Frequently Asked Questions

Learn more about 1098-T form on UB Student Accounts' web page. 

A 1098-T form is automatically reported to only those students with one of the following U.S. citizenship status on university records: native, naturalized, or permanent resident. For students that have not opted into electronic delivery, the statement will be mailed by January 31 of the following year to your permanent address on file. In addition, you may access and print your 1098-T online through ECSI, also available by January 31.

Students with a non-resident alien status will not have a 1098-T automatically generated but may request one. In order for you to receive a 1098-T, you must complete a modified W-9S form (PDF) Download pdf and send it along with your request for a 1098-T. The deadline to request the current tax year’s 1098-T form is July 1.

In addition to the student’s US citizenship status requirements, you receive a 1098-T if your IRS qualified tuition and related expenses were paid during the tax year.  Therefore, if no IRS qualified tuition and related expenses were paid during the tax year, you may not receive a 1098-T form.

UB partners with Educational Computer Systems, Inc. (ECSI) to deliver the 1098-T statements online. Students can access and print their tax statements directly from the ECSI 1098-T website. 

1. Navigate to heartland.ecsi.net.
2. Sign In or Register. 
   
3. You will receive your Heartland Key (17 Digit Account Number) once you Sign In or Register.
   
4. Choose how to receive your verification code to complete ECSI's multi-factor authentication process.
5. Click the checkbox “I am not a robot,” then click “continue.”
6. Your personal 1098T page will be displayed. Click the (+) to expand the 1098-T Statement section to see your statement details as well as a link to a printer friendly version of your 1098T statement.

Need help logging in to Heartland ECSI? Please call 866-428-1098, Monday – Friday, 7:30am – 8:00pm EST.

There are several reasons why you may not automatically receive a 1098-T form, including the following:

• No Payments of IRS qualified charges posted during the tax year
• No financial aid or scholarships posted during the tax year
• A missing or invalid US citizenship status in HUB*
• A non-US citizenship status in HUB*

*In order for you to receive a 1098-T, you must submit a modified W-9S form (PDF) and send it along with your request for a 1098-T to the UB Registrar.

The IRS requires schools to report only payments of qualified tuition and related expenses for the calendar year (date the payment was posted on student account). The IRS does not consider the following items to be qualified expenses: courses involving sports, games, or hobbies (unless part of a degree program), dining/meal plan charges, health insurance, disability insurance fees (even if required; excluded by statute), housing charges, late payment fees, library fines, loan processing fees, orientation fees, parking permits, parking fines, student health fees, transportation fees (if providing individual benefit).

For more information on IRS qualified tuition and related expenses, please visit IRS.gov.

You did not have any Payments of IRS qualified charges (Box 1) and/or financial aid and scholarships (Box 5) that posted during the tax year to report.

Box 5 is a total of all financial aid, scholarships, grants and third party payments per IRS instructions (IRS does not include loans) that are posted to the student’s account during the tax year. A student’s financial aid is based on their total cost of attendance, which includes costs that may not be considered qualified by the IRS for the Payments reported in Box 1.

Please note: The university cannot provide you with tax advice or assistance related to the tax credits or how to claim the credit. For assistance, please contact a tax professional or refer to the IRS.gov website.

The IRS requires the university to check Box 9 if the student was enrolled as a graduate student during the calendar year. The student is a graduate student if enrolled in a program or programs leading to a graduate-level degree, graduate-level certificate, or other recognized graduate-level educational credential.

Please note: The university cannot provide you with tax advice or assistance related to the tax credits or how to claim the credit. For assistance, please contact a tax professional or refer to the IRS.gov website.

The student holds sole responsibility for granting and removing authorized payer access. Students wishing to establish a parent or other payer as an authorized payer should log into QuikPAY via the HUB Student Center. The student will need to choose Authorize Payers and input the name(s) of the individual(s) being granted access. The student will also assign a login name for the authorized payer. An email will be sent to the authorized payer with their login and a link to set their password. Once the password is entered and confirmed, the Authorized Payer has access to QuikPAY.

If you are unable to login to your Authorized Payer account, go to the Authorized Payer website. If you have forgotten your Login Name, click on the “Forgot Login Name” link to retrieve it.

If you have forgotten your password to your Authorized Payer account, click on the “Forgot Password” link to reset your password.

Once you have looked up your username and/or reset your password, login to the Authorized Payer website.

Electronic billing statements (eBills) are a web-based presentment of the information from the student account from a certain period time. eBills represent a "snapshot" in time of the student's account. The information contained on the bill is static, and does not change as account activity occurs. Students can view any account activity that has occurred since the time their last eBill was generated by logging into their HUB Student Center.  Click on Billing / Payments and then click on Payment Options.  You will then be brought into QuikPAY where you can click on the View & Pay Accounts menu option. 

