If you have been awarded excess financial aid, you can add Wildcat Dollars to your SUNY Poly ID Card for the current semester. Doing this allows you to use your financial aid to purchase textbooks and supplies through the SUNY Poly Online Bookstore at the start of the semester. You may not use Wildcat Dollars to purchase gift cards for the online bookstore.

Please note the following guidelines:

• Wildcat Dollar processing becomes available the week before classes start
• You can request a maximum of $700 for fall semester, $700 for spring semester, or $300 for summer semester depending on your excess aid
• You must be registered for 6 or more credit hours to obtain Wildcat Dollars
• Please review the refund policy carefully before requesting Wildcat Dollars

Instructions to add Wildcat Dollars to your SUNY Poly ID Card:

1. Log into your Banner Web Self-Service Account
2. Click Student & Financial Aid menu
3. Select Student Records
4. Select E-Billing and Payments
5. Select Current Semester and click Submit
6. Scroll down, click Request Wildcat Dollars
7. Please allow up to 2 hours for the Wildcat Dollars to become available on your SUNY Poly ID Card
8. Visit get.cbord.com/sunypoly to view your Wildcat Dollar balance

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

FERPA prohibits access to student records by any third party, including parents and spouses, with certain limited exceptions, unless the student gives written authorization to do so.

In order to discuss a student's financial aid with a third party, a student must complete a FERPA release form known as the SUNY Poly Student Consent to Release Educational and Financial Records Form (pdf) and submit it to the Financial Aid Office. Without the written authorization of the student, the Financial Aid Office is unable to discuss a student’s financial aid with any individual.  

Please note that a FERPA release will remain in effect for one academic year only (summer/fall/spring) unless revoked, in writing, by the student.  In the event a student wishes to continue to authorize a third party to have access to their information, a new FERPA form must be completed each academic year.

Additional information on SUNY Poly’s FERPA policy is available in our Student Handbook (pdf).

The SUNY Poly Financial Aid Office is committed to the highest standards of professional conduct. As a member of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), we abide by our professions code of conduct as follows.

An institutional financial aid professional is expected to always maintain exemplary standards of professional conduct in all aspects of carrying out his or her responsibilities, specifically including all dealings with any entities involved in any manner in student financial aid, regardless of whether such entities are involved in a government sponsored, subsidized, or regulated activity. In doing so, a financial aid professional should:
 

• Refrain from taking any action for his or her personal benefit.
• Refrain from taking any action he or she believes is contrary to law, regulation, or the best interests of the students and parents he or she serves.
• Ensure that the information he or she provides is accurate, unbiased, and does not reflect any preference arising from actual or potential personal gain.
• Be objective in making decisions and advising his or her institution regarding relationships with any entity involved in any aspect of student financial aid.
• Refrain from soliciting or accepting anything of other than nominal value from any entity (other than an institution of higher education or a governmental entity such as the U.S. Department of Education) involved in the making, holding, consolidating or processing of any student loans, including anything of value (including reimbursement of any expenses) for serving on an advisory body or as part of a training activity of or sponsored by any such entity.
• Disclose to his or her institution, in such manner as his or her institution may prescribe, any involvement with or interest in any entity involved in any aspect of student financial aid.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

FERPA prohibits access to student records by any third party, including parents and spouses, with certain limited exceptions, unless the student gives written authorization to do so.

In order to discuss a student's financial aid with a third party, a student must complete a FERPA release form known as the SUNY Poly Student Consent to Release Educational and Financial Records Form (pdf) and submit it to the Financial Aid Office. Without the written authorization of the student, the Financial Aid Office is unable to discuss a student’s financial aid with any individual.  

Please note that a FERPA release will remain in effect for one academic year only (summer/fall/spring) unless revoked, in writing, by the student.  In the event a student wishes to continue to authorize a third party to have access to their information, a new FERPA form must be completed each academic year.

Additional information on SUNY Poly’s FERPA policy is available in our Student Handbook (pdf).

Refund Information and Processing Timeline

Refunds are processed multiple times throughout each semester (summer, fall, spring). After charges owed to SUNY Poly have been satisfied, any balance due to the student is refunded to the student as the funds arrive on campus. 

Refund checks are generated and issued by the Bursar’s Office. Students have two options for obtaining their refund check:

1. Pick-up the check from the Bursar’s Office located in the Kunsela Hall Student Services Suite, Room A209 (second floor).
2. Have the check mailed to them. Students choosing this option must submit a written request from their SUNY Poly email account to the Bursar’s Office email account (bursar@sunypoly.edu) with their complete mailing address and a statement that they are attending their classes.

Federal Direct Student Loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized) Refunds
Federal Direct Student Loans are applied to your student account in two equal installments:

• The initial installment is done during the first week of the semester. 
• The second installment is done during the fifth week of the semester. 

The ability to generate a refund for Federal Direct Student Loan recipients is based on the amount owed the college as well as amount and type of other aid awarded (i.e., Federal Pell Grant, New York State Tuition Assistance Program, etc.). Consequently, students should review their online Banner student account to identify if they have a refund check available. This would appear on your account as a charge called “Exchange-Refund Overpayment”.

