FAQ About Billing and Payments

When is my bill due? 

Fall bills for advance registered undergraduate students are due in early August.  Spring bills for advance registered undergraduate students are due in early January.  For all other students, your bill due date will be located on the top portion of your most recent billing statement and can be viewed at your Student Account Center.  

What are the penalties for paying after the deadline? 

Penalties for not settling your bill by the due date include a financial hold being placed on your account, and/or a late fee of up to $50.  To avoid holds and/or late fees, students must either pay their bill in full by the due date, establish adequate financial aid, or set up a payment plan and make the first payment.  

How can I give someone else access to my billing information? 

Students can establish up to five Authorized Payers.  Authorized payers will have their own access to view bills and make payments online. Establishing an authorized payer also gives Student Accounts staff permission to discuss the student's account details with that individual. If a parent or other third party will be helping you pay your College bill, we recommend setting that person up as an Authorized Payer.  

How will I receive my bill? 

SUNY Geneseo bills electronically. When a new billing statement is generated, it will be uploaded to your Student Account Center. From there, you can view your bill and make payments online. Students and authorized payers will receive an email whenever a new billing statement is available.    

How can I pay my bill? 

SUNY Geneseo accepts personal check payments, cash, MasterCard, Visa & Discover.  Please see How to Pay Your Bill for more information.  

Are there fees for paying by credit card? 

No. SUNY Geneseo does not charge any credit card processing fees.  

Does Geneseo offer a payment plan? 

Yes. SUNY Geneseo offers a payment plan that allows students to pay their balance in four installments over the course of a semester. Additional information is available on our Semester Payment Plan page.  A payment plan worksheet must be submitted each semester that a student wishes to enroll in a payment plan.    

I paid my bill - why is there still a balance on my Student Account Center? 

The Student Account Center displays two amounts on the View & Pay Accounts screen - the Current Balance and the Statement Balance.  The Current Balance is the most up-to-date, and reflects the real-time balance on the student's account.  The Statement Balance always reflects the balance that was due at the time the last billing statement was generated.  This balance is only accurate as of the date the last statement was generated and is not updated when a payment is made.  If your Current Balance is zero, then your account is settled.    

Why isn't my financial aid reflected on my bill? 

If you were expecting aid that is not reflected as a credit on your bill, please check the status of that aid with our Financial Aid Office. There are likely additional steps that need to be completed before the aid will credit your bill (i.e. completing applications, accepting loans, completing verification, etc...). 

Students can check their outstanding financial aid requirements in Knightweb under the Financial Aid tab.   

I'm receiving an outside scholarship - will that appear as a credit on my bill? 

If you are receiving an outside scholarship and would like to receive credit on your bill, please send a copy of the scholarship letter to the Student Accounts Office.

How can I add an off-campus meal plan? 

Off campus students can choose from any of our meal plans and can add it to their account by submitting a Meal Plan Change Form at http://go.geneseo.edu/paymentplan.  After submitted this form, your meal plan will be activated and the charge will be billed to your student account.    

How can I change my meal plan? 

Resident students will automatically be assigned a meal plan (Knight500 for new students and Knight250 for returning students).  To upgrade or change this meal plan, you will need to submit a Meal Plan Change Form at http://go.geneseo.edu/paymentplan.  

When can I expect my refund if I have a credit balance? 

Your refund will be issued when all of your financial aid funds have paid to your account and created an overpayment.  Any College-billed expenses (tuition, fees, room, meal plans etc...) will be paid first with your financial aid funds, and any extra will be refunded to you.  Financial aid funds may pay at different times throughout the semester, which means your refund may be generated in increments as funds are received.  If you are expecting a refund, the use of direct deposit is strongly encouraged!  

Why do I need to accept financial responsibility and confirm registration? 

SUNY Geneseo requires all students to accept financial responsibility and confirm registration each semester that they are registered for courses. This step lets us know that you will be attending your courses and that you understand your financial obligation to the College. It also provides you with important information about College policies. 

Registered students will receive an email from Student Accounts instructing them to accept financial responsibility in advance of each semester. Students will also have a notification posted in their myGeneseo account. Students who do not accept financial responsibility before the first day of classes will have a registration hold placed on their account. This hold will be removed upon acceptance of financial responsibility.     

I attempted an online credit card payment, but it was declined - what's wrong?  

Many financial institutions have a daily spending limit in place to protect consumers.  If you are attempting to pay online with a debit or credit card and it is not working, please check with your bank or financial institution to be sure the transactions doesn't exceed your daily spending limit.  If your student account is locked due to too many failed transaction attempts, please contact the Student Accounts Office at 585-245-5621.  

I'm paying from a 529 College Savings Plan - what do I need to do? 

You will need to contact your account administrator to request that payment be issued to SUNY Geneseo.  While each plan is different, many provide withdrawal forms on their websites.  You may be asked for Geneseo's federal school code, which is 002845.  Payments can be mailed to the Student Accounts Office.  Please allow 7-10 business days for your payment to be received by the College.    

Can my financial information to be released to a parent or other third party?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a federal law designed to protect the privacy and limit access to the educational records of students.  This includes financial records.  Therefore, parents, guardians and other individuals associated with a student do not have access to the student's financial account information with the College, even if the parent or guardian is paying for the student's education.  

If a student wishes to grant a parent, guardian or other third party access to their financial information, they can complete a Student Consent to Release Financial Information form.  The Student Accounts Office may not be able to discuss specific aspects of a student's account with any other party unless this written consent is granted by the student.

For additional information regarding FERPA, please see the Dean of Students webpage.