CUNY Policy on Maintenance of Matriculation Fee

Effective Spring 2011 

Graduate (Masters Degree) students, who are not enrolled in any graduate courses or any undergraduate courses which are part of their graduate program and wish to maintain matriculation, are required to pay a maintenance of matriculation fee. This fee should be paid during the semester of absence. Maintenance of matriculation fees are not required for summer session unless the students are obtaining their degrees in that session. Students on maintenance of matriculation should not be charged student activity fees. Students must be either registered or on maintenance of matriculation in the semester they obtain their degree. The maintenance of matriculation fee cannot be waived.  Maintenance of Matriculation students do not pay the Consolidated Service Fee.

a. Rate Schedule

Resident             $160 per semester

Non-Resident    $265 per semester

b. Dropping or Cancellation of Courses (Refunds) If a graduate student drops his/her only course or all courses during the refund period on his/her own volition, the student activity fee is non-refundable, and he/she has two choices:

1. If he/she wishes to continue in graduate study, he/she receives the appropriate    percentage of tuition refund, less the difference, if any, between the maintenance of matriculation fee and the total student tuition liability. Thus, the student pays at a minimum the maintenance of matriculation fee. He/she may then return to college the following semester.
   
2. If he/she does not wish to continue in graduate study, he/she receives the appropriate percentage of tuition refund. If at a later date he/she wishes to return to college, the college's readmission process is followed, and he/she must pay the readmission fee.

If a graduate student withdraws after the refund period, but during the withdrawal period, no maintenance of matriculation fee is required inasmuch as a student receives a "W" grade.

If a graduate student's required course is cancelled by the college and no approved alternative is available to the student, the student should receive a full refund of tuition and student activity fee. Such student should not be required to pay the maintenance of matriculation fee for that semester or the readmission fee in the following semester.