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The Office of Financial Aid FAQ page consolidates frequently asked questions by topic for ease of use and quick reference, and to provide you 24/7 access to information. Click on a topic below to learn more.
Federal Work-Study Online Forms For Students
Online Forms For Parents COVID-19 Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund
Information about how to pay tuition and fees online is available on the bursar’s webpage for Personal Payment Options.
For questions or assistance with making payments, contact the Office of the Bursar at 718.951.5200, or visit the Enrollment Services Center in the lobby of the West Quad Center (take a ticket for bursar) or by e-mail.
Yes, Brooklyn College offers a monthly tuition payment plan via Nelnet. More information is available on the bursar’s webpage for Personal Payment Options.
Yes, Cash, check, or money order payments can be made in person at the Enrollment Services Center, located in the lobby of the West Quad Center. Credit card payments are no longer accepted in person.
Contact the Office of the Bursar at 718.951.5200 for assistance.
Yes. Detailed instructions are available on the bursar’s webpage for Personal Payment Options.
The Office of the Bursar’s webpage for Personal Payment Options provides detailed information on the tuition payment options available and instructions for how to make use of a particular payment method.
If you drop before the seventh day of the term, you may not be eligible for any federal aid. Check the liability schedulefor specific information.
View the Academic Calendar for dates on withdrawing from classes with a W grade. After the first day to withdraw, you will be 100% liable for the cost of your tuition.
If you completely withdraw from all of your courses, your federal financial aid may be affected. This is in accordance with federal regulations 34CFR 668.22 e2 / Treatment of title IV funds when a student withdraws.
Note: A WN grade is given to students who never began attendance in a course. If so, the student will be considered to not have earned any Title IV aid. Students will be liable for the tuition.
If you withdraw from all of your courses, your federal financial aid may be affected. The federal funds that will be affected are listed below in the order of how they are affected:
Financial aid is calculated based on the percentage of studies that have been completed. For example, if you have completed 30% of the days of the term, then you are entitled to 30% of the financial aid that you were scheduled to receive calculated on a pro-rated basis. The percentage of aid that you have earned is applied to your tuition and fees, but this may not cover your entire tuition obligation. If you have a balance after financial aid is applied, you must remit payment to the college immediately.
Once you have completed more than 60% of the days in the term, you will have earned all of the aid that you were scheduled to receive for that term.
If you leave school during the semester without officially withdrawing, the college will attempt to verify your last date of attendance. Once this is determined, we will determine how much aid you are eligible for based on the federal withdrawal calculation.
You should consult with a financial aid counselor before withdrawing from classes to determine if a financial obligation will incur. You can speak to a financial aid representative by calling 718.951.5051 or by visiting the Enrollment Services Center in the lobby of the West Quad Center.
A Withdraw/Drop (WD) grade is assigned for official drops between (second and third weeks of classes). Financial aid will not be affected, unless all classes are dropped. R2T4 calculation will be done.
Federal cyber-security guidelines do not permit colleges to solicit or request that students/parents submit Personally Identifying Information (PII) in an unsecure manner. Receiving solicited or requested PII from a student and/or parent in an unsecure manner is considered a data breach that the college must report to the federal government. E-mail is considered to be unsecure.
These guidelines were established to prevent fraud and identity theft, and to ensure the protection of student and/or parent information submitted to the Office of Financial Aid, which is committed to protecting the privacy of all students and parents. An alternative convenient method of acceptable document submission is by fax.
Even though e-mail has a password, it is not considered a sufficiently secure method for PII submission unless the proper federally defined file encryption is in place. We do not expect that every student/parent will have the ability to properly encrypt or will properly encrypt what they send to the office. Because the documents requested by the Office of Financial Aid contain PII, and any e-mail sent without the proper encryption is considered a data breach, the Office of Financial Aid does not allow document submission by e-mail.
As part of the administration of financial aid programs, there are times when the Office of Financial Aid is required by federal law to collect information to determine eligibility for federal student aid programs. The information and documentation collected almost always includes PII. Requesting that you submit required documentation to determine your eligibility for federal or state financial aid programs is not synonymous with requesting that you submit the required documentation in a manner that is not secure pursuant to federal guidelines nor approved of by the Office of Financial Aid.
NOTE: Pursuant to federal guidelines, the Office of Financial Aid will not e-mail documents containing PII to students, parents, or legally authorized third parties but can do so by fax or mail.
Documents may be submitted either in person at the Enrollment Services Center or by fax to 718.951.4778.
The Federal Work-Study Program (FWS) provides part-time employment to help students earn money to meet their educational expenses.
To receive FWS, you must meet the eligibility requirements for federal student aid. You must:
Receiving an FWS offer is based on many factors: FAFSA information, need, enrollment and academic status, meeting the basic FAFSA eligibility criteria, other financial aid and scholarship funds awarded, and availability of FWS funds.
