Billing/Payment Information

Semester bills are issued only once each semester and are emailed prior to the start of the semester. Students who have fulfilled all their obligations, such as filing the FAFSA, accepting an aid package, etc., will receive a bill reflecting their financial aid.

Students who make changes to their account, such as waivers, meal plan changes, accept/decline aid, etc., after a semester bill is created will not receive an updated semester bill. Instead, students must sign on to myRedDragon, select the Student tab, select My Online Account, and select the relevant term to monitor changes in their account.

The due date for a semester bill is always before the start of the semester. Students who do not pay their charges and/or confirm their attendance on time are subject to being de-registered from their class schedule.

Students who process registration activity for a semester after Web registration ends or during add/drop are expected to make payment arrangements at that time.

Monthly bills are issued on or about the 17th of every month. All students with a balance due will receive a monthly bill (via email only). These bills reflect all changes (charges and payments) to a student's account since the last bill was created and are due upon receipt. Monthly bills include any past due balance for all previous terms as well as the current term.

Special bills are issued to students who incur a balance as the result of reductions to previously received financial aid or additional charges, such as returned checks. The due date for these bills is dependent on the timing (relative to the monthly bill process) of such changes.

SUNY Cortland does not accept payments over the phone. All credit/debit card payments must be made online via myRedDragon or in person at the Student Accounts Office.

Payments can be made in person, by mail, or online. Payments not received on time are subject to late fees. We accept:

• U.S. currency. Please do not mail cash or credit card information or bring excessive amounts of coins to the office.
• Checks payable to SUNY Cortland.
• VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express cards are all accepted (online only). Credit card payments will post to your student account the same day payment is received and will post to your credit card account the next business day after your transaction is processed.

Authorized Payers may make payments toward a student bill provided they have been granted access by the student. Such access is controlled by the student, using their myRedDragon account. This system allows non-students to make payments on a student's behalf without requiring the student's myRedDragon log on information. Please see our How To Guides for directions on setting up authorized payers. Once set up the following link is used by authorized payers when making a payment:

Make an authorized payment

We offer the option of paying your fall and spring semester bills in four (4) equal monthly installments. There is a one-time per semester application fee of $45 that must be paid with the first installment. The application fee is non-refundable. There is no monthly payment option for the winter or summer semesters due to the short duration of these terms.

To apply, select the option if paying online. If paying by mail, mail the correct payment amount. The required payment is listed on your semester bill and listed as "Minimum Amount Due," which includes the $45 application fee.

Payments are not processed automatically. Students (or Authorized Payers) must initiate payment activity every month.  All students enrolled in the payment plan and any authorized payers will receive electronic notices of monthly bills with payment due not later than the 15th of the following month. The first payment for the fall semester is due in mid-August and the three subsequent payments are due in September, October and November. The first payment for the spring semester is due in early January and the three subsequent payments are due in February, March and April.

Any missed, incomplete, or late payments will result in a late fee being assessed and a financial "hold" being placed on the account. Per SUNY policy, students on hold are prevented from receiving College services, including registering for classes. Financial holds are not removed until the current amount billed is paid in full. Holds are not removed simply by paying the prior month's amount due once a new (current) bill has been generated. If you are unsure of the correct amount due please check your most recent bill or call our office. Please note we are unable to discuss specific account information to non-students without prior written permission from the student, done by completing a FERPA authorization form. Please ensure such permission has been granted before third parties request specific account information.

Any refunds issued as a result of reduced charges will be done via check in the student's name. However, if the original charge was paid by credit card we will process the refund to the credit card used to pay the charge whenever possible. In the event of "split" payments, a credit card will be refunded first.

Refunds from financial aid over payments occur throughout each semester. The date of a specific refund depends on many factors, such as aid type, liability status, etc., but no refunds are issued before the second week of classes.

All financial aid refund checks, with the exception of refunds from a PLUS loan, are payable to the student. PLUS refunds are issued in the name of the parent borrower and are mailed to the parent borrower within 2 business days from the print date. PLUS refunds can be issued to the student only with the signed permission of the parent, which must be received prior to the receipt of PLUS funds.

Whenever any financial aid is posted to a student's account, an email is sent to the student's Cortland email account. If an aid payment creates a refund the message will inform the student if he/she has a refund. Also, students are encouraged to monitor their myRedDragon account to check on the status of aid payments and refunds.

Checks are not available for in-person pickup. Refund that are not done via direct deposit will be mailed to the student's permanent address on record within 2 business days from the print date.

Refund checks are not issued for any amount less than $3, unless a written request from the student is submitted to the Student Accounts Office.

Students are strongly recommended to have refunds directly deposited to their bank account, particularly if studying abroad. Please note that direct deposit refunds can be deposited only to bank accounts that are in the student's name. No refunds can be deposited to a parent's or other third party's bank account. To enroll, please visit your myRedDragon account to enter your banking information. Students will be able to update/remove their banking information at any time online.