SUNY Downstate
Refund Policy
Withdrawal/Medical or Personal Leave of Absence
If you decide not to continue to attend Downstate Health Sciences University, it is
your obligation to officially withdraw through the appropriate offices and notify
the Office of Student Affairs and Office of the Registrar. Non-attendance of classes
does not classify as an official withdrawal and does not relieve the student of the
financial obligation or entitle the student to a refund.
The process of withdrawing from the University is a formal procedure which the student
has the responsibility to initiate. A student withdrawing shall be responsible for
payment of tuition and fees in accordance with the Tuition & Fee Refund Schedule.
The date recorded by the Office of the Registrar will be used as the official withdrawal/leave
of absence date for tuition adjustment purposes.
Dismissal/Suspension/Involuntary Leave of Absence
Under State University of New York policy, students who are dismissed, suspended,
or placed on an involuntary leave from the University for academic or disciplinary
reasons prior to the end of an academic term shall be liable for all tuition and fees
due for that term. The date of the separation, for the purpose of this policy, shall
be the date of the notification of the dismissal or the last date of the semester
which the separation occurs, whichever comes first.
Tuition Liability/Refund Schedule
The Tuition Liability/Refund Schedule below (which is based on a semester that is
15 week or longer) indicates 0% liability is for the first week of classes only. The
first week of classes is defined as the first seven calendar days of the semester.
During 0% liability, refunds will be processed and charges removed for tuition and
all fees. After 0% liability, tuition will be pro-rated according to the schedule
below, and all fees are non-refundable. After 100% liability, a student is liable
for tuition and fees in full. Students who register for courses and do not file the
appropriate withdrawal or do not drop before the end of the fourth week of classes
are liable for their full charges.
The University-Sponsored Student Health Insurance will not be pro-rated or refunded
after the last day to add/drop for the Fall or Spring semester. Students have the
right to waive out of the health insurance plan by filing out the on-line waiver form
before the last add/drop date.
If you do not waive the health insurance charges by the registration deadline, you
will be automatically billed for the non-refundable health insurance for that semester
and the waiver will be processed for the next semester only. Please note: You will
be permitted to waive up through the last day to add/drop, however, you should note
that if you are submitting a waiver for the Fall, your charge will be waived retroactive
to August 1 and your insurance will be cancelled as of August 1, even if the insurance
company has already paid a claim. If you are submitting a waiver for the Spring, your
charge will be waived retroactive to January 1 and your insurance will be cancelled
as of January 1, even if the insurance company has already paid a claim. If you do
this and have had a claim already paid by United Healthcare, you will be retroactively
billed by the insurance company and/or your care provider for the full, uninsured,
amount of the charge from your provider.
Refunds will not be made to students who do not attend classes and have not completed
the required withdrawal procedure. No refunds will be issued until after the drop/add
period.
Refund Schedule for Semesters of 15 Weeks or Longer (Fall and Spring)
| Courses dropped during the |
Tuition Refund |
Tuition Liability |
Fee Liability |
| 1st week |
100% refund |
0% liability |
0% liability |
| 2nd week |
70% refund |
30% liability |
100% liability |
| 3rd week |
50% refund |
50% liability |
100% liability |
| 4th week |
30% refund |
70% liability |
100% liability |
| 5th week |
0% refund |
100% liability |
100% liability |
Note: For Summer or shorter semesters, a different refund schedule is used. For further
information, contact the Office of the Bursar.
Return of Federal Financial Aid Policy
Federal law mandates how a school must compute the amount of federal financial aid
that a student earns if he/she withdraws (officially or unofficially), takes a leave
of absence, drops out of school, or is dismissed prior to completing more than 60%
of the semester. Specifically, the amount of federal financial aid that the student
earns is based on the percentage of the semester completed. All unearned federal financial
aid must be returned. Careful consideration should be given to the financial ramifications
of separating from the college prior to completing 60% of the semester. Additional
information regarding this policy is available from the Financial Aid Office.
Additional information regarding this policy can be found here and by contacting the Financial Aid Office.
University Statement of Student Responsibility
Students themselves whether new, visiting, returning or continuing are responsible
for reviewing, understanding, and abiding by the University's regulations, procedures,
requirements, and deadlines as described in all official publications.
This policy is based on the State University of New York Policy on Billing, Refunds,
Collection and Write-offs Policy for Tuition, Fees, and Other Charges (Policy 7301)
https://www.suny.edu/sunypp/documents.cfm?doc_id=390
Last Updated: November, 2019