Students will receive notification via their buffalo.edu email address whenever a new eBill is available. If the student chooses to designate an authorized payer(s), that user will receive eBill notifications via the email address designated in QuikPAY. Students can also choose to receive a text message alerting them to the availability of a new billing statement.

No, billing statements will not be mailed. Electronic bills are the exclusive billing method for all student account balances. If you wish to print your bill, you may do so when you access your statement online.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If your student account has been referred to an external collection agency and/or the Office of the New York State Attorney General, you are not eligible to receive an electronic bill via QuikPAY. You must contact the collection agency or Attorney General directly with all billing and payment questions.

Yes, students are able to designate someone, such as a parent, guardian or spouse, as an authorized payer. Authorized payers will receive an eBill notification to the email set up in QuikPAY.

Authorized payers are also able to:

• View and pay your student’s eBills online (credit card or eCheck)
• View transaction history (only transactions made by authorized payer)
• Enroll in a payment plan
• Enroll in direct deposit of Direct PLUS Loan refunds

You can find information on UB’s billing and payment due dates on the Student Accounts website.

Learn more about how to read your bill and paying your bill.

To view your bill, log in to your HUB Student Center.  Click on Billing / Payments and then click on Payment Options.  You will then be brought into QuikPAY where you can click on View & Pay Accounts in the menu.  This will default to your current term charges.  Click on the Statement History tab to view all previous statements generated on your behalf.

Broad-based fees are charged to all enrolled students as a condition of attendance at UB and help UB fund activities and programs that benefit the student body, excluding those activities that are part of the core instructional program.

UB relies on these fees to sustain services that are available to you, regardless of how your instruction is delivered – in-person, remote, or hybrid.

Yes. Regardless of the method of instruction – in-person, hybrid, or entirely remote –Broad-based Fees (including Comprehensive fee and Academic Excellence and Success fee) and Course fees must be paid by all students. 

This mandatory fee was implemented in 1998 and is a consolidation of SUNY and campus-required fees that support several university services and programs. The components of the Comprehensive Fee include:

• Athletics Fee
• Campus Life Fee
• Career Services Fee
• College Fee
• Health Fee
• Recreation Fee
• Technology Fee
• Transcript Fee
• Transportation Fee

UB’s Comprehensive Fee helps fund central academic investments including technology, student services, training and programming.

Yes. Many of the schools in the Mid-American Conference of which UB is a member have a comprehensive approach to fees and several American Association of Universities (AAU) and SUNY campuses have also instituted a Comprehensive Fee.

The fee rates are guided by SUNY policy and take into consideration the Higher Education Price Index (HEPI). Information about HEPI can be found on the Commonfund Institute website. At times and for certain targeted initiatives, SUNY may allow an increase beyond the HEPI percentage.

Your fees may vary depending on your status as an undergraduate or graduate student, your residency, your academic program, and other criteria. In addition, Comprehensive Fee components, except for the transcript fee, are assessed at a per-credit hour basis for part-time students.

All full-time students are billed for these components of the Comprehensive Fee:

• Campus Life
• College
• Health
• Technology
• Transcript
• Transportation

All students are billed for the Academic Excellence and Success Fee (ACES).

Undergraduate students are billed for the Athletics and Recreation fees.

All students are charged the Career Services component of the Comprehensive Fee, except:

• students in the schools of management, law, medicine, dental medicine
• externally funded students
• students in overseas major programs.

The Academic Excellence and Success Fee is not a part of the “bundled” Comprehensive Fee, however, it is considered part of the SUNY “Broad-based Fee.” Broad-based fees are generally charged to all enrolled students to finance activities that benefit the student body, excluding those activities that are a part of the core instructional program.

Accounts with past due balances are sent to collection after the term for which the charges were assessed is completed, and after numerous attempts by the University at Buffalo to contact the student to make payment. These include the normal billing cycles for the term, an opportunity to enroll in a past due payment plan and a final notice.

Yes. After the term is completed, but before accounts are sent to collection, Student Accounts will contact students with past due balances via UB email address and offer a past due payment plan. A student can enroll in a 2–6-month installment payment plan with an enrollment fee of $45.00 or a 7-12-month installment payment plan with an enrollment fee of $50.00. The past due payment plan requires a down payment of $300.00 which will be credited toward the balance due. The remainder of the amount owed will be divided into equal monthly payments as chosen by the student (2-6 or 7-12) and automatically taken from the payment method entered by the student in monthly installments. All holds will remain on the account until the balance is paid in full.

Installments are usually taken on the 15th of each month or the next business day if the 15th is on a weekend or holiday. If the payment fails, the payment plan will automatically attempt to take the installment again 10 days later, usually on the 25th of the month. Whenever a payment plan installment fails, the student will be notified by email. The student will have 2 business days to make up the missed installment payment and contact Student Accounts at 716-645-1800 by phone or ubstudentaccounts@buffalo.edu by email to have the payment plan reinstated. Only one reinstatement is allowed per payment plan. Student accounts on a past due payment plan that are terminated due to failed payment will be manually submitted to the New York State Attorney General’s Office for collection.

