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FAQ Bursar
Payment
The Office of the Bursar does not accept credit card payments. We do, however, accept personal checks and money orders.
Cashnet, as an independent third-party servicer, accepts credit card payments for the Full Service Payment Plan (FSPP), also known as the Cornell Installment Plan. Cashnet charges a non-refundable convenience fee of 2.75% of the amount charged for domestic and 4.25% for international credit card payments. Cornell does not charge the fee or receive any part of the fee. The fee is paid in full to and retained by Cashnet. The convenience fee charge will appear separately from the Bursar payment on your credit card statement.
Payments can be made online using Cashnet, by domestic or international wire transfer using Flywire, or by mail. Checks or money orders must be in United States dollars, drawn on a United States bank, and made payable to "Cornell University." Cash payments are not accepted.
Note: Postdated checks are not accepted.
Address express payments to the Office of the Bursar, 260 Day Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853.
Yes, payments should be mailed to the Office of the Bursar, 260 Day Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-2801. Please indicate how the payment amount should be applied to each account (the Bursar and/or CornellCard).
As a general rule, our office does not accept third-party checks. A third-party check is any check made payable to someone other than Cornell University, and that has been endorsed by the payee and then made payable to Cornell.
Note: If a student has a Cornell-issued check in his or her name (e.g., a paycheck issued by Cornell to the student), he or she may endorse it, make it payable to Cornell, and we'll apply it to his or her Bursar account. Also, if a student has a check made payable to both the student and Cornell that is NOT a scholarship check, the student may endorse it, make it payable to Cornell, and we'll apply it to his or her Bursar account.
Under no circumstances will our office accept a personal or bank check made payable only to the student, regardless of whether the student has endorsed the check and made it payable to Cornell.
We encourage customers to pay electronically through Cashnet, but checks can be mailed directly to our office. Please make checks or money orders payable to "Cornell University," and indicate how the payment amount should be applied to each account (Bursar and CornellCard). Mail payments to the Office of the Bursar, 260 Day Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-2801.
Payments from 529 savings plans should be mailed to the Office of the Bursar, Cornell University, 260 Day Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-2801.
Delinquent Bursar/CornellCard Repayment
Currently, we receive payments by mail in the form of a check or money order. Employees of the university may elect to use payroll deduction by filling out the Collections Payroll Deduction form and returning it to our office. For delinquent bursar, CornellCard and student loan accounts, payments can be made through ECSI.
Yes, university services including registration, leave of absence, retroactive registration, and diplomas are withheld until payment in full is received.
In accordance with the financial responsibility agreement that each student is required to sign, finance charges are assessed on a monthly basis at 1.25% (15% annually) on all bursar and CornellCard accounts. In addition, accounts are imposed a collection fee once they become 75 days or more past due and referred to the collection department. Student loans accrue interest and late fees at the rates stated in the original promissory note.
In the event that the Collections office deems an account uncollectible, the account may be referred to an outside agency. At such time, additional collection and/or legal fees will be assessed by the collection agency. Fees may range from 25% to 45% of the total balance due. As the account holder, you are responsible for these fees.
Per Transportation Services, you have 30 days to appeal any tickets from the date the ticket was issued. If your ticket is already in collections, the appeal deadline has passed.
Cornell University reports all student loans to all four national credit bureaus monthly. All other accounts are not reported to the credit bureaus until they are deemed uncollectible by the collections office and referred to an outside collection agency.
You can do so by contacting any of the four credit bureaus directly. Once you submit your dispute, ECSI will be contacted to verify the accuracy of the information. They will then inform the credit bureaus if any changes are needed.
If you are enrolled full-time, you may be eligible for school deferment (Federal NDSL loans are eligible for deferment at half-time status). In order to have your student loans deferred, you must submit a Student Loan Deferment form to ECSI.
Yes, you must submit in-school deferments for each year in which you are eligible if your school does not report to the National Student Clearinghouse. You can download and complete the necessary deferment form and send it to ECSI.
You can consolidate federal loans by contacting any of the consolidation companies available. However, most lenders will not accept private loans with Cornell University. You should check with the various lenders available to determine which loans may be included.
Note: By consolidating of federal student loans, you forfeit the cancellation benefits as outlined in your promissory notes.
Although Cornell University does not endorse any specific lender for consolidation, information regarding loan consolidation companies is available on our Student Loan Resources page.
