Registration

Winter Session 2026 includes two terms. 

Winter Session I is a five-week session that begins in December, after the end of the Fall Semester.
This session will be held Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 through Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.

Winter Session II is a two-week session that begins in early January.
This session will be held Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2025 through Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.

As a SUNY Cortland student, you can begin registering for Winter Session when you register for your Spring Semester courses. 

Registration via myRedDragon remains open through the first day of each term - Tuesday, Dec. 16 for Session I and Tuesday, Jan. 6 for Session II. Alternate Registration may be used if necessary for students experiencing errors with registering online.

Confirm Attendance and Pay Bill

Confirm your attendance and pay your tuition and fees online. Winter Session 2026 bills will be issued beginning November 10 (anticipated). Bills are due by Friday, December 5.

• Winter Session 2026 tuition and fee rates will be available via Student Accounts in September 2025.
• All students are billed electronically beginning November 10 (anticipated). You can view and pay your tuition and fees online through myRedDragon. The Student Accounts Office provides general billing and payment information.
• Students who do not confirm their attendance will be deregistered.
• Students must drop the course via myRedDragon if they are no longer attending the course and to avoid liability for the course.
• Contact the Student Accounts Office with any billing or payment questions.

Additional information can be found on the Registered Students page (available mid-October).

Visiting students registration for Winter Session begins will begin on in early November (date to be determined). Formal admission to SUNY Cortland is not required to take courses as a visiting student.

We welcome visiting students to take up to 30 credit hours of undergraduate coursework or 15 credit hours of graduate coursework on a part-time, non-degree basis at SUNY Cortland. These credit hour limitations include all study at SUNY Cortland, not just during one semester. Before exceeding these limits, you will need to apply for admission.

A brief overview of the registration steps is outlined below. For more detailed information, please visit the Visiting Student Information on the Registrar’s Office website.

• Begin the process by completing the Visiting Student Form.
  • The information on this form will be used to establish you as a student at SUNY Cortland. If you have taken courses with us in the past, you will need to resubmit the form to access Winter Session registration. Please make sure to select "Winter" as the term that you plan to attend.
  • Within in 1 to 3 business days, you will receive an email with a username, password, and other important information. Once you have this information, you can register for your course.

• Register for your course. 
  • Registration via myRedDragon remains open through the first day of each term - Tuesday, Dec. 16 for Session I and Tuesday, Jan. 6 for Session II.
  • Alternate Registration may be necessary for students completing the visiting student form on the first day of the term. 

• Confirm your attendance and pay your tuition and fees online. 
  • Winter Session 2026 tuition and fee rates will be available via Student Accounts in September 2025.
  • Confirm your attendance and pay your tuition and fees online. Winter Session 2026 bills will be issued beginning on November 10 (anticipated). Bills are due by Friday, December 5.
  • All students are billed electronically. You can view and pay your tuition and fees online through myRedDragon. For directions on how to view/print your bill, please see View Your Bill or visit Billing/Payment Information.
  • Students who do not confirm their attendance will be deregistered.
  • Students must drop the course via myRedDragon if they are no longer attending the course and to avoid liability for the course.
  • Contact the Student Accounts Office with any billing or payment questions.

Additional information can be found on the Registered Students page (available in mid-October).

Financial aid is not offered specifically for Winter Session. However, Winter Session charges can be included in a SUNY Cortland student’s cost of attendance to allow for additional loan eligibility for the academic year.  Please contact the Financial Aid Office for more information.

Credits earned during Winter (and Summer) Session can help you meet the Excelsior Scholarship requirements. We highly recommend consulting with your academic advisor and the Financial Aid Office before committing to a Winter Session course. Your advisor can help you choose the best course to fulfill your degree requirements. And, the Financial Aid Office will work with you to ensure that you are on track with this, and all other Excelsior Scholarship requirements.

Students can register for a maximum of 5 credit hours during Winter Session. Six credits is allowed with Associate Dean overload approval. Students must select at least one course in Winter Session I if overloading credits. Six credits of coursework may not be completed in Session II.

Yes. We encourage you to register for all Winter Session courses at the same time to secure seats in your desired courses. You can, however, register for a course through the first day of the term in which the course falls, if seats are available.

If you decide not to take a course before the term has started, you must drop the course through the online registration system in myRedDragon.

After the term has started, you will need to drop or withdraw from the course. Information will be available on the Registered Students and Withdrawals and Refunds pages, which includes links to the appropriate forms. These pages will be active beginning in October 2025. Online courses in Winter have a shorter time frame for both dropping and withdrawing. If you are trying to withdraw from a course and are concerned about meeting the deadline, you may speak with your associate dean. Contact information for the associate deans' offices is available at the bottom of the page.

The date that you officially drop or withdraw will also impact your tuition liability and the potential for a refund. More information can also be found on the Student Accounts page. Please contact the Student Accounts Office with any questions at 607-753-2313.

If you are a matriculated SUNY Cortland student, Winter Session classes will be included in your cumulative GPA and on your transcript. However, no academic decisions from the Fall term will be changed for Spring because of a Winter Session grade. For example, if your GPA at the end of the Fall term was too low for student teaching, to get into a major, or go on an internship, a Winter course grade will not be reported and computed in time to change that decision.

Campus services are available during Winter Session, with reduced hours or availability. Information will be posted on the Available Services page in early December. Please also see the holiday office availability (available mid-December) for the hours of operation for frequently contacted offices. 

You are welcome to contact the academic departments or schools with course-specific questions. If you are unsure of whom to contact, you can start with the Extended Learning Office or the Associate Dean for the specific school.

Extended Learning Office
607-753-5643 or elo@cortland.edu

Associate Dean, Professional Studies
607-753-2702

Associate Dean, Education
607-753-5431

Associate Dean, Arts and Sciences
607-753-4314