Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I find out what the status is of my Stafford or Parent (PLUS) Loan?
2. How can I find out whether or not my Financial Aid award money is on my account and if my refund has been sent?
3. I dropped down to 9 credits. Why am I being charged tuition for more than 9 credits?
4. How are tuition bills sent?
5. Why do you charge late fees?
6. Why am I being charged mandatory fees for services that I may not use?
7. Why don't I see a credit for TAP on my invoice?
8. When and how do I pay my bill?
9. Does the University offer a payment plan?
10. My financial aid is not in yet, how can I buy books?
11. I know there is a debit-type plan on campus called Podium. How does it work?
12. Can I pick up my check in person at the Student Financial Center?
13. How do I qualify for a refund?
14. When will I get my refund?
15. I can't wait two weeks for a refund. How can I speed it up?
16. Why can't my bank loan check simply be given to me rather than applied to my account and then refunded?
17. How do I change my meal plan?
18. What must I do if I receive a scholarship from outside the University at Albany? What if my employer is paying my tuition?
19. If I drop a class, will it affect my financial aid? If I withdraw, do I have to pay back financial aid?
20. Is it possible to receive financial aid for study abroad?
21. Will living off campus affect my financial aid award?

Q1:  How can I find out what the status is of my Stafford or Parent (PLUS) Loan?

Please visit the financial aid site to learn more about accepting loans, completing master promissory notes and other information related to receiving your financial aid. 

Q2:  How can I find out whether or not my financial aid award money is on my account, and if my refund has been sent?

Visit the “Finances” TAB on MyUAlbany to access your account. The Activity tab reflects all account activity. If any financial aid award monies have already been sent to you, the date and amount of the financial aid will be reflected on your account, as will other charges, adjustments, payments and refunds. To have your refund automatically deposited to your checking or saving account sign up for an E-Refund Account at E-Pay, Visit the “Payment Profile” TAB on this website to designate an E-Refund account.

Remember: It may take as many as five business days from the date of disbursement for your check to arrive through the US mail system.

Q3:  I dropped down to 9 credits. Why am I being charged tuition for more than 9 credits?

If you dropped a semester-length course after the first week of the semester, you have partial or full liability for the dropped credits. View a complete listing of drop/withdrawal deadlines and tuition liability percentages. Note that 8 Week 2 courses have refund schedules that begin about half way through the semester. Dropping below 12 credits may affect your full-time status as well as your financial aid eligibility -- so if you are thinking of dropping below 12 credits, check with the Student Financial Center before doing so. Summer Session courses are condensed into fewer weeks. The summer adjustment schedule is also shorter.

Q4:  How are tuition bills sent?

Invoices are issued electronically on or about the 20th of each month. When your new invoice is available, an e-mail is sent to your student e-mail ending in @albany.edu. Visit E-Pay to see you most current invoice. Payment is always due in the 15th of the following month. Paper invoices are not issued.

Q5:  Why do you charge late fees?

Our bills have specific due dates.  Late payments result in higher operating costs for the University.   Late fees can be avoided entirely by simply taking care of payment in a timely manner. This means applying for financial aid on time, and making payments by the due date.

Q6:  Why am I being charged mandatory fees for services that I may not use?

These are services required on-campus, and are part of the tuition cost to attend the University at Albany.

Q7:  Why don't I see a credit for TAP on my invoice?

There may be several reasons why TAP does not appear on your invoice:

1. At the time the invoice was issued, you may have been registered for less than full-time (Full-time is 12 credits during the Fall/Spring, or register for less than 6 credits during the Summer)
2. You may have indicated a school  code other than the University at Albany on your TAP application (code 0895 for undergraduates, code 5390 for graduates);
3. You may simply have forgotten to complete a TAP application.
4. The new State Budget may not yet be in effect. This means that the Higher Education Services Corporation cannot yet determine the amount of your award, even though HESC has received your application. Remember, estimated TAP on your Financial Aid award letter is just that - an estimate. You may not defer payment of your charges based on estimated TAP on your award letter - only TAP awarded by the HESC may be used to defer payment of charges.
   

Q8:  When and how do I pay my bill?

Generally, the first Fall semester invoice is generated around the 20th of July; the first Spring invoice is issued on or about December 20; the first Summer invoice is issued on or about May 20. Electronic invoices are generated on or about the 20th of every month and are due on the 15th of the following month.

Tuition and fee charges are based on the number of credits for which a student has registered. Your bill will reflect tuition charges for only those classes for which you have enrolled.  Other charges are based on information provided by other University offices prior to the invoice date. After the first invoice for the semester, administrative/late payment fees of up to $50 are assessed for any balance remaining unpaid by each invoice payment due date. 

Please visit E-Pay to pay your invoice online.  You may also submit check or credit card information by mail, or make a cash or debit card payment at the Bursar counter.  Payments, with a copy of your invoice should be mailed to:

University at Albany
State University of New York
P.O. Box 22048
Albany, NY  12201-2048

Mailed payments are received by the University's bank where they are processed overnight and credited to students' accounts the following business day.

Q9:  Does the University offer a payment plan?

