When you submit a scholarship through the Backpack Scholarship Portal, you have three ways to pay: Pay Now, Send a Payment Link, or Manual ACH. All three deliver the same outcome (funds sent directly to the university), but they fit different organizational workflows.
This article explains each option, when to use it, and which one we recommend for different types of organizations.
TL;DR: If you're a small organization or an individual submitter and you have your bank details handy, use Pay Now. If your finance team handles payments separately from scholarship operations, use Send a Payment Link. If your organization initiates ACH transfers from your own bank or accounting system, use Manual ACH.
Option 1: Pay Now
What it is
Enter your bank account and routing number during the submission flow and complete the payment in the same session. The submission and the payment are bundled into one step.
How it works
You complete the scholarship details, student details, and provider information.
On the payment step, you select Pay Now.
You enter your bank account number and routing number.
You authorize the debit and submit.
Backpack initiates the ACH debit from your account. Once the funds settle, we send them to the university.
When to use Pay Now
You're submitting and paying yourself, in the same session.
You have authority to authorize ACH debits from your organization's bank account.
You have your account and routing numbers available.
When NOT to use Pay Now
Your finance team or accounting department needs to approve or process payments separately. Use Send a Payment Link instead.
Your organization initiates payments from your own bank portal or ERP. Use Manual ACH instead.
You don't have your bank details with you. Don't guess. Use one of the other options.
Option 2: Send a Payment Link
What it is
Backpack emails you a secure payment link. You can open the link, enter banking details, and complete the payment on your own schedule. You don't need to navigate the portal or repeat any of the submission steps you already completed.
How it works
You complete the scholarship details, student details, and provider information.
On the payment step, you select Send a Payment Link.
Backpack emails you a secure link.
You open the link, enter banking details, and authorize the payment.
When to use Send a Payment Link
The person submitting the scholarship is different from the person who pays. This is the most common pattern in organizations of any meaningful size.
Your finance team needs to log payments into your accounting system, get approval, or batch ACH runs on a specific schedule.
You don't have your organization's bank details handy, but someone else on your team does.
What the payment link recipient sees
The recipient receives an email from [email protected] with a link to a Backpack-hosted payment page. The page shows the scholarship details (student, amount, term, university) so you can verify the payment before authorizing it. You enter banking info, click pay, and that's it.
When NOT to use Send a Payment Link
Your organization initiates ACH from your own bank or ERP rather than entering bank details into vendor portals. Use Manual ACH instead.
You're submitting and paying yourself. Use Pay Now for fewer clicks.
Option 3: Manual ACH
What it is
You initiate the ACH transfer from your own bank account or accounting system, using Backpack's banking details. No bank info is entered into the Backpack portal. The payment originates from your side.
How it works
You complete the scholarship details, student details, and provider information.
On the payment step, you select Manual ACH.
You contact Backpack Support to request our banking details. We share them securely (we don't send banking details over email or chat).
Your finance team enters Backpack as a vendor in your bank portal or ERP, using the details we provide.
Your team initiates an ACH transfer to Backpack for the scholarship amount.
Once we receive the funds, Backpack sends them to the university.
When to use Manual ACH
Your organization originates all outgoing payments from its own bank portal, treasury system, or ERP (NetSuite, Sage Intacct, QuickBooks, etc.).
Your accounts payable workflow requires Backpack to be set up as a vendor in your system before any payment can be sent.
You send scholarships through Backpack regularly and want to integrate the payment leg with your normal AP cadence.
You have internal controls that require dual approval, batch processing, or specific payment windows that don't fit into a vendor portal checkout.
When NOT to use Manual ACH
This is your first time using Backpack and you only have one or two scholarships to send. The setup overhead isn't worth it. Use Send a Payment Link instead.
You need the payment to settle as quickly as possible. There's nothing inherently slower about Manual ACH, but coordinating across your AP workflow usually adds calendar time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Backpack charge providers a fee for any of these payment options? Backpack does not charge any fees for scholarships submitted and paid through the Backpack portal.
Can I change the payment method after I've submitted?
If you selected Send a Payment Link and the link hasn't been used yet, you can still choose to send an ACH. If you selected Pay Now and the payment is already processing, it can't be switched. Contact support immediately if you need to stop a payment.
I didn't receive the payment link email. What do I do?
Check your spam and trash, and make sure to whitelist [email protected]. If you still can't find it, contact Backpack Support and we'll resend the link.
Can I use a credit card?
Backpack only supports ACH from US bank accounts. We do not accept credit card payments for scholarships at this time.
Can I pay from a non-US bank account?
Backpack supports US ACH only. If you're an international scholarship provider, email [email protected] and we'll let you know when international support is available.
Once I pay, when does the university apply the funds to the student's account? Posting is controlled by the university's bursar office. Timing varies by school. Contact the university directly for posting timelines if you need to know when funds will hit the student's account specifically.