If you have never had a job, the FWS Program can give you your first exposure to the world of work. FWS employers are often willing to give you on-the-job training. By participating in the FWS Program, you can gain valuable experience. You may learn about giving something back to the community through a community service-related FWS position. You may include your FWS job experience on your résumé. You could be offered a non-Work-Study position by the employer you worked for as a FWS student. Some students are offered part- or full-time employment based on their work performance as an FWS employee.
The student must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the relevant academic year. The FAFSA can be filed during the year prior to the academic year aid is desired. FWS funds can be offered as early as March; therefore, it is important to apply early because funds are offered on the basis of financial need and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Once all FWS funds are offered, late filers would need to inquire with the Financial Aid Office about the appeal process.
Participating in the FWS Program one year does not guarantee an offer for the next academic year. The student must apply by completing the FAFSA each year in order to determine their eligibility for FWS funds.
Check your CUNYfirst account to see if a Federal Work-Study offer has been posted. FWS offers are posted for the fall and/or spring semesters on the student’s CUNYfirst account for the specified academic year. It is important to accept the offer immediately if you are interested in this employment opportunity, as funding is extremely limited and competitive.
For detailed instructions on how to accept an FWS offer, review the CUNYfirst Student Financial Aid Reference Guide.
Note: If you do not indicate acceptance of your Federal Work-Study, you risk losing the offer.
Yes. If you are receiving unemployment insurance benefits and are also employed in the FWS Program, you must notify your local unemployment office that you are working in the FWS Program. The New York State Department of Labor considers it willful misrepresentation to collect unemployment benefits without revealing that you are also receiving FWS. You may want to inquire with an unemployment office to find out if your participation in the Federal Work-Study Program would impact your benefits.
You must register for and maintain an enrollment status of half-time (six credits or equated credits) or greater as one of the eligibility requirements to participate in the FWS Program. If, for any reason, your course load falls below half-time, you can no longer participate in the program and must stop working. You should notify your FWS supervisor and the FWS payroll assistant in the Financial Aid Office.
Yes. If you withdraw from school for any reason, you lose your eligibility for FWS and must stop working immediately.
Where you work depends on the amount of your offer, class schedule, and job skills. To the maximum extent possible, select a position that complements or reinforces your educational program, career goals, and/or provides an opportunity to enhance your skills. You may work at either an approved on-campus job site or off-campus organization affiliated with CUNY.
Note: Job placement is not guaranteed.
You may apply for various positions. Students can select from the available job postings for which positions they would like to request an interview. The FWS supervisor will notify them if they are going to offer the student an opportunity to have an interview for the specific position. After the interview(s), the site supervisor will notify you if they want to hire you for the position. Note that job placement is not guaranteed. You can decide which offer to accept. Select one position best suited for you, as that will be your job site for the entire placement period provided you continue to meet all FWS Program requirements. Once you are approved to be hired, you and your Work-Study supervisor will receive an approval by e-mail from the Work-Study placement office. You may then begin to work as of the date indicated in the hire approval e-mail.
The placement process is outlined in detail in the FWS Orientation for Students. (Scroll down to the FWS Program Information for Students header.)
No. Your FWS offer represents the maximum amount you may earn for each semester during the academic year. How much of the total offer you actually receive depends upon your rate of pay, the total number of hours you work each week, and the number of weeks you work during the approved placement period. Once you have earned your maximum FWS offer, you will have to stop working. You must maintain a minimum of six credits each semester. Should you withdraw or stop attending classes, you must stop working immediately, contact the FWS payroll assistant in the Financial Aid Office, and notify your FWS supervisor.
The FWS Program allows you to work between six and 20 hours per week. If there is any change in the maximum hours a student can work per week, an e-mail will be sent to the FWS supervisor and student with the details. Otherwise, students may not work more than 20 hours per week.
After six consecutive hours of work, it is mandatory that you take at least a half hour unpaid break.
No. A student may not work during a time their class is scheduled to meet, according to CUNYfirst. This rule still applies if the class has ended early.
All students must stop work at the end of the fall semester, even if they still have unearned FWS funds remaining for the fall. Your FWS supervisor will need to send an e-mail request to FWS@brooklyn.cuny.edu requesting a review of your record to determine if you are eligible to work for the winter and the date you may resume work. We will notify the FWS supervisor and student as to the decision via e-mail.
Federal Work-Study offers are only made for the fall and spring semesters. Some eligible continuing students have requested to use their fall FWS offer during the summer. Students offered FWS for the following fall semester should contact the Financial Aid Office at the beginning of July to find out more about this option.
The pay rate will be indicated on the job description.
