Expenses & Financial Aid

Fall 2023 - Spring 2024 Tuition, Room and Meal Plan

The estimated cost for a student is listed here, covering the fixed charges and the standard fees. It should be noted that the academic year is divided into two semesters of 15 weeks each. The University reserves the right to alter the fees posted without notice.

Continuing Supervision Policy

Graduate students who have registered for a practicum, internship or other field experience but have not completed the requirements for such experience must register for “continuous registration” in any semester when not registered for any credit bearing courses until the requirements for the practicum, internship or other field experience are complete.  This is normally limited to the fall and spring semesters unless supervision during summer sessions is required.  In that case, the continuous registration fee during summer sessions is also assessed.

Satisfying the continuous registration requirement and maintaining status as a graduate student will allow students to utilize the University library, certification office services, and access such University services as advising and supervision.

The fee for continuous registration is $150 per semester.

Institutional Withdrawal Policy

Any student who withdraws from the University must give formal notice to the University Registrar.  The policy below will be used for all withdrawals from the University with the exception of medical and military service leaves. The official withdrawal date is the date that the student begins the school's withdrawal process at the Registrar's Office, or the date that the student otherwise provided official notification.

Please refer to the Academic Policy section of the University catalog for policies and procedures to formally withdraw from the University.  Federal financial aid will be calculated on an earned per diem basis for the academic calendar up to the 60 percent point in the semester.  Please refer to the Financial Aid section of the University's catalog for details. Students may request a review of their withdraw type, date of withdraw, or calculation within 30 calendar days of issuance of the final billing from the University.  Requests made after 30 days will not be reviewed.

Institutional Withdrawal Refund Policy

Tuition, room and board will all be refunded according to the following schedules:

Fall and Spring Sessions

Refundable

When Refund
1st week 90%
2nd & 3rd week 80%
4th & 5th week 70%
6th & 7th week 50%
8th & 9th week 25%
Withdrawal after 9th week No Refund

Summer and 5-Week Sessions

Refundable

When Refund
1st week 90%
2nd week 50%
3rd week 25%
Withdrawal after 3rd week No Refund

7-Week Sessions

Refundable

When Refund
1st week 90%
2nd week 75%
3rd week 60%
4th week 40%
Withdrawal after 4th week No Refund

Federal Program (Title IV)

Regulations require each educational institution to have a written policy for the refund and repayment has been received.  These policies are effective only if a student completely terminates enrollment or stops attending classes before completing more than 60 percent of the enrollment period.  Federal aid is earned in a prorated manner on a per diem based on the academic calendar up to 60 percent point in the semester.  Federal aid is viewed as 100 percent earned after that point in time.  A copy of the worksheet used for this calculation can be requested form the Office of Financial Aid.  After the dollar amount to be refunded to the federal programs has been determined, the refund is applied to all accounts.

Financial Terms

Financial responsibility begins with registration for a course.  Failure to attend will not cancel a bill.  A student’s registration is subject to cancellation if his or her charges for a semester are not paid by the due date specified on the bill.  Anyone who registers after the pre-registration date is required to make payment at the time of registration.

Payment for Graduate level courses are due by the due date for the semester.  Billing will be sent out with a specific due date; however; deferments are permitted for courses starting at a later date.  Because of the Federal Guidelines for the Direct Student Loan Program, you may be billed in August or December for the entire fall or spring semester.  This is to permit processing and disbursement of loan funds.

Students who expect to receive financial aid or loans, from any source, should begin their application process well in advance of the beginning of any semester.  Deferments must be submitted in writing to the Business Office before approval is authorized by the payment due date.

Students who do not satisfy their accounts by the first day of classes will be assessed a $100 late payment fee.  Failure to settle accounts in full will prevent the student from receiving future course registration and their diploma.

The University reserves the right to alter the above fees without notice.  In light of economic fluctuations, it cannot insure that the tuition and other charges, as listed, will prevail throughout the student’s attendance.

The student is held financially responsible for any laboratory equipment damaged or lost due to negligence, carelessness or failure to follow instructions.

Medical or Military Service Leaves

A leave of absence for medical reasons is issued by the vice president for Student Affairs only upon the written advice of other appropriate professional persons and only for one semester. Tuition will be pro-rated weekly as of the date the vice president for Student Affairs approves the medical withdraw.  Room and meal plan will be pro-rated weekly as of the date the student officially begins the school's withdraw process or the date that the student otherwise provided official notification.

Students may request a review of their withdraw type, date of withdraw, or calculation within 30 calendar days of issuance of the final billing from the university.  Requests made after 30 days will not be reviewed.

If a student is called to active duty, a Military Withdrawal will be granted through the university's registrar's office.  Students should contact the registrar's office as soon as possible to fill out the official withdrawal form.  A military withdrawal will be granted once the university receives a copy of the official orders or a notice from the student's commander.