Loan Repayment
Loan payments for Perkins and university loans should be sent to the following address:
Cornell University
C/O ECSI
P. O. Box 718
Wexford, PA 15090-0718
Loan payments for Direct Stafford and PLUS Loans should be sent to the following address:
U.S. Department of Education
Direct Loan Payment Center
P.O. Box 746000
Atlanta, GA 30374-6000
ECSI sends a bill every month. The bill provides a payment stub and a return envelope for you to remit with your check. If you lose the payment stub, write your Cornell ID number on the check to obtain proper credit. If you do not receive a bill, you are nonetheless obligated to make your payment as scheduled.
Prepayments are accelerated repayments of the principal of the loan, typically made to realize a savings on interest. There are no penalties for prepaying. If your loan is repaid in full before the expiration of its grace period, no interest is charged (except on certain university loans). Payments in excess of your regularly scheduled amounts are applied to the principal balance as prepayments. Unless the prepayment repays the loan in full, the next payment will be due the next month
You are required to notify all lenders whenever your address changes. Please update your address through ECSI or by calling an ECSI customer service advocate at (888) 549-3274. If you have a Direct Stafford or Plus Loan, contact the Direct Loan Servicing Center at (800) 848-0979, or update your information online at www.dlssonline.com.
Payments in advance are payments made against future installments. They are applied to your account as if each were received on its due date. Payments in advance must be made in multiples of your normal monthly installment amount and must be accompanied by a letter from you specifying which payments are being made. If we do not receive specific instructions in writing from you to apply your payments as payments in advance, they will be treated as prepayments, and another payment will be due the next month.
Consolidation allows you to combine all or some of your student loans into one loan. This may simplify repayment, because you can decrease the number of lenders, and you may be able to reduce your minimum monthly payment(s). Borrowers should contact consolidation companies to obtain information about the terms of their programs and to obtain a consolidation application. There are many agencies that will consolidate loans. However, most limit consolidation to federal student loans. You can obtain information about a Direct Consolidation Loan by calling the Federal Student Loan Consolidation Center at (800) 557-7392 or by visiting their website at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/consolidation.
You should contact ECSI if you are having difficulty making your monthly loan payments. There may be deferment or forbearance benefits available that could temporarily postpone or reduce your monthly student loan payments. These benefits will require the completion of an application for deferment or forbearance.
Billing
Federal work-study is paid directly to the student based on the hours worked.
The activity fee is required to cover student activities. For more information, please contact Student Leadership, Engagement & Campus Office.
Verification of student enrollment may be obtained by calling the National Student Clearing House in Virginia at (703) 742-7791, or by emailing them at service@studentclearinghouse.org. Data is verified either electronically or by paper. You may also request verification online from the Office of the University Registrar, B7 Day Hall.
A student who has a hold will not be permitted to enroll for the upcoming semester or receive a diploma until all holds have been cleared. Students can see hold information on Student Center.
An application for New York State residency is available here on our website. If you have further questions regarding your application, please contact our office at (607) 255-2336 between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Checks returned for nonpayment must be replaced with a certified check or money order. Consult our Returned Payment Policy for information on fees.
We may have received the payment after the billing date of the statement. Student Center and Cashnet Recent Activity will reflect payments applied to date. If payment is not reflected, please check with your bank to verify whether the check has been cashed. If it has been cashed, please send us a copy of the canceled check, front and back, so that we can research the payment
The Cornell Installment Plan (CIP), administered by Cashnet, enables students and their families to make interest-free monthly installments to pay each semester's tuition and expenses.
You determine how much you need to budget for tuition, housing, dining, etc. for the fall and spring semesters. Once enrolled, your budget amount will be credited to your Bursar account.
You repay your CIP in monthly installments for the budgeted amount credited on your fall and spring Bursar bill. Your actual monthly payments do not appear on your Bursar bill. They are reflected in Cashnet's monthly billing statements and in the records of your Tuition Pay plan account. You are responsible for paying any amounts remaining due on your Bursar account separately after the CIP credit has been applied, including amounts still due if you underestimated your Tuition Pay plan budget.
If you have questions about your bill, please call the department who placed the charge on the bill (e.g., Housing, Dining). A full list of unit contact information is available on the Billing Procedures page. If you are unsure of the unit, contact Bursar Account Services, and we will direct you to the appropriate unit.
