a spreadsheet or accounting tool.
The financial report includes:
  • Total revenue collected in the period
  • Breakdown by program and pricing plan
  • List of all invoices with status (paid, outstanding, voided)
  • Refunds and credits issued
  • Stripe processing fees
Run a monthly export and reconcile it against your Stripe payout deposits to catch any discrepancies early.