Advance of Anticipated Excess Financial Aid

In accordance with federal regulation 34 CFR 668.164(m), schools must provide a way for federal student aid recipients to obtain or purchase books and supplies 10 days before the beginning of the payment period (term start date). At SUNY Empire State College, we meet this regulation by providing eligible students with a bookstore voucher that can be used on our bookstore vendor website — Missouri Book Services (MBS), a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble College Booksellers. Please visit https://www.esc.edu/Bookstore for more information regarding book purchases.

If you need to purchase books and/or supplies through an entity other than MBS, and would like to request an advance of your anticipated excess financial aid to do so, please complete this form. Incomplete or unsigned applications will not be considered. Limit one request per student, per term.

Anticipated credit balances based on Private or Alternative Education Loans are not eligible for an advance. Credits from these funding sources will be issued to you after the funds have been received by SUNY Empire. 

Terms and conditions for applying for an advance:

You must:

• have a pending credit balance from authorized federal financial aid in the term for which you are requesting the advance
• meet all eligibility requirements of your financial aid award(s), including being matriculated in a degree-seeking program, maintaining all good academic standing requirements, and any other requirements that are specific to your award(s)
• be registered in the necessary number of credits required for your financial aid award(s) in courses that are applicable to your degree program
• acknowledge approved funds will be used for books and/or supplies
• supply documentation to support your request for an Advance of Anticipated Excess Financial Aid if requested by Student Accounts (the promptness of your response will affect the date that your advance can be issued)
• accept responsibility for any balance owed that may occur if your enrollment status changes, you fail to attend or withdraw from any or all of your studies, or if you fail to maintain good academic standing
• agree to pay back the advance if your financial aid is reduced or cancelled for any reason
• be current on your account (not have an outstanding balance), complete the application below, sign and submit to Student Accounts

Student Request for an Advance of Excess Financial Aid (PDF 103kB)

Note: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the PDF files. If Acrobat Reader is not installed on your computer, you can download it free from the Adobe site. If you are still unable to view the file, please contact us at studentaccounts@esc.edu, or call 800-847-3000.

See the schedule below for application deadlines for each term. Applications received before the first deadline will be held until that time. If approved, your account will be charged for the amount of your advance. Your advance will be distributed via the BankMobile Disbursements' refund method you have selected (deposited into your own bank account or BankMobile Vibe account). You will be notified by email if your application is denied.

Please contact us at studentaccounts@esc.edu or visit www.esc.edu/Refunds if you have any questions.  

Program guidelines and application deadlines are subject to change. The schedule is subject to delays due to the observance of holidays.