Understanding SUNY Empire State College Tuition and Fees
SUNY Empire State College offers flexible learning options with multiple start dates throughout the academic year. Understanding the tuition structure, associated fees, payment options, and financial aid opportunities is crucial for prospective and current students. This article provides a comprehensive overview of these aspects to help students manage their finances effectively while pursuing their education.
Enrollment Terms and Deadlines
At Empire State University's regional locations and online, you may begin your study at the start dates of our three terms - fall, spring and summer - during the academic year. Each term also contains two overlapping 8-week express terms. Please see the University Calendar section or the Office of the Registrar's web page for academic calendar details.
Although you may enroll in terms that overlap, you may not receive financial aid for any term that begins during your enrollment in a previous term. Students who enroll in The Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Students who enroll in the School of Nursing and Allied Health may begin in the Fall or Spring terms.
The submission of an online registration initiates billing and is a business contract between you and the university. It permits you to begin study at Empire State University and obligates you to pay tuition and all applicable fees. This must be completed and submitted online by the student by the Last Date for Payment for the selected term. The Last Date for Payment for each term can be found on the Payment Due Date web page. Students should review their Student Account Statement on MySUNYEmpire after registering. Students are considered enrolled unless they officially withdraw.
Tuition Rates and Residency
The university requires that tuition and all mandatory fees be paid or that a Time Payment Plan be established no later than the payment due date for the enrollment term. Your payment is due by the term payment due date. You will not receive a paper bill and may instead view your student account statement in MySUNYEmpire, select the TouchNet link. If you fail to pay, make Time Payment Plan arrangements or have approved financial aid by the last date for payment, your registration may be cancelled, and you may lose your place in an online course or study group.
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Tuition is charged by the credit. For more complete tuition and fee information visit Tuition and Fees web page.
Students must live in NYS for the full year (12 months) prior to the term starting and have an intent to make NY their permanent home (domicile) in order to receive NYS resident rates. 2 Only students who have resided in New York state for 12 months before the enrollment term and are considered to be a domiciled resident qualify for in-state tuition rates. For more information about this requirement, including exceptions to the domicile rule, see NYS Residency for Tuition Purposes and visit the Policy on New York State Residency web page.
If you are charged nonresident tuition rates and believe you meet the criteria for NYS residency for tuition purposes, you must apply for a change in residency status using the New York State Residency application form at MySUNYEmpire's Forms and Publications page. You must include at least three documents demonstrating an established domicile in New York state. All documents must be dated one year or prior to the start date of the semester for which you are applying for residency. Completed residency applications must be submitted by the last date of add/drop period for the term which tuition is due.
Mandatory Fees
In addition to tuition, students are generally required to pay several mandatory fees. The college fee and student activity fee are mandatory student charges imposed per term on all students in the State University system. The technology fee is charged to students as part of a comprehensive funding plan to build and maintain an infrastructure that offers students the highest quality learning environment. The health and wellness fee is $15 per term for enrollment less than 12 credits and $35 per term for enrollments of 12 credits and more.
Additional Fees
The Individualized Credit for Prior Learning (ICPL) fee is a $700 flat fee. The fee is charged at the time a student’s individualized credit for prior learning request is accepted at the office of academic review and is nonrefundable once the request is accepted. If a student has been charged any amount for individualized credit for prior learning under the previous fee tiered structure, they will not be charged an additional ICPL fee. For example, if a student has requested 8 credits of individualized credit for prior learning and paid a $350 fee in the past, that student will not be charged again for additional credit for prior learning assessments. Students who were charged the previous Individual Evaluation Fee (IEF) are also exempt from the ICPL fee.
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The M.S. in Finance program requires access to online financial data for some of its required courses. SUNY Empire will provide access to this data via Thomson Reuters Eikon web application each term, for a fee. The fee to access this database is listed in the fees tab of the course description. The fee is assessed at the time a student registers for a course that requires it. This is not a one-time fee. It will be assessed for each course that a student chooses to enroll in a course that utilizes the database in that term.