Each payroll period is usually two weeks. Your FWS supervisor submits your time sheet for each pay period via TimeheetX for processing. Refer to the Federal Work-Study Payroll Schedule for pay period dates, when the time sheet is due, and scheduled payment dates. Time sheets received late after the due date are processed with the following pay period.
If you have not already done so, you can receive your Federal Work-Study payments electronically by signing up for direct deposit.
The benefits of direct deposit are:
No. Students are paid only for the hours they have worked. If you do not earn your entire FWS offer before the end of the placement period, the unearned portion of your offer is returned to the program.
Yes. FWS earnings are considered taxable income by both federal and state governments. Students who participate, work, and receive FWS wages will receive a Form W-2 for those earnings.
According to federal law, the identity and work eligibility of all individuals being hired must be verified before beginning an FWS employment assignment. You will have to complete a Form I-9 and present certain unexpired documents at the time of being hired. You may not participate in the on-campus FWS Program until you have completed a Form I-9 with your supervisor, be it on or off campus. After completing it with the supervisor, students must upload the completed Form I-9 with appropriate documents to Dynamic Forms for FWS staff to review.
Yes, you may need that information in the future to document your work history and earnings.
Welcome to our Dynamic Forms FAQ where you can learn more and enhance your Dynamic Forms experience.
The information on this page applies only to Dynamic Forms, which, beginning with the 2022–23 academic year, the Office of Financial Aid uses for electronic loan requests, Federal Work-Study forms, and non-FAFSA–related document submission.
Go to the Brooklyn College Financial Aid webpage and click on “Online Financial Aid Forms.” Then click on the link for the form that needs to be completed. Students will access the form by logging in with their BC WebCentral username and Password.
Step 1: Complete your online 2021–22 Verification Worksheet, in place of uploading the letter of non-filing, upload any documentation or screenshot showing that you are unable to order a transcript online.
Step 2: Complete the online 2021–22 Student Confirmation of Non-Tax Filing Status online form.
In most cases, you have received this error message because you have an issue with your BC WebCentral login information.
After you submit a form you will receive a confirmation page indicating that it was submitted. You will also receive an e-mail (sent to your preferred e-mail listed in BC WebCentral) confirming the submission. You can also log in to your Dynamic Forms Dashboard using your BC WebCentral username and password, and click on the “Forms History.” A new page will appear listing all the documents you have completed, sorted by date with the most recently completed at the top. You will be able to also view your completed form by clicking on the link provided.
Unlike the Student Forms platform, Dynamic Form submission does not automatically update your CUNYfirst To Do List. After your Dynamic Form is submitted and reviewed by the Financial Aid Office, your CUNYfirst To Do List will be updated and the item removed. Keep in mind that forms may take several weeks to be reviewed and processed.
If you do not complete a form in its entirety (through the signature stage) and click on the “SUBMIT FORM” button at the bottom of the page, it will not be included in forms history. Rather, it will be found within the “Pending Forms” section of your Dynamic Forms Dashboard. One way to verify you have completed the form is to look for the automated confirmation message and confirmation e-mail after a form is successfully completed.
In general, communications from the Dynamic Forms system will be sent to your preferred BCWebCentral e-mail address (this may be your Brooklyn College e-mail or any other e-mail you provide in BC WebCentral).
If you are having trouble accessing your student e-mail, visit the BC Student E-mail page on the Brooklyn College website. We do, however, recommend monitoring both your preferred e-mail and Brooklyn College student e-mail to ensure that you review all relevant communications from the Office of Financial Aid.
Submitted Dynamic Forms that are incomplete or missing information will be returned by the Office of Financial Aid and a “form returned” e-mail will be sent to your Brooklyn College Student E-mail. The student (and parent if dependent or spouse if independent and married) must take action on the returned form as applicable.
The returned form e-mail outlines the next steps that must be taken by the student (and parent if dependent). The returned form will need to be electronically signed again by each user (student and/or parent or spouse if applicable). Dynamic Forms and/or supporting documents cannot be submitted by e-mail attachments or faxed.
Yes. If you have completed your required document(s), for your security be sure to log out of the system.
Uploaded documents for Dynamic Forms will be accepted only in .PDF format. There are multiple ways to convert files to .PDF. (NOTE: we do not recommend doing this on a public computer. If you do use a public computer, for your security, you must make sure to delete any files that you may have created or saved.)
Note: Dynamic Forms will prevent you from uploading documents that are not in an acceptable file format or files in excess of 25MB.
The information on this page applies only to Dynamic Forms, which, beginning with the 2022–23 academic year the Office of Financial Aid uses for electronic loan requests, Federal Work-Study forms, and non-FAFSA–related document submission.
A dependent form requires information from both the student and the parent(s). The student and parent(s) must complete their respective sections of the form and each sign electronically. The parent will be sent a link to complete the parent section of the dependent form and to sign the form electronically only after the student has completed their portion of the form. The first time Dynamic Forms is accessed by the parent, they will need to create an account, if they do not already have an account.
