Bill Clearance

Every semester, during registration periods the Office of Student Financial Services will assist scholarship and grant recipients with the bill clearance process. It will provide students with award letters outlining their funding, and it will update their scholarship information on the mainframe computers. The Bursar's Office uses the information from the mainframe computers to help students negotiate their bill clearance each term.

During the fall semester, a "conditional" clearance is given to scholarship and grant recipients who are eligible for New York State 's TAP and/or Federal Pell Grant awards, but who have not yet to received award certificates. However, by the spring semester, these eligible students must have actual awards, or clearance based on the scholarship or grant will not be given.

If a student does not receive the TAP and/or Federal Pell Grant for which he/she is eligible, the undergraduate scholarship award will be canceled for that spring semester. If, during the same semester, the student reimburses the University for the equivalent of the TAP and/or Federal Pell Grant award not received, the University scholarship or grant will be authorized.

Financial aid award notices will provide estimates of the student's eligibility for TAP and Federal Pell Grants. They will also provide information on the other types of financial aid for which the student qualifies. The Bursar's Office will consider all forms of assistance when negotiating a bill clearance with the student.