Students with a military withdrawal will not be charged tuition for the semester of withdrawal, will receive a 100% refund, and will be removed from all courses with no credit and no record of attendance on the student's transcript.  Room and meal plan will be pro-rated based on the number of weeks the student was enrolled in school.

Credit Balance Refund

A credit balance remaining after all university obligations have been met, which results from state or federal financial aid, grants, or loans, will be refunded within 14 days.  When a federal PLUS Loan creates a credit balance on a student's account, this refund will be payable to the borrower.  All other refunds will be payable to the student.

Students may request a refund for other credit balances at any time.  All refunds are subject to the Director of Student Account Services approval. There are no refunds of fees once the semester has begun.

Students have the option to sign up for direct deposit of their student refund.  They may do so through their my.sbu — under Student Service tab.  All university rules and regulations apply — the director approves all refunds.

Any excess credit from the payment plan over St. Bonaventure’s cost will not be refunded until the payment plan has been paid in full.  Please call the Student Records and Financial Services Office at 716-375-2020 to discuss the over-payment and ways to adjust the contract so you are not waiting for a refund.

Refunds are issued by check on a weekly basis and mailed to the address on file.  If you would like your check payable to someone other than the student or mailed to another address, the student will need to inform the Student Records and Financial Services Office in writing.  Requests taken in person from the student will supersede a previous request.

Refunds requested for pickup are available at the Business Office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday - Thursday and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays.

Meal Plan

A student living in a residence hall MUST purchase one of the following University meal plans: Bona Platinum, Bona Gold or Bona Silver.  The ONLY exceptions are students living in Townhouses or Garden Apartments.  Unused Flex dollars and Block Meals will transfer from the fall semester to the spring semester.  At the end of the spring semester, unused Flex dollars and meals are nonrefundable and can’t be transferred to the summer or new academic year.  Absolutely no reimbursements will be given or unused meal plans or Flex dollars.  Residential students may not purchase Block plans.

SBU Scholarships & Grants

Students who are enrolled in the SBU online programs are ineligible to receive any regular SBU scholarships and grants.  For additional information, please refer to the Office of Financial Aid's website regarding scholarships and grants, including federal aid sources (loans and work study).  

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy for Graduate Students

Full-time graduate students who are recipients of the Title IV federal aid (Federal Direct student loans) must complete their educational objective within a period which is equal to 150% of the expected degree completion time frame (adjustments are made for less than full-time students) and must meet the standards of satisfactory academic progress outlined in the following chart.

At the completion of this semester A student must have completed this number of credits And have this cumulative GPA
1 6 2.0
2 12 3.0
3 18 3.0
4 24 3.0
5 30 3.0
6 36 3.0
7 42 3.0
8 48 3.0
9 54 3.0

In addition, each semester a student must successfully complete 2/3 of the number of courses attempted.  A student who fails to meet any of these requirements will be granted one semester with a Warning Status during which they may continue to receive federal student aid.  If the student fails to meet satisfactory academic progress requirements at the conclusion of the semester of warning status, they will not be eligible for federal student aid for the subsequent semester.  The student may appeal this determination in writing to the Financial Aid Appeals Chair, c/o the Office of Financial Aid.  If the appeal is granted, the student will then be placed on financial aid probation for a maximum term of one semester during which he/she will continue to receive federal financial aid.

Please note that full-time is defined as attempting six (6) credit hours per semester.

This policy applies to financial aid eligibility only.  Please see the page for GPA guidelines for continued enrollment and graduation.

Allowing Veterans to Attend or Participate in Courses Pending VA Payment

Background

Section 103 of Public Law (PL) 115-407, ‘Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018,’ amends Title 38 US Code 3679 by adding a new subsection (e) that requires disapproval of courses of education, beginning August 1, 2019, at any educational institution that does not have a policy in place that will allow an individual to attend or participate in a course of education, pending VA payment, providing the individual submits a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under Chapter 31 or 33.

Pending Payment Compliance

In accordance with Title 38 US Code 3679(e), St. Bonaventure University adopts the following additional provisions for any students using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post-9/11 G.I. Bill® (Ch. 33) or Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, while payment to the institution is pending from VA.  St. Bonaventure University will not:

  • Prevent the student’s enrollment;
  • Assess a late penalty fee to the student;
  • Require the student to secure alternative or additional funding;
  • Deny the student access to any resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution.

However, to qualify for this provision, such students may be required to:

  • Produce the VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) by the first day of class;
  • Provide a written request to be certified via the institutional Veterans Benefit Request Form
  • Provide additional information needed to properly certify the enrollment as described in other institutional policies

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  

More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill