Frequently Asked Questions

SFASU is required to follow federal and state regulations that govern tuition refunds and financial aid. Texas public universities must follow Texas Education Code §54.006 for tuition refunds, and federal financial aid is governed by Title IV regulations that require aid to be recalculated when enrollment changes. These rules are not set by individual offices and must be applied consistently to all students.

• Contact: sbs@sfasu.edu 

A class is considered officially dropped only when the enrollment change is processed through the university’s registration system. Informal actions—such as not attending, stopping coursework, or notifying an instructor or advisor—do not count as an official drop and does not change billing or refund eligibility. 

• Contact: registrar@sfasu.edu

Dropping a class means you remove one or more courses but remain enrolled in at least one course at SFASU for the term. Withdrawing from the university means you withdraw from all courses for the term. These actions follow different refund rules and financial aid requirements, so it is important to understand which action you are taking. 

• Contact: 
  • Process: registrar@sfasu.edu 
  • Billing: sbs@sfasu.edu
  • Aid impact: finaid@sfasu.edu
• More information: How to Drop or Withdraw

Auto-registration is official enrollment. If you do not attend class, but do not complete the official drop or withdrawal process, you remain enrolled and financially responsible. Not attending class does not remove charges or generate a refund. If you intend to drop, please reach out to the Registrar. 

• Contact: registrar@sfasu.edu

A class is not dropped unless the official drop process is completed. Telling an instructor or advisor, stopping attendance, or not logging into the course does not remove you from enrollment. If the class still appears on your schedule, you are still enrolled and billed.  You should receive an email after your class has been dropped.

• Contact: registrar@sfasu.edu
• More information: How to Drop or Withdraw

Dropping classes may affect your academic progress, including full-time status, degree progression, course sequencing, and eligibility for certain programs, athletics, housing, or visas. Drops may also count toward state or institutional limits on course drops and could impact future registration timelines.

• Contact: registrar@sfasu.edu
• More information: Undergraduate Catalog

Financial aid is based on enrollment and eligibility rules. Dropping classes may cause your aid to be recalculated or reduced, and in some cases aid already applied to your account may need to be returned. The timing of the drop matters. 

Before dropping a class, you should understand how the change may affect your financial aid and billing. Checking with Financial Aid and Student Business Services in advance can help you avoid unexpected charges or loss of eligibility. 

• Contact: 
  • Financial aid: finaid@sfasu.edu
  • Billing: sbs@sfasu.edu

Refund eligibility, financial aid amounts, and scholarship eligibility are all tied to official enrollment dates. Dropping earlier generally provides more options and fewer financial impacts than dropping later. 

• Contact: sbs@sfasu.edu 

Tuition waivers/exemptions apply while you are enrolled in eligible courses or you have an eligible scholarship on your account. For most waivers/exemptions, if you drop a class on or before the census date, the charges for that class are removed and the waiver no longer applies to it. For withdrawals on or before the census date, the waiver may be removed. If you drop or withdraw after the census date, the waiver/exemption is not retroactively removed. Special circumstances may be applied for certain waivers/exemptions (i.e. Hazlewood) and if you have any questions, you should reach out to Student Business Services.

• Contact: sbs@sfasu.edu

If your financial aid exceeds your university charges, the remaining amount is issued to you as a refund after aid is applied and eligibility is confirmed. Refund timing depends on enrollment verification, aid type, and whether all requirements have been completed. You will need to make sure your refund preference has been set up. 

• Contact: 
  • Financial aid: finaid@sfasu.edu
  • Billing: sbs@sfasu.edu
• More information: Disbursements

Refunds are issued after financial aid disburses and enrollment is confirmed, not at the time aid is awarded. Delays may occur if enrollment changes, verification is required, or aid eligibility is still being reviewed.  To ensure timely refunds, you will want to ensure you have set up your bank mobile account.

• Contact:
  • Aid posting: finaid@sfasu.edu
  • Refund timing: sbs@sfasu.edu
• More information: Advances 

If you add housing or a meal plan after receiving a financial aid refund, those charges are added to your student account and must be paid. Financial aid refunds are not recalculated automatically to cover new charges added later, so you may owe a balance.

• Contact: 
  • Billing: sbs@sfasu.edu
  • Housing: reslife@sfasu.edu

If you drop a class after receiving a refund, your financial aid may be recalculated based on your new enrollment. If aid is reduced, you may be required to repay part or all of the refund, and a balance due may appear on your account. Also, watch the dates and deadlines to ensure that courses are dropped within the refund period.

