Important Administrative Procedures and Policies II: Billing

1. Important Administrative Procedures and Policies II: Billing

2. • Student Accounts
• Financial Aid Policies
• Academic Integrity
In this presentation…

3. Student Account
• All billing for Stony Brook University is managed electronically.
• All information and payment options are available on SOLAR.
• SOLAR will automatically email you when there is a statement available
regarding payment due dates.
• Payment can be processed through SOLAR in the form of a credit card or
electronic check.
• If you miss a due date, SOLAR will notify you and a late fee will be charged.
• Students can grant third parties access to their Account Summary/What Do I Owe
pages through the “Share My Information” link.
• Students can also use third parties to make credit, debit, or electronic check
payments.

4. Billing Statements:
Generated just over a
month before classes
begin.
• July 15th for Fall
semester.
• December 15th for
Spring Semester.
Fall Semester
Registration:
• If you register before
July 15th, your bill will
be due by August
15th.
• If you register
between July 15th and
the start of classes,
your bill will be due by
September 15th.
Spring Semester
Registration:
• If you register before
December 15th, your
bill will be due by
January 15th.
• If you register
between December
15th and the start of
classes, your bill will
be due by February
15th.
There is a late fee of $50
for every month your bill
remains unpaid.
• You will not be dropped
from any classes.
• Students Accounts will
send you a final billing
notification at the end of
the semester for the
remaining balance
owed.
• An outstanding balance
will prevent you from
registering for the
following semester, a
hold will be placed on
your transcript, and your
account may be sent to
a collection agency.

5. Billing Statements (cont.):
• You can view your bill on SOLAR, under “Campus Financial Services” > “Account
Information/Payment” > “Account Summary/What Do I Owe?”
• It will show you a term summary as well as an option to pay tuition and fees.
• You can click on specific semester links which will show you the breakdown of what is
being charged and the financial aid you will receive.
• Current tuition rates can be found here.
• If you expect a refund because of financial aid or because you overpaid your bill, you will
receive it in the form of a refund check.
• Refund checks will be mailed to the home address listed on the SOLAR account and are
processed every other week. A faster way to receive refunds is by enrolling in Direct
Deposit via SOLAR, which processes refunds every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

6. Time Option Payment Plan (TOPP)
• Spreads one semester’s tuition out over the course of 3 or 4 payments.
• There is a non-refundable $40 application fee each semester you enroll in TOPP.
• Depending on when you enroll, you will get your bill broken down into 3 or 4 payments.
• If you fail to make a payment you will be removed from the payment plan.
• More information can be found here.

7. Financial Aid:
• For office hours and contact information, click here.
Financial Aid Office is located in Room 180 of the Administration Building.
• As a graduate student, you are now considered financially independent and do not need to use
your parents’ information.
• FAFSA offers two different types of loans:
• Direct Unsubsidized Loan:
• Annual limit: You cannot receive more than $20,500/year.
• Lifetime limit: $138,500.
• Does not check credit history.
• Graduate Plus:
• You can receive the cost of attendance minus any other financial aid.
• If you reach the limit for the unsubsidized loan you are still eligible for this loan as long as
you are enrolled and matriculated.
• Will check credit history & can deny you the loan if you have adverse credit.
• In order to be eligible for loans, you must be enrolled as at least a half-time student.
• Federal Work-Study:
• Offered through the federal campus-based aid program and provides employment
opportunities to eligible matriculated students. For more information, click here.
FAFSA:

8. Financial Aid (cont.):
• Loan eligibility is based on both DIRECT and INDIRECT costs of attendance.
• Direct costs:
• Tuition
• On-campus housing costs
• Meal plan costs
• Anything directly billed by Stony Brook University
• Indirect costs:
• Books
• Supplies
• Transportation to campus
• Off-campus housing

9. Financial Aid (cont.):
• Financial Aid office can place a hold on your account if they are missing documents from you.
• Check the To-Do list on SOLAR to see if you have any action items. After applying for financial aid, check
back in a week to see if you have to sign the Master Promissory Note.
• Every year that you apply for financial aid, you must go to SOLAR to accept/decline your award.
• Make sure all of the information is correct.
• When you accept the loan, you have the option to reduce the amount. You can find the instruction for
this on SOLAR.
• Once aid is accepted, the loan will show up on the anticipated aid column on your tuition bill.
• If aid is held up, it will not disburse: After the 26th day of the scheduled disbursement date, it will be removed
from your anticipated aid & late fees will be placed on whatever is unpaid on your bill.

10. Enrollment
Changes:
• If your enrollment changes (e.g.: Dropping a class, going
from full-time to half-time) it will likely impact your financial
aid.
• In order to be eligible for loans, you must maintain at least
6 credits.
• If you’re over-awarded, you may see a decrease in your
loans.
• If you withdraw mid-semester, the Financial Aid Office will
run a calculation to determine what financial aid out of your
total package you actually earned.
• E.g. If you drop all of your classes after the 100%
liability date, your loans may only cover a portion of
this cost even if it has already been disbursed and
paid your entire tuition.
• In this case, you will be billed the difference once the
Financial Aid Office has run their calculations and
returned the unearned portion of your aid package.
• Before making any changes, contact the Financial Aid
Office to discuss how it might affect your aid.

