Refunds

Refunds for Tuition and Fees Eligibility

Students who have submitted full payment and drop courses prior to the first day of the semester/session will receive a 100% refund.

Students who submitted full payment and drop courses after the start of the semester/session may be due a partial refund according to the liability schedule.

All student fees are nonrefundable if classes are dropped after the start of the semester.

Refunds are not issued for:

Official withdrawals (W grades)
Unofficial withdrawals (WU grades)
Non-attendance (WN grades)
Administrative Withdrawal (WA Grades)
Failing or incomplete grades

The Commitment Deposit is nonrefundable.

Refund Process

The refund period for each term starts after the last day to add a class.

Refunds for payments made via eCheck, cash, check, money order will be issued via paper check or direct deposit (how to enroll in direct deposit [pdf]). These refunds are processed each Tuesday and disbursed each Friday. Refund checks are mailed to the mailing address listed in CUNYfirst. To receive your refund in a timely manner, ensure that your address (including your apartment number) is correct and up-to-date in CUNYfirst (How to update your address).
Credit and Debit card refunds will be returned to the same card used for payment. These refunds are processed each Wednesday and should generally show on your account within 7-10 business days from the date processed.

If you have been issued a refund and do not receive it after 21 days of the issue date, you may request a stop payment of the check by contacting the Office of Student Accounts at 718.758.8660 or via e-mail. Processing time for reissued checks is generally two to three weeks.

Financial Aid Disbursement

If your financial aid award exceeds your total tuition charges, the excess financial aid award may be refunded to you.

Available refund options
- Enroll in Direct Deposit (strongly recommended).
- Receive paper check via mail. (See how to edit your mailing address in CUNYfirst [steps 4–9]).
Review the information below regarding how financial aid awards are applied to your CUNYfirst account and subsequently disbursed to you.

Pell Book Advance Refund

The book advance refund is an advance on your pending PELL award; therefore, this may appear on your CUNYfirst account as an outstanding balance until your Pell award disburses to cover it.

Be aware that you are not being charged an additional balance for your book advance on top of your tuition charges. However, if your Pell award is reduced or removed and you have already received a refund, the book advance refund may have to be returned.

Other Financial Aid Disbursements/Refunds

Financial aid awards are posted/disbursed to a student's CUNYfirst account based on the financial aid calendar.

Once the award is received by the college and all tuition and fees are covered, any excess funds will be disbursed to the student.*

Financial aid disbursements are processed in CUNYfirst every Monday, converted to a refund on Tuesday, and disbursed via mail or Direct Deposit each Friday.

If you are enrolled in direct deposit, funds are disbursed to the bank account linked to CUNYfirst.
Financial Aid Refund checks are mailed to the mailing address entered in CUNYfirst. To receive your disbursement in a timely manner, ensure that your address (including your apartment number) is correct and up-to-date in CUNYfirst.

* If you have submitted payments for any term within the financial aid fiscal year (summer, fall, and spring) and later receive a financial aid award, any excess award will be applied to the tuition and fee charges and a refund will be processed via the original payment method.

For example: If you paid for the summer term balance by eCheck and then receive a financial aid award for the fall term that exceeds your fall term balance, the excess award will be applied to your summer tuition and fees and a refund will be sent via physical check or direct deposit (if successfully enrolled in direct deposit).

Scholarship Disbursement

Students who have submitted full payment and are due a refund for a scholarship award will receive a refund via the original payment method. Any excess award will be mailed as a physical check or direct deposited (if successfully enrolled in direct deposit).