Fees at Empire State College

The orientation fee is a nonrefundable $50 fee due at the time of each undergraduate or graduate application to Empire State College. Students must reapply if more than three years have elapsed since their last enrollment. The orientation fee will be charged at the time of reapplication.

The State University of New York requires that the college fee be charged to all SUNY students, each term, at $1.70 per credit or $25.00 for 12+ credits per term. This is a nonrefundable fee as of day one of the term.

The student activity fee has been mandated by student referendum and supports programs of cultural and educational enrichment, recreational and social activities and student publications. This fee is charged every term at $8.75 per credit, up to a maximum charge of $35 per term. This is a nonrefundable fee as of day one of the term.

The technology fee of $185 is charged per enrollment. Campuses are authorized to establish a technology fee as part of a comprehensive funding plan to build and maintain an infrastructure that offers students the highest-quality learning environment. These technologies give students access to various local and global information resources, facilitates communications throughout the college and allows Empire State College to enhance its many educational services to students.

The college offers a variety of services devoted to the health and well-being of our students. All students are charged a health and wellness fee each term of $15 for enrollments of less than 12 credits and $35 for enrollments of 12+ credits, effective with the Spring 1 term (January 2012). The fee provides wellness opportunities at centers and online, including telephonic counseling, wellness coaching, collegewide programming, online workshops and a dedicated website. All students are able to access these services. This is a mandatory fee, not duplicative of private health insurance. Students may not opt out of this fee.

A time payment plan application fee of $25 is charged each term that a student applies for the time payment plan. The time payment plan application fee is nonrefundable. If a student is cancelled for nonpayment, academically dismissed, withdraws or drops at any point in the term, the student remains financially responsible for the time payment plan application fee. A late payment fee of $30 is charged when a payment plan payment arrives after its due date.

The portfolio fee funds the services provided to undergraduate matriculated students in determining their prior learning and in establishing their educational plan. Portfolio services may include evaluation of college transcripts and other documentation of college-level learning, analysis of standardized test scores, portfolio workshops, prior learning credit estimates, the cost of external evaluators, the development of materials to assist students in portfolio development and the processing and review of portfolios by faculty committees and professional and clerical staff in regional and central college offices. The portfolio fee of $315 is charged to all undergraduate students upon the initial matriculated enrollment.

The individualized prior learning assessment (IPLA) fee provides individual expert evaluation for undergraduate students who request college credit for learning acquired through work or life experience. The $700 fee is charged to all students who request individualized prior learning assessment. This one-time fee covers all prior learning assessment requests. Students previously charged any amount of the IPLA fee under the previous tiered structure or were billed for the previous IEF fee will not be charged this fee. The IPLA fee is charged at the time a student’s individualized prior learning assessment request is accepted at his or her center office of academic review and is nonrefundable once the first request is accepted.

A residency fee is charged for residency courses to fund the expenses associated with the course. For more information, please visit https://www.esc.edu/residencies/

A $50 late registration fee will be included in registration charges for all new registrations after the term start date.

Academic transcripts are $10 each and requests for a duplicate diploma are $25.

A returned check fee of $20 is charged to accounts when a check is returned by the bank.