Expenses & Financial Aid
Following registration, students are billed for tuition, fees, room and board. The University issues electronic invoices. Notice of an electronic invoice is sent to a student's UAlbany email account. Students are directed to view and pay their bills on epay.albany.edu. On the E-Pay website, students may also elect to enroll in the E-Payment Plan at a cost of $45 a semester. Depending on date of enrollment, up to four installments per semester may be made. To avoid administrative/late payment fees, students should check their UAlbany email account after the 20th of each month for notice of an electronic bill. Payments made by U.S. postal mail should allow at least five business days prior to the due date on the invoice. Students must have proof of approved aid, waivers, or scholarships in order to defer payment. Without satisfactory evidence to defer, students are expected to pay charges up front and wait for reimbursement when the aid, waiver, or scholarship funds are actually received.
Students with unpaid financial obligations will have a “hold” placed on their records, and will be unable to register for future terms, order official transcripts, and receive diplomas. In addition, the University assesses an Administrative or Late Payment Fee of up to $50 each time an invoice is issued and not paid or not covered by approved financial aid by the invoice due date. Invoices are issued on a monthly basis to students with outstanding balances. Students with past due charges from any SUNY unit are not permitted to register at the University at Albany.
Delinquent accounts are transferred to private collection agencies and/or the New York State Attorney General’s Office for collection. Delinquent accounts are subject to interest and collection fee charges.
Residency for Tuition Rate Purposes
Students are charged in-state or out-of-state tuition rates based on their residency status. The Student Accounts Office follows SUNY policies in determining residency for tuition rate purposes. Generally, students are not considered in-state residents until they have established their domicile (permanent home) in New York and maintained it for 12 months. Please note, however, that the domicile of an un-emancipated student is considered to be that of the parent or other legal guardian regardless of the length of the student’s presence in New York.
Certain non-resident students may be eligible for the resident tuition rate if: they attended an approved NYS high school for two or more years, graduated from an approved NYS high school and applied for admission to the University within five years of receiving a NYS high school diploma; or attended an approved NYS program for a GED exam preparation, received a GED and applied for admission to the University within five years of receiving the GED. Students who think they qualify for this exception should complete and submit a residency application along with an official/final copy of the NYS high school transcript showing the award of the degree or an official copy of the NYS GED.
Students who wish to appeal their out-of-state designation should contact the Student Financial Center or visit albany.edu/studentaccounts/ for an application and copy of the residency application guidelines. Applications for New York State Residency Status for Tuition Billing Purposes must be received in the Office of Student Accounts no later than the close of business on the deadline date for the semester in order to be considered for residency status for that semester. Deadlines: October 1, Fall; March 1, Spring; July 1, Summer.
Failure to submit an application by the deadline date will result in full liability for tuition at the out-of-state tuition rate.
Students who officially drop semester-length courses may be entitled to a proportionate adjustment of tuition charges or a proportionate refund of tuition paid according to the schedule below. Adjustments or refunds are based on the official date of drop, not the date of the last class attended. Please note that the University Fee is generally non- refundable.
For adjustment/refund purposes, the first week of classes shall be deemed to have ended when seven calendar days, including the first day of scheduled classes, have elapsed. The first day of classes as scheduled by the campus shall be deemed to be the first day that any classes are offered. Refund schedules are subject to change by official action of the State University of New York. Please refer to the Schedule of Classes for specific semester dates.
| Date of Official Drop | Tuition Adjustment/Refund |
| First Week | 100% |
| Second Week | 70% |
| Third Week | 50% |
| Fourth Week | 30% |
| Fifth Week | 0% |
Graduate students who receive federal financial aid and withdraw from the University may have a portion of their aid refunded back to the individual aid program, thus reducing the original amount of aid awarded. Federal regulations determine the amount to be refunded and the order in which the programs are repaid. Currently, federal regulations require that refunds be made in the following order: Unsubsidized Stafford, Subsidized Stafford, PLUS, PERKINS. If a student either officially or unofficially drops out before the first day of classes, all aid must be returned.
The University at Albany is committed to helping students obtain the resources necessary to assist them in continuing their education, regardless of economic circumstances. Although the primary responsibility for paying educational expenses rests with students, we strongly encourage all to apply for financial assistance. The Office of Financial Aid administers all federal and New York student assistance programs.
Application and Awards Procedure
Students interested in receiving federal student financial aid at the University at Albany begin the application process by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This form may be obtained from the financial aid office at any college or university. Applicants should indicate in Section "H" of the form that the information be sent to the University at Albany. Our federal code number, which should be included, is 002835. We recommend that you submit the form when you have accurate income information for the previous year, but prior to June 1 if you plan to apply for a student loan and wish to have the proceeds available to you at the beginning of the fall semester. You should have financial aid transcripts from any college or university previously attended sent to the Office of Financial Aid at the University at Albany, regardless of whether or not you received financial aid.
The New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) is no longer available to graduate students.
After all required information is received by the University, a financial aid award will be sent to you with additional instructions about how to complete the application process for the Stafford Loan.
Most federal student financial assistance is awarded on the basis of financial need. Simply stated, financial need is:
Estimated Cost of Attendance
- Expected Contribution
= Financial Need
The estimated total cost of graduate study for a full-time student includes both direct and indirect educational expenses. Direct educational expenses include actual charges for tuition, fees, and room and meal plan charges for students who live on campus. Since students have other expenses beyond institutional charges, reasonable allowances have been included for indirect expenses such as books, travel, personal expenses, and living expenses for off-campus students. Actual institutional charges in any academic year are subject to change based on action by governmental agencies. The expected family contribution (EFC) is computed from the information you, and if applicable, your family provided on the FAFSA. The EFC is shown on your Student Air Report (SAR), the form you receive from the federal processor approximately four weeks after submission of the FAFSA.