Cornell University must receive a letter from the student's sponsor stating he, she, or they will be remitting payment on behalf of the student. When we receive the letter, a credit will be placed on the student's Bursar account and we will bill the sponsor directly. For more information, see our Third-Party Billing page.
The Cornell Academic Materials Program gives undergraduate students taking undergraduate courses at Cornell access to their required textbooks and coursepacks for a single flat-rate cost of $225 per semester. Students are automatically enrolled in the program.
All materials are provided in a digital format within Canvas and become available for students no later than the first day of classes.
Read more about how the program works, its benefits, and find answers to frequently asked questions on the Cornell Academic Materials Program website.
Students must maintain their addresses using Student Center.
Cornell University is required to generate these forms for tax purposes. For more information, please visit the Tax website.
The Elective Tuition Refund Plan (i.e., tuition insurance) is an elective insurance plan offered on a semester basis only. The insurance covers 85% of the insured semester's tuition, less any refund or credit due you from the university, provided your medical condition is certified by a licensed physician and forces you to withdraw completely from all classes for the balance of the semester.
“Pending credit” refers to aid that has been included in the student’s financial aid package but has not been disbursed as of the date of the bill. Pending credits for financial aid are removed from the bill each semester in October (for fall) and March (for spring). Once this happens, students must contact the appropriate financial aid office to resolve any pending items.
CornellCard
A nonrefundable Cornellcard fee of $10 is charged each semester, subject to change. The fee is not prorated.
Your university student ID card functions as the CornellCard upon submission of the CornellCard form.
No. You do not need to send money to the CornellCard until you are actually billed.
The CornellCard is a service that allows you to make purchases by presenting your Cornell student ID card. It is valid at several locations on campus, including the Cornell Store, several ticket outlets, all Cornell dining facilities, and Willard Straight Hall. It is not valid at vending machine card readers.
All registered students receive CornellCard privileges by completing a CornellCard form.
Residency
There are two situations in which students may be eligible for NYS residency for tuition purposes at Cornell. Undergraduate students at Cornell are considered to be dependents of their parents. If the parents move to NYS and establish a domicile, the student submits an application with the parent's information and supporting documentation.
The second situation is if the student can prove financial independence from their parents and can also prove NYS residency. The student submits the application and documentation that supports both financial independence and NYS residency.
Once the student has matriculated at Cornell, they may apply through the Bursar's office to change their residency status. An application and supporting documentation must be submitted for review. The instructions, requested documentation, and the application are available here.
Applications for the fall semester are due by June 1; November 1 for the spring semester.
If approved for NYS residency for tuition purposes at Cornell, it will be effective the following (upcoming) semester. There are no retroactive tuition adjustments.
If your circumstances change, you may reapply with the additional supporting documentation that supports your claim.
Students are responsible to promptly notify their college registrars if their New York State (NYS) residency for tuition purposes at Cornell has changed to non-resident. Once notified, the college will update the residency status, and the tuition will be adjusted to the non-resident rate, effective for the current and future semesters.
Cashnet
The E-Bill
You will be notified by email when your monthly e-bill is available. Please refer to the bursar billing schedule for future billing and payment due dates.
If you have questions about individual transactions on your bill, contact the appropriate originating department.
In keeping with Cornell's commitment to sustainability and protection of our environment, you will not receive paper statements by postal mail.
The statement presented to you online is produced by Cornell and will serve as an Official Statement.
Students whose parents do not have access to email are responsible for printing, mailing, or faxing a bill to their parents. This bill must be sent in a timely manner to avoid late payments.
Signing Up
The Cornell Student ID card is the official Cornell University identification card for members of the university community. If you are a new student, you will be able to pick up your Cornell Student ID card at registration.
Cashnet is the service that enables you to receive your Cornell University monthly student account billing statements over the Web, and to submit payments online, using an electronic interface with your bank. There is no additional cost associated with utilizing the Cashnet service to pay your student bill.
You are notified by email each time a new statement becomes available, and can directly link into Cashnet to view your billing information and submit payments. This system provides you with the convenience of web-based electronic payments.
Students simply log in to Cashnet with their NetID and password. Your primary email address is your Cornell email address. If you plan to make payments from your own accounts (must be a checking or savings account with a U.S. financial institution), you will need to enter payment account information.
The student needs to sign in to Cashnet first, and then invite other users/payers to Cashnet by selcting Send a payer invitation, from your profile (select your name above the left-hand menu). The Cashnet system will send an email to the other user/payer with a Payer ID (user name). The Payer ID will enable the other user/payer to sign up, and to associate that user with that student. Other users/payers (including parents) can then enter their payment account information.