Questions about refund checks should be directed to the Student Accounts Office (Bursar’s Office) at bursar@sunypoly.edu or (315) 792-7412. 

Federal Pell Grant Refunds
If you are expecting a refund based on a Federal Pell Grant, those funds become available approximately the sixth week of the semester (fall/spring). For summer refunds, these proceeds are generally available in mid-July.  

New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Refunds
If you are expecting a refund based on the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), those funds become available approximately the sixth week of the semester (fall/spring).

Budgeting for Living Expenses
Please be sure to plan and budget accordingly to cover your living expenses during the beginning of the semester. Emergency loans (processed by the Financial Aid Office) will not be issued during this time.

In order for students to receive federal and state financial aid, they must be making “satisfactory academic progress” (SAP) toward a degree. SAP encompasses many elements including:

• Is the student meeting financial aid eligibility requirements?

• Is the student achieving the required cumulative grade point average?

  • Undergraduate students are expected to have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or greater

  • Graduate students are expected to have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater.

  • Students must also maintain a cumulative grade point average greater than that which would result in academic dismissal (as listed in the college catalog).

• Is the student completing enough credit hours to finish the program within the maximum timeframe?

  • Students must pass at least 66% of all credit hours attempted toward their degree.

  • Grades of “A-D” are considered passing while grades of “I”, “IP”, “F”, and “W” are not passing grades.

  • As an example, if an undergraduate student has completed 48 credit hours, you must pass at least 32 credit hours in order to meet the quantitative measurement requirement.

• Will the undergraduate student complete the program within 150% of requirements? For example, a student pursing a bachelor’s degree is allowed a maximum time frame of 6 years to complete degree requirements.

At the close of each semester, the Financial Aid Office performs a Satisfactory Academic Progress review on each student that received federal financial aid during the academic year just completed. Students who fail to meet the satisfactory academic progress criteria are placed on Financial Aid Suspension. Students placed on Financial Aid Suspension will be notified of this status by the Financial Aid Office via their SUNY Poly email account. Once on Financial Aid Suspension, students will be ineligible for federal financial aid (i.e., Federal Direct Student Loans, Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and Federal Work-Study)

Please note that the SAP eligibility criteria for New York State Aid Programs (i.e., Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), Aid for Part-Time Study, and Veterans Tuition Awards) vary slightly. Their requirements are listed here:

• The cumulative grade point average the student must maintain varies according to the number of state awards they have received. As a general rule, if they maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (undergraduate and graduate students), they will meet this requirement. View the NYS SAP Progress Charts

• The number of credit hours the student must “complete” each semester also varies according to the number of state awards they have received. In addition, while they must “pass” the credit hours for federal financial aid, they need to “complete” the credit hours for state financial aid. Therefore, in addition to grades “A-D”, grades of “F”, “S”, “U”, “I”, and “IP” are also considered “completed” for state financial aid.

• The total number of credit hours accumulated toward the student's degree increases with each additional state award. This means that the number of credit hours transferred into SUNY Poly from another institution plus the number of hours passed at SUNY Poly must be equal to or greater than the number of hours required for the next state award. View the NYS SAP Progress Charts

There are two ways by which a student can regain their financial aid eligibility:

1. The student may receive a waiver of the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements. If they are an otherwise academically successful student (defined as an undergraduate student maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA and a graduate student maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA and have passed at least 66% of all credit hours attempted), and have experienced an extraordinary circumstance of a one-time nature (death in the immediate family, prolonged medical condition which prevented them from attending classes, etc.) which resulted in them not meeting the minimum standards, they may submit a Financial Aid Reinstatement Appeal Form to the Financial Aid Office along with supporting documentation. If warranted, a waiver may be granted for federal and/or state aid programs. Students may request only one waiver for federal aid and one for state aid per degree. Students whose waivers are approved will be placed on financial aid probation. Students who fail to meet the terms of their probationary period will be denied aid until they regain their eligibility.

2. The student can enroll at SUNY Poly and pay their college costs (tuition, fees, etc.) from their own resources and/or other aid programs for which they remain eligible. Once they meet the appropriate standards, their eligibility would be reinstated for your next semester of enrollment (federal and state aid).

Other Important Notes Regarding SAP

• Repeated courses. A repeated course will count toward the minimum credit hours enrolled requirement if the student's original grade failed to meet the minimum grade required for the course. For example, accounting majors must have a “C” or better in all courses in their major. If the student wanted to retake a required course because they received a “D” or an “F,” that course would count toward the minimum credit hours. However, if the student previously received a “C” or better grade, the repeated course would not count.

• Incomplete (“I”) or Failed (“F”) Courses. If the student has had a grade changed from an “I” or “F” to a passing grade, their financial aid eligibility may be reinstated based on the revised cumulative grade point and hours passed. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the Financial Aid Office to request a review of their SAP eligibility as a result of a grade change.

