Financial Information

Payment

Payment in full is due at registration. Payment can be made by check, money order, or MasterCard/Visa/Discover. (Make your check or money order payable to Ithaca College.) The bursar’s office does not bill Ithaca College students or their parents in the summer, although an Ithaca College student’s credit balance may, upon request, be applied toward summer courses. Students will not receive credit for courses until all charges are paid in full.

All scholarships or aid programs must be approved by the financial aid office and the award letter submitted with the registration form in order for a student to be officially enrolled.

Veterans Administration Benefits

Some veterans and the children of certain deceased or disabled veterans may be eligible for benefits from the United States Veterans Administration. Information and applications for benefits may be obtained from the nearest VA office. Applicants approved for benefits by the VA must process papers through the registrar’s office.

Financial Aid

Federal and need-based institutional financial aid is available to qualified students who wish to enroll for summer study at Ithaca. Note that deadlines are early and that it is the student’s responsibility to complete application forms in a timely manner. A summary of eligibility and renewal guidelines is provided below for matriculated undergraduate and graduate students (refer to the Ithaca College undergraduate or graduate catalog for additional information on policies and procedures and a fuller discussion of aid programs). International students and extramural (nonmatriculated) students should contact the financial aid office for more information about assistance. The Office of Financial Aid is located in 330 Egbert Hall; phone 800-429-4275; e-mail finaid@ithaca.edu. Contact it for forms and more information, or visit the office’s website at www.ithaca.edu/finaid.

Undergraduate Students

All students (incoming and continuing) who wish to be considered for any federal assistance or need-based institutional assistance must submit the FAFSA (free application for federal student aid). For incoming students, the priority filing date for the FAFSA is February 1; for continuing students, the priority filing date is March 1. Continuing students must also file with the financial aid office an Ithaca College CSAA (continuing student application for aid) by March 1. Undergraduate students who want to be considered for institutional assistance must complete a summer school aid application by April 1 (see below), in addition to the FAFSA. Applications filed by incoming and continuing students after these dates will be reviewed, but those students cannot be guaranteed full consideration for all aid programs.

Institutional assistance for the summer sessions is very limited. Students desiring such aid must submit both an Ithaca College summer school aid application and the FAFSA. The deadline for filing the summer school aid application is April 1, and tentative notifications are made by May 1. Some students who are not offered assistance may be allowed to defer tuition charges until the fall semester. A student must be enrolled for at least 6 credits to be considered for assistance, except for the federal Pell grant program, which requires at least 3 credits. Ithaca College President’s, Dean’s, and Minority Scholarships cannot be utilized during summer sessions. A student who uses a federal Pell grant, Stafford loan, Perkins loan, or New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) grant during the summer sessions may reduce the funding available to him or her from these sources during the following fall and spring semesters and/or affect aggregate limits in the future.

Graduate Students

The policies and procedures for applying for graduate financial assistance are essentially the same as those for undergraduate students, with the following exceptions:

• No Ithaca College summer school application or CSAA (continuing student application for aid) is required.
• No Ithaca College need-based financial aid is available except for students majoring in physical therapy or occupational therapy.

Graduate students (other than those majoring in physical therapy or occupational therapy) who are interested in obtaining loans must complete the Ithaca College graduate student loan information form, available from the financial aid office. The most popular aid sources for graduate students are the federal Stafford loan program and the New York State TAP grant. Contact the financial aid office for more information. Other assistance may be available in the form of assistantships. For information about assistantships, students should contact their graduate chair. Any student receiving an assistantship will have the scholarship portion of the assistantship considered a financial aid resource when eligibility for need-based aid is determined.

Note: Graduate students who apply for loans for summer study should do so, if at all possible, at least seven weeks before the beginning of study. Complete and accurate information must be provided for timely processing of the loan application and subsequent disbursement of loan funds. A student whose financial aid and/or payments exceed the summer sessions charges may be eligible for a cash advance of up to $1,500.00, but only after classes have begun. A student who has been awarded an assistantship may be eligible to receive a cash advance up to an amount equal to the assistantship. Contact the financial aid office to find out how to apply for financial aid or a cash advance; phone 800-429-4275; e-mail finaid@ithaca.edu; website www.ithaca.edu/finaid.

Tuition Remission Benefit

Eligible Ithaca College employees, spouses, and dependent children under the age of 25 must register at least one week before the start of classes. The registration must be accompanied by an approved tuition remission form (available from the Office of Human Resources) and payment of the registration fee (see fee schedule).

Note: Use of the tuition remission benefit depends on the enrollment of a minimum number of tuition-paying students in the course. The tuition remission benefit cannot be used for independent studies, tutorials, internships, performance studies, or any other type of individualized study. Contact the benefits department for eligibility requirements.

Waivers

Cooperating teachers who hold tuition waivers may use them only for classroom courses and workshops in which a minimum number of tuition-paying students are enrolled. Waivers cannot be applied to independent studies, internships, or performance study.

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate students are notified of these awards by a letter from their graduate chair. Since assistantships are given for a specific summer session, it is the student’s responsibility to register only for the session specified in the award letter.

Assistantships consist of two parts. The tax-free portion is a scholarship and is applied directly to the student’s account. The taxable portion is a salary for services performed as a graduate assistant. Because tuition must be paid in full at the time of registration, the assistantship salary may not be applied toward the payment of summer tuition.

Refunds

Students who officially drop or withdraw from a course or workshop will receive a refund in accordance with the deadlines listed in the summer sessions calendar. Refunds are not given after the second day of a workshop, or the fourth day of courses offered in summer session I or II or the graduate music session. The registration fee is not refundable.

Students who register for an independent study, internship, online course, or performance study are eligible for a refund if the request is received in writing in the summer sessions office before the end of the first week of the study period.