11. Academic Integrity

12. ‘
A Word on Academic Integrity
From Wanda Moore, Academic Integrity Officer
“According to the Academic Integrity’s website, intellectual honesty is the cornerstone
of all academic and scholarly work. Therefore any faculty can view any form of
academic dishonesty as a serious matter.”
Academic Integrity information can be found here.

13. ‘
Academic Dishonesty:
Definition:
Academic dishonesty includes any act that is designed to obtain fraudulently, either for oneself or for someone else, academic credit,
grades, or other recognition that is not properly earned or that adversely affects another's grade or misrepresents one's academic status.
The following represents examples of academic dishonesty and does not constitute an exhaustive list:
• Cheating on exams or assignments by the use of books, electronic devices, notes, or other aids when these are not permitted, or by
copying from another student.
• Collusion: two or more students helping one another on an exam or assignment when it is not permitted.
• Ringers: taking an exam for someone else, or permitting someone else to take one's exam.
• Submitting the same paper in more than one course without permission of the instructors.
• Plagiarizing: copying someone else's writing or paraphrasing it too closely, even if it constitutes only some of your written assignment,
without proper citation, even instructor notes & presentation slides.
• Falsifying documents or records related to credit, grades, status (e.g., adds and drops, P/NC grading, transcripts), or other academic
matters.
• Altering an exam or paper after it has been graded in order to request a grade change.
• Stealing, concealing, destroying, or inappropriately modifying classroom or other instructional material, such as posted exams, library
materials, laboratory supplies, or computer programs.
• Preventing relevant material from being subjected to academic evaluation.
• Presenting fabricated excuses for missed assignments or tests.
• Unauthorized clicker use: using someone else's clicker, falsifying attendance roster, signing in for someone.

14. ‘
Academic Dishonesty:
• The most reported act of academic dishonesty is plagiarism.
• Over 100 cases of plagiarism are reported every academic year.
• Plagiarism: Copying someone else’s writing or paraphrasing it too closely, even if it
constitutes only some of your written assignment, without proper citation.
• Any member of the academic community may bring forward any accusation of academic
dishonesty to the appropriate college judiciary committee.
• Any student accused of academic dishonesty may appeal the accusation to the relevant
judiciary committee. An accusation that is not appealed will be rendered as a finding of
academic dishonesty. By appealing the accusation, the student asserts that he or she did not
violate university policy concerning academic dishonesty. Students may not appeal the
instructor’s penalty.
• An “F” for the course is considered to be an appropriate penalty grade for an act of academic
dishonesty, or even dismissal from the program.

15. ‘
Academic Dishonesty:
How Students Can Protect Themselves
“Many cases of plagiarism involve students improperly using internet sources. If you quote an internet source, you
must cite the URL for that source in your bibliography. Copying (or closely paraphrasing) text or figures from a
website without citing it and placing it in quotation marks in plagiarism. It is no different from doing the same thing
with a printed source. Professing ignorance of this rule will not be accepted as a legitimate basis for appealing an
accusation of academic dishonesty.”

16. ‘
Academic Dishonesty:
How Students Can Protect Themselves
• Prepare thoroughly for examinations and assignments.
• Take the initiative to prevent other students from copying exams or assignments (for example, by shielding answers during exams
and not lending assignments to other students unless specifically granted permission by the instructor).
• Check the syllabus for a section addressing academic integrity for each course. There may be requirements specific to the course.
• Avoid looking in the direction of other students' papers during exams.
• Use a recognized handbook for instruction on citing source materials in papers. Consult with individual faculty members or
academic departments when in doubt.
• Use the services of the Writing Center for assistance in preparing papers.
• Discourage dishonesty among other students.
• Refuse to assist students who cheat.
• Do not sit near students with whom you have studied.
• Do not sit near roommates or friends.
• Many cases of plagiarism involve students improperly using Internet sources. If you quote an Internet source, you must cite the
URL for that source in your bibliography. Copying (or closely paraphrasing text) text or figures from a website without citing it and
placing it in quotation marks is plagiarism. It is no different from doing the same thing with a printed source. Professing ignorance
("unintentional"/ "accident") of this rule will not be accepted as a legitimate basis for appealing an accusation of academic
dishonesty. You are responsible for proofreading all submitted work and/or ensuring that the correct digital file and/or hard copy is
the correct submitted version
• Use the services of the Library for assistance or workshops on "avoiding plagiarism" and "citations" and "research skills".
• Do not sign attendance roster for someone else.
• Do not use someone else's clicker.

17. ‘
17
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