FAQs: Credit/Refund on Spring 2020 Semester Costs

A: On 8/6/24 all students received an email announcing changes to the Student Refund Process. Please Note: The email was sent to ALLstudents and receipt does NOT indicate a pending refund. The SFS Office will begin issuing Fall 2024 refunds on the third day of classes.

A: The Academic Excellence Fee is mandatory for all SUNY students attending a University Center. The State University of New York instituted the Academic Excellence and Success Fee to provide the financial resources necessary for building and enhancing academic and student success.

A: All Broad Based Fees are mandatory and cannot be waived. This is to ensure that all programs and services are available to all students. We are very conscious of keeping our costs low, and benchmark our fees each year relative to our SUNY Center peers and other public colleges and universities.

A: The University has billed all mandatory Broad Based Fees regardless of the modality of instruction or individual student use. Comprehensive fees are a means to develop and maintain high quality services and programs that enhance the student experience for all enrolled students. These programs, including transportation, health, career, technology and recreation, among others, are not funded as a fee-for-service; rather all students contribute to funding these programs and have access to them as needed. The University depends on these fees to operate and maintain the programs and services. A list of broad-based fees and the programs and services they fund is available on the Student Financial Services website.

A: It is customary for out of state rates to be higher than in state rates at state supported schools. New York residents support SUNY operations through their tax dollars, as a result New York State residents are charged a discounted tuition rate. The out of state rate cannot be lowered or altered for students who are not New York State Residents or do not obtain New York State Residency. Please visit the Residency Page for more information.

A: Students receive billing notifications as SOLAR messages and emails to their @stonybrook.edu email address. The first Fall billing notification is typically sent out around July 10th and the first Spring billing notification is typically sent out around December 10th. Other billing notifications are sent out around the 1st and 16th of each month.

A: Enrollment in the 4-installment Time Option Payment Plan will be available from 7/12/24 through 8/15/24. The 3-installment Time Option Payment Plan will be evailable from 8/16/24 through 9/15/24. More information can be found here. (link to TOPP page)

A: The University has billed all mandatory Broad Based Fees regardless of the modality of instruction. Comprehensive fees are a means to develop and maintain high quality services and programs that enhance the student experience for all enrolled students. These programs, including transportation, health, career, technology and recreation, among others, are not funded as a fee-for-service; rather all students contribute to funding these programs and have access to them as needed. The University depends on these fees to operate and maintain the programs and services. A list of broad-based fees and the programs and services they fund is available on the Student Financial Services website.

https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/sfs/tuition/broad-based-fee/index.php

Whether the University is operating online or in person, we have worked to make these programs and services available to students and made adjustments during the height of the pandemic to maintain access to them. Even when the programs and services are accessed at a reduced capacity, such as transportation, they must be maintained for those that depend upon them, now and in the future.

We are very conscious of keeping our costs low, and benchmark our fees each year relative to our SUNY Center peers and other public colleges and universities. Stony Brook University’s overall tuition costs and fees are among the lowest of any of these schools.

Information on how to apply for CARES Act funding can be found here.

A: The responses you are receiving are provided by a staff member. They are not automated, however in order to provide consistent and timely answers to students we have pre-written responses to the most frequently asked questions. Additional questions and specific concerns will be answered by staff as soon as possible.

A: Exemptions from certain fees are only available to students enrolled in SUNY approved 100% online programs. These exemptions are still available. These exemptions are based on the expectation that students enrolled in approved online programs have not in the past and will not in the future be studying on campus. Given the temporary changes to instruction modality for the fall, Broad Based Fees have been charged to all students including those taking some or all of their coursework online.
For more information on approved 100% online programs, click the link below. here: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/sfs/tuition/Online%20Out%20of%20State%20Rates

Please review the questions and answers below.

What is the Fall 2024 deadline? August 17th

Will the deadline be extended? No

Does the form need to be notarized? Yes, the form must be notarized in the state of New York

Can I email the information? Yes. The information can be emailed to residency@stonybrook.edu, please redact any sensitive information such as account or social security numbers.

Can I fax the information? Yes. The information can be faxed to (631) 632-1308, please redact any sensitive information such as account or social security numbers.

I sent in my application, when will I get a decision? Applications are reviewed in order of receipt. You will be sent an email to your Stony Brook email once a decision has been made or additional information is needed.

The bill is due August 15th, what if I do not have a decision by then? You may make the payment at the in-state rate. If the application is not approved you will be responsible for the difference.

What is the next step if I do not agree with the decision made by your office? The decision can be appealed. Appeals must be submitted in writing within 14 days of the receipt of the initial decision email. Please include a letter explaining why you do not agree with the decision made by our office and any relevant documentation you feel will support your appeal. The Office of Student Accounts will forward your original application to the Appeals Officer. You do not need to submit documentation already included in your initial application. Appeals letters can be mailed to: Student Financial Services, P.O. Box 619, Stony Brook, NY 11790-0619. They can also be emailed to residency@stonybrook.edu or faxed to (631) 632-1308.

I am an Undergraduate student and need an immediate decision to decide if I will be able to attend. Applications are reviewed in order of receipt.

If your question is not answered above, you can email residency@stonybrook.edu.

A: Many banks offer free checking accounts and zero balance requirements to students. There are several banks in close proximity to campus and a fully functioning bank operating in the basement of the Student Activities Center. The August 15th due date will provide students adequate time to find alternate payment options.

A: Stony Brook University has moved many services to a virtual format and while students may be studying remotely, the campus remains open. Please visit our Broad Based Fees page for more info.

https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/sfs/tuition/broad-based-fee/index.php

A: The exclusively online rate will be charged to students taking courses in exclusively online programs that have been previously approved by the Provost’s Office and registered by the New York State Education Department in distance education format, consistent with the student’s intention to take courses exclusively online at the time of application and matriculation toward the degree. Students who are nonresidents, whose intent is to be on campus learning, but may be studying remotely for the fall, will be charged the nonresidential rate.

Frequently Asked Questions