NY Priority: Institutional Debt Keeps SUNY and CUNY Students from Completing College

Institutional debt, also referred to as direct-to-school debt, is debt owed by students to their college or university for unpaid tuition, fees, room and board, education benefit overpayments, or fines. Unpaid tuition is the most common debt and can arise if a student enrolled with the expectation of aid that did not come through, or if a student withdraws early and isn’t able to complete their coursework. A student can be liable even if the institution wrongly allowed the student to register. This fact sheet outlines how SUNY and CUNY can ensure institutional debt is not a barrier to college completion.