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Tuition and Fees

When applicable, extramural registrants pay course fees, such as charges for laboratory equipment, reading materials, or course supplies. Course fees are listed in Courses of Study. Students who pay the University Bursar in advance, or who pay an outstanding debt to Cornell, should submit a Bursar Release when registering through the Continuing Education office. Releases are available at the Office of the University Bursar, 260 Day Hall, or by calling 607.255.2336.

Tuition must be paid in full at registration. A person who has an outstanding indebtedness to the university will not be allowed to register. The university accepts checks or money orders for payment of tuition if they are drawn on banks in the United States and made payable to "Cornell University" in U.S. dollars. MasterCard and Visa are accepted for students who are not in degree-granting programs.

If a check is used for payment and that check is returned by the bank, a charge will be made: $10 for a check of up to $50, $15 for a check of up to $200, and $25 for a check of more than $200. In addition, a late registration fee may be charged by the Continuing Education office (see Late Registration Fees) and a late fee of $350 will be assessed by the University Bursar if the check was used for registration. If the returned check is not replaced within seven working days, the registration will be canceled. Any balance unpaid on the student's account that results from a returned check is subject to a late payment penalty. The university reserves the right to require a cashier or certified check on future payments. The university does not accept post dated checks.

Tuition Refund Schedule

A student who drops a course before the deadline, or who has an approved petition to drop a course after the deadline, receives a tuition refund according to the following schedule:

Fall 2009 Tuition Refund Schedule

Tuition LiabilityDates
No Charge 8/27-9/2
10% Charge 9/3-9/9
20% Charge 9/10-9/23
30% Charge 9/24-9/30
40% Charge 10/1-10/7
50% Charge 10/8-10/14
60% Charge 10/15-10/21
80% Charge 10/22-10/28
100% Charge 10/29

Spring 2010 Tuition Refund Schedule

Tuition LiabilityDates
No Charge 1/25-1/31
10% Charge 2/1-2/7
20% Charge 2/8-2/21
30% Charge 2/22-2/28
40% Charge 3/1-3/7
50% Charge 3/8-3/14
60% Charge 3/15-3/21
80% Charge 322-3/28
100% Charge 3/29

Late Registration

Late registration will be held at the Continuing Education office from September 7 through 18 for Fall 2009 and from February 1 through 12 for Spring 2010. A late registration fee is charged during this time, according to the schedule below.

Fall '09 Spring '10 Fee
9/7-9/11 2/1-2/5 $25
9/14-9/18 2/8-2/12 $50
9/21-9/25 2/15-2/19 $100

The late registration fee may be waived for those who, before the end of the one-week registration period, obtain authorization to register late from the Continuing Education office. (If, due to space constraints, you cannot obtain permission from the course instructor(s) to register during the registration period, you must let us know.) Students may not register after the third week of the semester. In extremely unusual cases, however, a student may be allowed to register after the third week; the student may then incur additional late registration charges of $50 per week.

The amount, time, and manner of payment of tuition and other charges may be changed by the university or the School of Continuing Education at any time without notice.