After the student completes their portion of the form, their parent will be sent a link (based on the e-mail provided by the student on the form). The parent will be prompted to complete the parent section of the form and to sign the form electronically. The parent will be able to complete their portion of the form only after the student has completed their portion of the form. The first time Dynamic Forms is accessed by the parent, they will need to create an account, if they do not already have an account.
Step 1: In the parent section of your 2021–22 Verification Worksheet, in place of the letter of non-filing, your parent should upload any documentation or screenshot showing that they are unable to order a transcript online.
Step 2: Complete the student and parent portions of the online 2021–22 Parent Confirmation of Non-Tax Filing Status form. All online forms are loaded on the Financial Aid Forms page.
Parental information is required for dependent students to complete the 2021–22 Verification process in Dynamic Forms. Your parent will receive an e-mail with directions that will allow them to complete and electronically sign their part of the dependent form. The first time Dynamic Forms is accessed by the parent, they will need to create an account, if they do not already have an account.
The parent’s name and the parent’s e-mail address are the only items that can be adjusted within a submitted form, before processing. After logging into your Dynamic Forms Dashboard using your BC WebCentral username and password, select Pending/ Draft Forms, then click on Manage Co-signers. Here you will be able to edit the parent’s name and/or e-mail address.
Your parent must log in directly to Dynamic Forms at: dynamicforms.ngwebsolutions.com using their username and password. The parent can change the name on the account by using the “Update Profile” function located in the upper right section of the page. Be sure the changes are saved once complete. After the name change is complete, the parent will be able to sign the form with the appropriate name.
In general, you should receive an e-mail to your BC Student E-mail confirming that the parent completed their portion of the form. A student can also check the status of a form by logging into their Dynamic Forms Dashboard using their login credentials and click on the “Pending Forms” link. The first box listed represents forms the student has outstanding to complete. The second box represents documents needing to be completed by a parent. A confirmation e-mail when the parent portion is completed will also be sent to the parent’s e-mail address and student’s Brooklyn College e-mail address.
If the student and parent are using the same computer to complete the Dynamic Form, the student must first log out of their account before the parent can log in to theirs. We recommend logging out as soon as the student portion is completed and closing the browser. The parent can then reopen the browser and go to the correct link and access their dashboard to complete the forms.
The COVID-19 Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) was authorized under three different and successive laws indicated below. Eligibility requirements and grant methodologies differ for each program type. CUNY has made the methodologies available and the FAQ for each type of HEERF program.
The U.S. Department of Education utilizes the Unusual Enrollment History (UEH) Flag to identify instances of potential fraud and abuse of the Federal Pell Grant and Direct Loan Programs. This will appear on your Student Aid Report (SAR) in the comments section of the report under comment 359 or comment 360.
While some students have legitimate reasons for unusual enrollment histories, unfortunately there have been students who enroll in post-secondary schools long enough just to receive credit balance payments, leave the institutions, and repeat the process at other schools. This practice is considered to be an abuse of the Federal Student Aid programs.
Students with a UEH Flag will have one of the following UEH comments and C code indicator on their Student Aid report (SAR). They will also have a to do list item for UEH in their CUNYfirst Student Center to do list item section.
Your financial aid adviser will review the type of UEH Flag that you have to determine if additional documentation is needed or if there is sufficient information already available to make a determination. Brooklyn College has established policies and procedures to determine whether the information available and any obtained documentation demonstrates that the student did not enroll only to receive a Title IV credit balance payment. Sometimes your financial aid adviser may need to obtain academic transcripts from prior institutions the student attended to determine their eligibility. Brooklyn College must document its decision in the student’s file, and the student cannot appeal the decision to the U.S. Department of Education.
If the documentation supports that the student did not enroll in multiple schools/programs solely to obtain the credit balance payment, then the student is eligible for Federal Financial Aid. Brooklyn College must document its determination in the student’s file and process the student’s Federal Financial Aid accordingly.
The student loses eligibility for all Title IV aid if both of the following are true:
Brooklyn College will document its determination in the student’s file and provide the student with an opportunity to question and appeal the decision. The Brooklyn College Office of Financial Aid will also provide students with information about regaining eligibility.
All students who have lost eligibility Federal Aid Eligibility and would like to appeal for reinstatement must complete a UEH Appeal Form. If granted, students must adhere strictly to all conditions of their reinstatement.
Note: The U.S. Department of Education indicates that it expects the school’s policies to require that the student complete academic credit as at least a part of the basis for an UEH appeal and potential reinstatement of Title IV aid.
When a student regains eligibility under these provisions, eligibility for Pell Grant and campus-based aid begins in the payment period during which the student regained that eligibility. For Direct Loans, eligibility begins with the period of enrollment during which the student regained eligibility.
