Disbursements and Refunds

Disbursement is the process of releasing financial aid. Refunds are the return of excess financial aid funds to the student after tuition and fees have been paid. Get details on both below.

What is a Disbursement?

Disbursement is the process of releasing financial aid (federal, state, or scholarships) to the CUNYfirst student account to pay tuition and fees. The aid appears as a “payment” on the account, showing the amount and date applied. Some federal aid programs, like the Pell Grant and semester-only loans, disburse in two parts within a semester.

Disbursements occur every Monday, or Tuesday if Monday is a legal holiday. Initial disbursement dates are fixed and viewable in CUNYfirst. If aid is posted after the initial date, it will disburse the next available Monday.

Refer to the CUNYfirst Student Financial Aid Guide for details on viewing disbursement amounts, dates, and other financial aid information.

Common Reasons a Financial Aid Disbursement May Not Occur

  • Outstanding financial aid CUNYfirst to-do list items
  • Incomplete FAFSA
  • Failing satisfactory academic progress
  • Over awarding
  • Pell/Loan origination edit messages
  • For Direct Loans: incomplete entrance counseling or no promissory note on file
  • For Alternative Loans: not completing the alternative loan release form

What is a Financial Aid Refund?

A refund returns excess financial aid funds to the student after tuition and fees have been paid. Refunds can be issued by check or direct deposit (if enrolled). Refunds only occur when total payments (from the student and/or financial aid) exceed tuition and fees, meaning the account balance must be zero before any excess aid is refunded.

Refunds are recorded in the CUNYfirst system student account on Tuesday and issued to the student on Friday, typically taking five business days from disbursement to issuance.

Common Reasons a Refund May not Occur

  • Not enough aid to exceed tuition and fees liability
  • Withdrawing from courses
  • Pending TAP eligibility determinations
  • Missing a high school diploma
  • “Do Not Refund” hold in CUNYfirst

Who do I contact if I have a question about a refund?

Questions regarding refunds should be directed to the Bursar Office of Student Accounts, 1153 Boylan Hall. The Office of Financial Aid does not administer the refund process.

E: refunds@brooklyn.cuny.edu
P: 718.758.8660

The Disbursement/Refund Process

Visit Bursar’s office for more information about the refund process and timeline for disbursement.

Pell Book Advance

What is the Pell Book Advance?

The Federal Pell Grant book advance is an early disbursement in the fall and spring semesters to help students with purchasing books and supplies. The maximum amount matches the books and supplies allowance in the Cost of Attendance. There are usually three cycles, occurring weekly in the weeks leading up to the start of the term, with the last cycle in the first week of the semester.

 

Who is Eligible for the Pell Book Advance?

To be eligible for a Pell Book advance a student must have enough total financial aid for the semester to fully cover the balance when all the aid will have disbursed. The student must also have a Federal Pell grant. The types of aid that are used to determine eligibility for the book advance are the Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, NY State TAP, and the Peter Vallone Scholarship.

 

Who is not Eligible for the Pell Book Advance?

  • Students who are not eligible for Federal financial aid.
  • Students who have a Pell grant but who still have a remaining balance if the other aid is not sufficient to fully cover the balance
  • Students who file for aid late, submit documents late or who register for courses late may not receive a book advance because they didn’t establish eligibility during the book advance cycles. .

 

If I miss the Pell Book Advance will I still get a refund?

It depends.

Students who are eligible for a refund will receive it following the regularly scheduled disbursement date as outlined above.

Students who will still owe a balance after aid is applied will not.

Students in need of additional aid to cover indirect educational costs are encouraged to schedule a financial aid planning session with a financial aid adviser.

Verifying Enrollment

All financial aid programs are contingent on enrollment. Therefore, most disbursement processes occur after enrollment has been confirmed. Programs which disburse before the verification of enrollment and refund might need to be returned if the student fails to begin attendance.

To provide verification of student enrollment information prior to the disbursement of financial aid funds, the following processes occur during a fall or spring semester as follows:

Date Action
First week of classes (Drops and adds allowed) No grade recorded. Student enrollment for financial aid certification purposes is locked as of the seventh day of the semester
Second and third weeks of classes (Drops only) WD grade assigned for official drops. Financial aid will not be affected, unless all classes are dropped, R2T4 calculation will be done.
After second to third week of classes—Verification of Enrollment due from faculty (attendance rosters) WN grade assigned when no attendance is indicated by faculty. Applicable course will not be eligible for financial aid.
After second to third week of classes—Registrar completes all WD and WN assignments. WN grade assigned when no attendance is indicated by faculty. Applicable course will not be eligible for financial aid.
After second to third week of classes—Students can officially withdraw and receive a W grade (will appear on transcript). Refer to the semester specific academic calendar for specific semester withdrawal dates. W (official withdraw) grade submitted. Withdrawing from all classes is subject to a R2T4 calculation, which may cause a balance when if aid needs to be returned.

What happens if I do not stay enrolled or my eligibility changes after I receive a refund?

Financial aid is disbursed based on your enrollment and eligibility determined by your FAFSA and TAP applications. If your eligibility changes due to verification, enrollment changes, withdrawal, non-attendance, or application issues, you may need to return any refunds received. Refunds are issued based on presumed eligibility at the time.

To avoid this issue:

  1. File early and complete your aid processes at least two weeks before your bill due date.
  2. Maintain your enrollment and attend your classes.

What if I need to Drop or Withdraw?

If you need to drop or withdraw from a course, meet with a financial aid advisor to understand the impact on your aid eligibility and tuition before you withdraw or drop. They may also be able to help you find alternative aid if your eligibility changes as a result of the drop. Learn more about withdrawing and financial aid eligibility.

Important

Any student who receives a WD (Withdrawal Drop) and also is receiving TAP for the same semester may see an eventual reduction in his or her award.

Both WD (Withdrawal Drop) and WN (Withdrawal No Attendance) will be recorded on a student’s course history (in CUNYfirst) but will not appear on transcripts.

Any student who earns a WN grade will not be eligible to receive any financial aid (federal and state) for that specific course and may create a tuition and fee balance.

Totally withdrawing from classes (R2T4) may decrease a student’s financial aid eligibility and may create a tuition and fee balance depending on when in the semester the student withdraws.

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