There is a fee for each face-to-face residency or executive retreat attended. Depending on the course and the location associated with the residency, the fee may range from $100 to $350. Transportation, meals, which are not part of the residency, and lodging are not included in this fee.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
As a prospective student, you are urged, if you have not done so already, to apply for financial aid at least eight weeks before the payment due date for the term. Scholarships are a type of funding that you don’t need to pay back. Need-based scholarships take a student’s financial status into account. Merit-based scholarships are awarded to students for academic or athletic achievement. You might also qualify for a scholarship based on your community service involvement, unique hobbies or traits, your personal background, or a parent’s employer or military affiliation. Some students receive enough in scholarship money to cover their tuition and living expenses.
See the types of scholarships and grants available at SUNY Empire State University below. Types of need-based scholarships/grants available Average Need-Based Scholarship or Grant Award (First-year Students).
Working while in school can help lessen the burden of your student loans. Schools offer work-study programs to those who qualify and campus jobs to students looking to earn money in their free time. Some institutions match students with work-study positions, while others require them apply to the positions, like they would for any other job. Begin your job search by checking whether your college has in-person or online job boards. Term schedules and deadlines, plus registration information are located elsewhere in this catalog.
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3 All nonresident students attending SUNY Empire are automatically eligible for an Empire State University nonresident tuition grant to offset their educational costs. 4 All active-duty military, guard, reservists and veterans are eligible for an Empire State University military grant of $45 per credit to offset their educational costs. The net tuition for military students is $250 per credit.
Payment Options and Plans
Empire State University offers an interest-free, low-cost payment plan, through TouchNet, to pay your charges in convenient monthly installments. Students may be able to defer payment of tuition and fees if they have sponsorship from a third party such as an employer or union. The university will review and if approved, the amount will show as estimated aid on the student’s account statement. If a third-party sponsorship is not paid for any reason, or a voucher is not finalized, the student is responsible for any outstanding balance.
You also may pay your bill with a check or money order (do not send cash) made payable to Empire State University.
Consequences of Non-Payment
A balance is any charge remaining or created on an account. Once an account is identified as having a past due balance, an accounts receivable financial hold is placed on the student’s account and services from the university, including registration and grades, are restricted until the balance is paid in full. Unpaid accounts are forwarded to a third-party collection agency or the Office of the Attorney General at which time interest and/or fees are retroactively assessed based on the date of your first billing statement. The attorney general’s office may certify the debt to the New York State Department of Tax and Finance Offset Program. All costs associated with the collection of overdue accounts are the responsibility of the student. Delinquent accounts may be reported to a credit agency. The State University reserves the right to withhold academic records from any student who has not satisfied all obligations.
Withdrawal and Refund Policies
To officially withdraw from one or more studies at any point in the term, a student must withdraw online by logging into their MySUNYEmpire account. The effective date of the withdrawal will be the postmark date of the envelope or the date the fax is received. A student is considered officially enrolled for their courses until they have withdrawn online or have submitted a Withdrawal Form to the Office of the Registrar. Liability will be calculated according to the State University of New York withdrawal/refund policy. If a student withdraws before the enrollment start date, then 100% of all tuition and fees are refundable. The first date of the term is Day 1. Prorated liability applies only for official student withdrawals and are calculated according to the effective date of the student’s withdrawal. If a withdrawal creates a credit on a student’s account, a refund will be issued within 28 days. Withdrawals and Administrative Withdrawals may impact current and future financial aid eligibility. If you receive financial aid and are withdrawing from one or more courses, federal and state aid eligibility may be affected. If you are forced to withdraw from your studies due to unforeseen and extenuating circumstances, you may request an exception to the university’s written withdrawal policy from the Office of Administration through Student Accounts.
Student Loan Debt
How much student loan debt you accumulate can affect your financial life long after college ends. Ideally, your total student loan debt should fall below your anticipated starting salary once you graduate. At SUNY Empire State University, the median federal loan debt among borrowers who completed their undergraduate degree is $18,730. The median monthly federal loan payment (if it were repaid over 10 years at 5.05% interest) for student federal loan borrowers who graduated is $199.
Additional Cost Considerations
As you’re comparing costs of different institutions, also consider the total cost and the net price. The total cost is the sticker price, plus the cost of food and housing, books and supplies, and transportation and personal expenses. Need-based self-help aid includes federal loans and work-study. Merit-based aid, also called non-need-based aid, is awarded for a specific talent or athletic or academic achievement.
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