Third-Party Sponsorship

SUNY Empire State College offers organizations, foundations, employers, non-profits, unions and the military the opportunity to support students' educational costs by paying SUNY Empire directly to ease the financial burden for students. The college refers to these as third-party sponsorships.

While every organization’s tuition assistance program is different, it is important to obtain all of the details before enrolling so both the student and sponsor can navigate the process successfully.

Once third-party sponsorship is received, a deferral will be conditionally applied to the student’s account for the amount guaranteed in the form of estimated financial aid. If the sponsor is not paying the entire enrollment charge, the student is responsible for paying the remaining balance by the term’s payment due date. The authorization must be a guarantee of payment to SUNY Empire; SUNY Empire cannot accept third-party sponsorship if it is contingent upon grades or course completion.

Once students incur full tuition and fee liability, SUNY Empire will invoice sponsors to limit changes that could impact the amount due.

If the sponsor does not pay as intended, the sponsorship deferral will be removed from the student’s account, a financial hold will be applied and the student will immediately owe the unpaid charges.

Sponsor Responsibility

Student Responsibility