Yes, the University offers an online E-Payment Plan.  Please visit E-Pay to enroll. The E-Payment Plan was developed to help students and families meet their financial obligations while attending the University at Albany. The semester’s tuition and fees can be made in four installments. There is a one time enrollment fee of $45 per semester. You must enroll each semester in which you intend to participate. 

Q10:  My financial aid is not in yet, how can I buy books?

At the beginning of every term, students may use the Podium+ option on their SUNYCard to buy their books at the University Bookstore. Please visit the Podium Account site and click on the link for “Podium Account Advance for additional information.

Q11:  I know there is a debit-type plan on campus called Podium. How does it work?

Please visit the UAS Podium Account webpage for more information.

Q12:  Can I pick up my check in person at the Student Financial Center?

Refunds by check are mailed to your (the student's) permanent address or deposited to your E-Refund Account. To set up an E-Refund Account please visit the “payment profiles” page at E-Pay. If you want us to mail your checks to a local address instead, you must add or update your refund address under "My Address Information" in MyUAlbany. We do not hold checks for personal pick up.

Q13:  How do I qualify for a refund?

In order for us to process a refund, several conditions must be met:

• First, the aid money must have arrived on campus from the program fund or from your lender.
• Second, you must be registered, for the number of credits specified for the type of aid you have been awarded.
• Third, you must have signed all promissory notes, entrance forms, and any other documents required for your aid programs.
• Fourth, the aid must be eligible for refund in accordance with timetables established by Federal and State regulations.
  

Q14:  When will I get my refund?

Under federal regulations, the earliest we can process Stafford and Plus Loan exchanges is 10 days before classes begin, and a large number of students receive their refunds at that point. However, some forms of financial aid arrive later. Excess aid is refund as it is received.  If your aid arrives on campus and you are not registered for the number of credits required for the aid program(s), your refund will be delayed.

Q15:  I can't wait two weeks for a refund. How can I speed it up?

Apply for aid early so that your money arrives on campus on time. Advance-register for classes, and advance-register for the number of credits you need for the aid (e.g., for TAP you need to be full-time). Complete all paperwork or actions needed by your academic department, Financial Aid Office, sponsoring agency, or by us to qualify for grants, scholarships, or loans according to the established deadlines.   Students who follow this "routine" usually receive timely refunds.

Q16:  Why can't my bank loan check simply be given to me rather than applied to my account and then refunded?

We apply bank loans to accounts in order to record them in a computerized fashion and to meet our accounting responsibilities to the federal government in the most efficient manner possible.

Q17:  How do I change my meal plan?

You may change your meal plan until the 10th business day of each semester. To change your plan:

• Visit MyUAlbany
  Go to "Change My Meal Plan."
• By Email
  Send your meal plan request, your UAlbany student identification number, and your name to The SUNYCard Office at sunycard@albany.edu.
• In Person
  Complete a Meal Plan Change Card at the SUNYCard Office, Campus Center B-52.
  

Q18:  What must I do if I receive a scholarship from outside the University at Albany? What if my employer is paying my tuition?

If you will receive aid/scholarships from any source outside of the University, please send a copy of the official notification letter to our office. Please provide your name and Albany ID on the notification.

Any financial assistance from outside sources or your employer will be added to your financial aid package. In the event that the outside assistance affects your eligibility for previously awarded financial aid, your award will be adjusted and you will be sent a revised financial aid award notice.

Q19:  If I drop a class, will it affect my financial aid? If I withdraw, do I have to pay back financial aid?

Depending on what date you drop your class, you may be required to E-Pay a portion of the financial aid you have received for the term. For New York State awards, including TAP, dropping classes or withdrawing may affect your award for the current and future terms. Additionally, you may continue to owe partial or full liability for tuition.  Please refer to the Tuition and Liability schedule to review how your tuition charges may be affected.

If you have questions or concerns on how a change in your academic schedule may affect your financial aid, contact the Student Financial Center at (518)442-3202 or visit the office, located in the campus center, room B26.

Undergraduate Students withdrawing from UAlbany must contact the Department of Withdrawal and Reentry located in the Office of Undergraduate Education, LC-30, to complete and sign the Undergraduate Withdrawal/Departure form. The form is also available on their website.

If you are a graduate student, please e-mail the Office of Graduate Studies. Failure to do so may result in any or all of the following:

• Loss of financial aid adjustments
• Academic consequences
• Loss of the opportunity to re-enter UAlbany at a later date
  

Q20:  Is it possible to receive financial aid for study abroad?

If you are a University at Albany student considering studying abroad, in most cases, you will be able to receive financial aid. Study Abroad application information can be found on the UAlbany Financial Aid website at Study Abroad. Timeliness and proper documentation are essential to successfully securing a financial aid award prior to your departure.

Visiting students (students who are not matriculated at UAlbany) are not eligible to receive financial aid through UAlbany. However, visiting students, studying in a sponsored UAlbany program MAY be able to receive financial aid through their home institution. Contact your home institution's financial aid office.

Q21:  Will living off campus affect my financial aid award?

Most of the time, the answer is "no". "Off campus" means living in an apartment by yourself or with roommates, and your eligibility for financial aid will be the same as living on campus. If you are commuting from your parents' home, however, your out-of-pocket costs will be lower and may reduce your eligibility for financial aid.