Direct Unsubsidized Loan -- Students may borrow up to $20,500 annually in Direct Unsubsidized loans and up to $138,500 in their lifetime. Students who need additional funds may apply for the Direct Graduate PLUS loan and borrow up to their cost of attendance. The Graduate PLUS loan is a credit based unsubsidized loan. For more information on the Graduate PLUS loan please go to https://www.albany.edu/financialaid/awardsdetail_gradplus_dl.shtml. Students interested in repayment options, loan forgiveness, cancelation, and discharge can obtain information by going to https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans.
New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) -- No longer available to graduate students.
University at Albany Assistance -- Assistance is available from University graduate departments in the form of assistantships, fellowships, and scholarships without regard to financial need.
Graduate students with high academic achievement are eligible for consideration for full or partial tuition scholarships. Requests from graduate students for tuition scholarships need to be completed and submitted for approval by the appropriate Dean. Eligibility for a tuition scholarship or waiver of tuition does not constitute admission to graduate study. Graduate assistants and fellows who resign prior to the middle of a session lose their tuition scholarship and become liable for their tuition.
University Employee Waivers of Tuition
All full-time academic and professional employees of the State University of New York and all academic employees of community colleges may be eligible for a tuition waiver, up to the full value of the course. Specific waiver policies vary by campus. Information, forms, and statement of eligibility for this waiver must be obtained from the employing institution. Classified employees must apply for tuition assistance for job-related courses at varying levels of support. (Part- time academic appointees of the University are eligible for a tuition waiver not to exceed 6 credits.)
Employees represented by UUP are eligible to enroll on a space-available basis in one course per semester without the payment of tuition. Employees admitted to study may register for courses under this arrangement only during the last half of the program adjustment period. Full details about this program may be obtained from the Office of the University Registrar.
For each half-session of service to the University, a cooperating teacher is entitled to a choice of a $250 Waiver of Tuition or a $200 cash stipend. The Waiver of Tuition is valid at any state-operated unit of the University. The Waiver of Tuition must be used within the period of 25 months following the session in which cooperating teacher service was rendered.
Waivers of Tuition may be used by a supervising cooperating teacher or any professional staff employee in the school system in which service as a cooperating teacher was rendered provided that all transfer provisions on the certificate are completely filled in and signed by the cooperating teacher and the chief administrative officer of the school system.
Cooperating teachers must have a letter admitting them to graduate study before registering for courses. An application for admission and academic credentials must be submitted at least one month in advance of registration.
Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships
The University annually offers a number of assistantships, fellowships, and residence-hall assistantships to qualified students enrolled in their first and subsequent years of graduate study. Both assistants and fellows may be eligible for a full or partial tuition scholarship. The University also has available a number of assistantships in residence halls which provide a waiver of room charges. For details concerning these positions, please contact the Office of Residence Life and Housing.
Graduate students who hold partial assistantships are expected to devote about 8 to 10 hours a week to their professional duties and should carry an academic load of 12 credits each regular session.
Graduate students who hold full assistantships are expected to devote approximately one-half of their time to their academic programs and one-half of their time to their assistantship duties. Students with this type of award should register for an academic load of 9 credits of study per semester.
Graduate students who hold fellowships are required to register for full-time study (12 credits per semester). There is no work obligation assigned to fellows. If a student is in an academic program that requires all students to perform ancillary teaching, research, or practicum duties, the student should register for independent study or practicum credits, and this activity should be clearly differentiated from the fellowship award. Fellows may not be employed in or outside the University while holding a fellowship. Fellows may not hold any kind of assistantship, traineeship, or second fellowship concurrently. Graduate fellows need to report their stipends as part of their taxable income except for that portion of the stipend utilized for tuition and fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for courses and similar educational expenses.
Graduate assistants and residence-hall assistants may not be employed in other capacities in or outside the University while holding an assistantship. They may not hold any kind of fellowship, traineeship, or second assistantship concurrently.
Graduate students who hold assistantships or fellowships are expected to perform their duties satisfactorily and to remain in good academic standing during the tenure of their appointments and must be in good academic standing to qualify for a renewal.
Requests for additional information and applications for fellowships or assistantships should be addressed to the chair of the department or to the dean of the school or college concerned.
Requests for additional information and applications for residence-hall assistantships should be addressed to the Director of Residences.
In addition to University fellowships and assistantships, the University has available fellowships, traineeships, and scholarships supported by other agencies. In addition, some of the centers provide research assistantships in connection with their activities. Regulations given above for University fellows and assistants also apply to recipients of fellowships awarded by agencies outside the University.
The University has been approved for Veterans Administration Educational Benefits. The Student Financial Center located in Campus Center B-26 will assist veterans and active military students with eligible education benefits. For more information concerning veterans and military financial benefits please visit the Student Financial Center website https://www.albany.edu/studentservices/veterans_services.php.
All graduate students enrolled in degree programs are expected, in addition to the completion of coursework, to perform ancillary teaching, research, administrative or professional duties contributing to their academic development, whether or not they receive financial support from this institution. It is expected that these duties will be assigned with the educational objective in mind. Interpretation of this policy shall be made by the Dean of Graduate Education. Particular duties assigned to graduate students under this policy are subject to the approval of the Dean of Graduate Education.