• Note that students not receiving financial aid are subject to the same criteria (as listed above) and can be placed on financial aid suspension for future consideration.

• Additional information about the Satisfactory Academic Progress financial aid requirements are available in the college catalog.

SUNY Polytechnic Institute maintains scholarship policies for students who were awarded a scholarship at the time of admission. Please be sure to view the Scholarship Policy that is applicable to you based on your student type and matriculation term.

• Undergraduate Scholarship Policy (pdf) - for scholarship students who matriculated prior to fall '21
• Undergraduate Scholarship Policy (pdf) - for scholarship students who matriculate in fall '21 or later 
• Graduate Scholarship Policy (pdf)  

You have the right…

• To know what financial aid programs are available at your school.
• To know the deadline for submitting applications for each of the financial aid programs available.
• To know how financial aid will be distributed, how decisions on that distribution are made, and the basis for these decisions.
• To know how your financial need was determined. This includes how costs for tuition and fees, housing and food, travel, books and supplies, personal and miscellaneous expenses, etc., are considered in your budget.
• To know what resources (such as family contribution, other financial aid, your assets, etc.) were considered in the calculation of your need.
• To know how much of your financial eligibility for financial aid has been met.
• To request an explanation of the various programs in your student aid package.
• To know your school's refund policy.
• To know what portion of the financial aid you received must be repaid and what portion is grant aid. If the aid is a loan, you have the right to know what the interest rate is, the total amount that must be repaid, the payment procedures, the length of time you have to repay the loan, and when repayment is to begin.

You are responsible…

• To complete all application forms accurately and submit them on time to the right place.
• To provide correct information. In most cases, misreporting information on financial aid application forms is a violation of law and may be considered a criminal offense which could result in indictment under the U.S. Criminal Code.
• To return all additional documentation, verification, corrections, and/or new information requested by either the Financial Aid Office or the agency to which you submitted your application.
• For reading and understanding all forms that you are asked to sign and for keeping copies of them.
• For all agreements that you sign, including repayment of all student loans.
• To perform the work that is agreed upon in accepting a Federal Work-Study award.
• To be aware of and comply with the deadlines for application or reapplication for aid.
• To be aware of your school's refund procedures.

Once you have been issued a SUNY Poly email account, it will become the only email used by the Financial Aid Office for communication with you.

Current SUNY Poly students that send correspondence from a non-SUNY Poly email account to the Financial Aid Office (finaid@sunypoly.edu) will receive a request to resend their inquiry from their SUNY Poly email address. Once the email has been received from their SUNY Poly email address, the Financial Aid Office will respond as promptly as possible.

It is the responsibility of the student to monitor their SUNY Poly email account for communication(s) from the Financial Aid Office. Failure to do so may jeopardize the awarding of financial aid and/or the disbursement of aid.

This policy is in accordance with the “Methods of Communication” as documented in the Student Handbook.

Federal verification is a process which requires institutions to verify the accuracy of the information provided on a student’s FAFSA application.  To complete this process the student, parent(s) of a dependent student and/or spouse of an independent student, if applicable, will be required to submit documentation to the Financial Aid office for the verification process to be completed.

A student’s FAFSA may be selected by the US Department of Education or by the SUNY Poly Financial Aid Office for a verification review. Those students whose FAFSA was selected for verification by the US Department of Education will see this listed on their FAFSA Submission Summary. Please review your FAFSA Submission Summary carefully to see if your FAFSA was selected for verification.

All students whose FAFSA was selected for verification will have items posted to their online Banner Web Self-Service financial aid checklist that must be submitted to the SUNY Poly Financial Aid Office. 

The financial aid Verification Worksheet and Instruction page, which lists the required documentation that must be submitted, may be found on the Financial Aid Forms page. (Click on the forms link for the appropriate academic year, and then click on “Verification Worksheet”).

 The SUNY Poly Financial Aid Office recognizes two types of student withdrawals.
 

Official Withdrawal
An official withdrawal occurs when a student submits a SUNY Poly Withdrawal Form to the Registrar's Office to request a withdrawal from all courses for which they are currently registered.
 

Unofficial Withdrawal
An unofficial withdrawal occurs when a student fails to provide an official notification of their intent to withdraw from the college. In most circumstances, a student stops attending classes. Please note that faculty/academic offices are required to advise the Financial Aid Office when a student stops attending classes. When this occurs, the Financial Aid Office contacts each faculty member whom the student was registered for a course with to determine a last day of attendance.

In both of these withdrawal situations, the Financial Aid Office is required to perform a Return of Title IV (Federal) Aid calculation. Based on the withdrawal date and any adjustments to the student’s bill for the semester, the Financial Aid Office may be required to return all or a portion of the federal financial aid received. 

After the Financial Aid Office has determined the types and amount of federal aid that must be returned, the student may owe a balance to the college. Should that happen, the student will receive an electronic bill from the Bursar’s Office requesting payment for the balance owed the college.

For more detailed information regarding Return to Title IV calculations, view the full policy:
Return to Title IV Full Policy (pdf)