There are four billing statements issued per term. An email is sent to the student each time a billing statement is issued. In addition, communications are sent to the student if they have lost any financial aid eligibility. After the term is over, a student is sent a communication offering the opportunity to enroll in the past due payment plan. Then, a final notification is sent to the student email giving them a final deadline day to pay before the accounts are forwarded for collection.

Once the New York State Attorney General’s Office has uploaded the submitted accounts onto their system, they will contact students by U.S. Mail. The letter sent will give students instructions to contact the New York State Attorney General’s Office directly to set up repayment options.

No. Your past due account must be paid in full and all holds cleared before you are eligible to register for a subsequent term.

Information about the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), sometimes referred to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, can be found at http://www.buffalo.edu/ubnow/stories/2020/06/cares-act-funding.html

A hold is used by the university to prevent student registration or release of student records, including a diploma, or enrollment certification. You can view your holds in your HUB Student Center on the To-Do tile. 

Select the To-Do tile and a list of your current holds will be displayed. To get details on the hold, click on the item. For specific questions concerning the hold please contact the department(s) that placed the hold. 

Yes! You can use either a U.S. checking or savings account to remit an electronic check (ACH). There is no cost to pay by electronic check.

Note Regarding Returned Checks: If your payment is refused by your bank, UB will add $20.00 in charges to your total account in addition to a late payment fee if applicable. You will be required to make future payments by credit/debit card or secured funds (i.e. certified bank check or money order).

IMPORTANT NOTE: If your student account has been referred to an external collection agency and/or the Office of the New York State Attorney General, you are not eligible to remit payment via QuikPAY or directly to the university. You must contact the collection agency or Attorney General directly with all billing and payment questions.

Yes. Paying online is safe, secure and convenient! You can remit payment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express - and there are no fees assessed for paying online with your credit card.

Note Regarding Declined Credit Cards: You will be notified if your payment has been denied by your bank. A late payment fee will be applied to your account if applicable.

If you are using a bank debit card to pay online, your bank may impose a daily transaction limit that will prevent the payment from being honored. If this happens, please contact your financial institution. Remember, you may also make your payment using an electronic check (using your account and routing numbers); most banks will not limit the dollar amount of an e-check transaction providing the account contains sufficient funds.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If your student account has been referred to an external collection agency and/or the Office of the New York State Attorney General, you are not eligible to remit payment via QuikPAY or directly to the university. You must contact the collection agency or Attorney General directly with all billing and payment questions.

Graduate and professional-level students should contact their academic units regarding questions during this initial residency verification.  You may visit Verifying New York State Residency for more information.  Please reach out to your department for questions uploading your residency documentation.

Regardless of your level in school, your residency status is verified during the initial admissions process.  If you are admitted to the university as a non-NYS resident, when you have met the residency requirements, you may complete the Residency Application for New York State Tuition Purposes for the next or future term. Please visit our website for Application Deadlines and Required Documentation.  Students who are initially determined to be New York State residents and are billed at the in-state tuition rate will not need to complete any further verification.

If you did not meet the requirements for New York State Residency upon admission to the University, you may apply for NYS residency in a future term.  You must complete the Residency Application for New York State Tuition Purposes and provide all required documents.  This is not an automatic process, and you must take the steps to apply if you have established New York State as your permanent domicile.  Please see our website for a list of Required Documentation and Application Deadline Dates. 

Students: Log in to your HUB Student Center.  Click on Billing / Payments and then click on Payment Options.  You will then be brought into QuikPAY where you can click on Payment Plan in the menu.

Authorized Payers: Log into the authorized payer link and click on the Payment Plan option.

The initial step in enrolling in a payment plan is to complete the Budget Worksheet.  On the Budget Worksheet, you will enter your current term balance, which can be found by clicking on the "View & Pay Accounts" link in the menu. Note: The current term balance already includes any anticipated aid for the term shown in the current activity. In the external funding field, you will enter any expected payments not processed through Financial Aid, such as Outside Scholarships, 529 payments, etc. to get your estimated payment plan balance. If you are unsure of your balance, please enter estimated amounts.

The estimated balance that you enter will be used to determine the initial installment amounts. Your account will be rebalanced as needed. After your account is rebalanced, your installments may increase or decrease to reflect your actual balance on account. 

Your monthly installment payment will be automatically debited from the account you provide (i.e., credit card or bank account) on the 15th of each month (or the next business day if the 15^th falls on a weekend). If the 15^th falls on a federal holiday, payment processing will still occur. Please refer to your contract for your specific payment schedule.  Depending on when you enroll, your outstanding balance will be divided into as many as five installments.