Students! Adding your parents or other payers to your Cashnet account grants them permission to pay your bills on your behalf and to view and ask detailed questions about your bursar and CornellCard accounts.
The student will determine the ID (username) when they invite the other user/payer to Cashnet. The ID will be the other payer's permanent username. Please be sure to select something unique to your other payer; you may wish to consult with them on a suitable/preferable option. The other user/payer ID you select for them will be sent to them in an email, along with a temporary password.
International students who do not have a checking or savings account with a U.S. financial institution must enroll in Cashnet to receive their billing statements electronically, but they cannot register to make payments electronically. There is a link to Flywire for international payment transactions.
Technical Help
Please feel free to email us or call (607) 255-2336 with any additional questions.
Students log in to Cashnet with their NetID and password. If you are unable to remember your password, there is a “Forgot Password” link on the login page.
Students can reset passwords for other users/payers by selecting the pencil/edit icon next to the payer's name. Select Resend payer invitation then Save.
If you have not previously logged in, please follow the instructions you received in the invitation email. If you have previously logged in, click the Forgot Password link on the login page to reset the password. If the link does not appear on your page, contact your student to reset your password from their account. For security reasons, Cashnet and the Bursar’s office does not have access to reset these passwords.
It is recommended that you access Cashnet using one of the following browsers:
- Internet Explorer (version 11 or higher)
- Firefox (version 42 or higher)
- Chrome (version 45 or higher)
- Safari (version 9 or higher)
Other recent browsers or browser versions will work, but you may experience error messages when clicking on the following links that are embedded in the monthly e-billing statements:
- For important Bursar updates please visit: http://www.dfa.cornell.edu/bursar/updates
- Additional Billing Information
For your convenience, we have added the following links to the “Cornell Monthly E-Bills” section on the Cashnet main page:
At the bottom of the left-hand menu, select Sign Out.
Even though you've signed out, your browser session is still active. To completely sign out, close all of your open browser windows.
Payments
You may begin making payments as soon as your first e-bill has been generated, and you enter your bank account information in Cashnet.
Online payments using Cashnet are quick and convenient.
- Select Make a Payment from the menu.
- Select the appropriate box/boxes and enter the amount you wish to pay.
- Select Add to Payment, and then Continue.
- Select your method of payment, which must be a U.S. checking or savings account.
- Select I agree, and then Continue.
- Select the box to agree to the terms and conditions.
- Enter an e-mail address for your payment confirmation to be sent to.
- Select Pay.
Payments made through Cashnet will post the following business day. Please be sure to submit your payment in a timely fashion to avoid late fees.
Any user with a valid payment account can submit payments using that account. No other users can either view or use another user's payment account.
Even though your payment account information will remain in our database, payments will only occur when you actively submit them online.
If payments are returned to Cornell University for insufficient funds, the student account will be charged a fee of $25.00. If payment was used for registration, a late registration fee of $350.00 will be assessed. See our Returned Payment Policy page for more information.
Only payment accounts with a U.S. financial institution can be used. Your bank's routing number is automatically verified via Federal Reserve databases. However, your account number is validated at the time the transaction reaches your bank. For all payments returned because of inaccurate information or insufficient funds, a return fee of $25.00 will be assessed.
If you have a credit balance, the Amount Due on the statements summary will be zero. See the full statement for the exact amount of the credit balance.
If you want to add multiple payment accounts when you initially enroll, you simply click the Add New link under the Saved Bank Account header.
International students who do not have a checking or savings account with a U.S. financial institution will receive their billing statements electronically, but they can not register to make payments electronically. For additional methods of payment, check out our Payment Options. International students can make wire payments using Flywire.
Once you enter bank account information, you cannot revise that information; you must "Remove" it under Bank Account Profiles and add the new information as a new payment account.
You will receive an email from Cashnet notifying you of the reason your payment was returned or rejected. Please check your account information to be sure it is correct. All payments returned because of inaccurate information or insufficient funds will be assessed a return fee of $25.00.
The bill is updated once a month at billing. Any activity that occurs after the current bill date will be on the next bill. Students can see up-to-date or current activity on Student Center. Other payers can view activity using Cashnet, from the Recent Activity link in the Current Account Summary box.