When enrolled in the payment plan, you DO NOT need to log in to make a payment on your account. The monthly installment will be automatically deducted from the account that you designate at the time of enrollment.

No, payment plan participants will NOT receive eBilling statement notification or an eBill from the university. Participants are encouraged to check their account frequently for changes to their original balance, such as additional financial aid or additional charges. If changes occur, participants can initiate rebalancing of their payment plan by visiting the payment plan option in QuikPAY.

The payment plan is available for both the fall and spring terms (not summer or winter sessions). If you would like to enroll for either spring or fall, you must enroll at the beginning of each term. 

Please note that you will not be automatically enrolled for the following semester. 

No. There can be only one payment plan in effect per student account. For example, if more than one family is assisting a student with his/her financial responsibilities, only one of those families may enroll in the payment plan. We encourage you to discuss payment options with anyone remitting payment on your behalf.

QuikPAY is available to all enrolled students providing they have not been referred to an external collection agency and/or the NYS Office of the Attorney General.  QuikPAY is also available to authorized payers of these students.  

Within QuikPAY, you can review important messages on the Message Board, view your eBill, make a payment, enroll in direct deposit, set up an authorized payer, enroll in a payment plan and more.

Students need to log into their HUB Student Center through MyUB.  Click on Billing / Payments and then click on Payment Options.  You will then be brought into QuikPAY.

Your student will need to add you as an Authorized Payer.  Once that's been done, an email will be sent with a login and a link to set the password.  Authorized Payers will log in on the Authorized Payer site.

QuikPAY transmits all billing and payment information using the industry's highest standard for encryption to ensure your transactions are worry-free.

In most cases, an approved payment will be reflected on the student's account immediately. QuikPAY payments made after 6:00 p.m. E.S.T. will be considered "next day" activity; there will be an additional day's delay before the payment is processed to the student's account.

We will automatically refund credit balances on your account as a result of an adjustment or overpayment of your bill. See Refunds for more information. 

You can make any changes to your direct deposit by logging into your HUB Student Center.  Click on Billing / Payments and then click on Payment Options.  You will then be brought into QuikPAY where you can click on Manage Refunds in the menu.

Please visit our website for more information on how to edit your direct deposit information. 

Please visit our website for details on how to enroll in direct deposit.

All requests will need to be reviewed for eligibility.  Please note that this is not a guarantee.

• Undergraduate students - submit a request with the Admissions Office by emailing ub-admissions@buffalo.edu. 
• Graduate or Professional students - contact your individual departments.
• International students - contact International Admissions by emailing intadmit@buffalo.edu.

UB has different tuition and fee categories: Resident, Non-resident, Resident Online, Non-resident Online.  For additional information about tuition and fee rates, please visit our Student Accounts website. 

SUNY clarified its policy for Non-Resident Online Tuition eligibility for all SUNY institutions to specify that this rate applies only to academic programs that are "exclusively online."

Effective fall 2020, the non-resident online tuition rate will be charged to students taking courses in exclusively online academic programs that have been previously approved by the Provost’s Office and registered by the New York State Education Department.  These programs are in distance education format, consistent with the student’s intention to take courses exclusively online at the time of application and matriculation toward the degree. Students who are non-residents whose intent is to be on campus learning, but may be studying remotely, will be charged the nonresidential rate.  A list of the approved online academic programs offered at UB can be found below.

Note: New York State residents enrolled in online academic programs will be charged the tuition rate for resident students.

UB remains one of the most affordable public institutions nationwide, and a sound investment for our students. UB is among 65 research universities that comprise the elite American Association of Universities (AAU). Educating tomorrow’s visionary leaders and innovators is just one goal of the AAU. UB and its AAU peers also earn the most federal funding for research that impacts our society as a whole.  

The tuition rates for the winter session are the same as the preceding fall term. 

For additional information about tuition and fee rates, please visit our Student Accounts website.

Winter course work must be dropped according to the liability deadlines established for winter in order to avoid financial liability for tuition and fees.

Financial aid will appear as ‘anticipated’ on the student account and labeled as Spring. Only currently enrolled undergraduate University at Buffalo students may be eligible for aid for the winter session. Financial aid eligibility is based upon the combined winter and spring registration. Contact your financial aid advisor prior to registering for winter session courses.

Your spring financial aid may pay for both winter and spring charges. If your award is not enough to cover both terms, you will see a balance that remains on both the winter and spring term. Keep in mind, additional charges will reduce any anticipated refunds.

Please visit the UB Card staff at 1Capen to confirm if you are eligible to use financial aid funds in this manner.

Financial aid funds will disburse to the student’s account in late January.  If there is a credit on the account, refunds will be done after the spring census date.