• Contact: 
  • Financial aid questions: finaid@sfasu.edu
  • Balance questions: sbs@sfasu.edu
• More information: Summer Dates and Deadlines

Refunds are issued based on your enrollment and charges at the time of disbursement. If your enrollment later changes, federal or state rules may require aid to be adjusted or returned which can create a balance even after a refund has been issued. 

• Contact:
  • Financial aid: finaid@sfasu.edu
  • Balances/billing: sbs@sfasu.edu

Drop‑related emails are sent when a student does not yet have payment, a payment plan, or eligible financial aid posted to their account by the published deadline. These messages are intended as reminders for students to take action before enrollment changes occur.

Receiving a drop warning does not mean you have already been dropped, but it does mean that action may still be needed to protect your schedule.

Students should ensure they take action regarding these notices by reaching out to SBS at sbs@sfasu.edu to confirm that their status of their courses is secure.

• Contact: SBS@sfasu.edu

Your student bill is available through the student portal and reflects current tuition, fees, housing, meal plans, and any payments or aid that have posted to your account. To view the most updated information, select the View On Demand Statement in your Billing portal.

• Contact: sbs@sfasu.edu
• More information: Billing | mySFA

Billing due dates are set each term and align with published payment deadlines. To avoid late fees or enrollment changes, payment or payment arrangements must be completed by the deadline.

• Contact:  sbs@sfasu.edu
• More information: Dates and Deadlines

Approved exemptions and waivers are manually applied to student accounts after eligibility is confirmed and processed. The timing can vary depending on the type of exemption or waiver and when required documentation is received. Once applied, the exemption or waiver will reduce the applicable charges shown on your student bill.

• Contact: sbs@sfasu.edu 
• More information: Exemptions and Waivers

Financial aid offers must be reviewed and accepted through the student portal before funds can be applied to your account.

• Contact: finaid@sfasu.edu
• More information: Accepting Aid

Scholarships are applied to student accounts after they are officially awarded, accepted (if required), and processed. Timing can vary depending on the type of scholarship, donor or departmental requirements, and when all eligibility conditions are met.

Until a scholarship is fully processed and posted, it will not appear on the student bill or reduce the balance due.

Typically, financial aid posts 10 days before the start of the semester.

Note: Anticipated scholarships do not count as payment until they are officially applied to the student billing account.

Financial aid must be accepted, eligible, and officially posted before it can pay toward tuition and fees. Timing depends on federal regulations and enrollment status.  Please ensure you have accepted your financial aid and completed all eligibility steps.

Accepted financial aid posts to student accounts according to federal and institutional timelines, typically shortly before the start of the term.

• Contact: finaid@sfasu.edu

The payment deadline applies to all accounts that show a balance for tuition and fees on the payment deadline.  Anticipated aid alone does not protect against non-payment actions.  If your account shows a balance by the payment due date, please sign up for a payment plan or a payment plan along with a short term loan. Without a payment plan with the first payment paid or payment plan and a short term loan, you may be at risk of being dropped.

• Contact: sbs@sfasu.edu
• More information: 
  • Payment Plans
  • Short-Term Loans

A remaining balance may reflect charges not covered by aid or changes in enrollment. Student Business Services can explain charges, while Financial Aid can explain financial aid amounts.  Ensure that you have applied for FAFSA as early as possible.

• Contact: sbs@sfasu.edu

Students may pay their balance in full or enroll in an approved payment plan for the term. Payment plans are established through the student portal and must be completed by the published enrollment deadline to be valid.  Students should re-enroll in a payment plan in each semester in which they would like to be enrolled.

• Contact: SBS@sfasu.edu
• More information: Payment Plans

Housing and meal plan charges are based on your housing assignment and selected meal plan. If something looks incorrect—such as the wrong meal plan, missing housing, or a charge that does not match your selection—it may be related to recent changes or timing of updates between systems. You will need to contact Residence Life for further details about housing or meal plans. 

Note: Changes to housing assignments or meal plans may take time to reflect on the student bill after they are processed.

• Contact: reslife@sfasu.edu 

Texas public universities are required by state law to establish payment deadlines for tuition and mandatory fees. The Texas Education Code requires each institution to set a date by which tuition and fees must be paid in full or covered by an approved payment plan. This ensures enrollment can be certified and funding requirements are met.

SFA sets its specific payment deadlines within that legal framework. These deadlines are aligned with state reporting requirements and the university’s academic and financial processes. Students who do not have payment, a payment plan, or eligible financial aid posted by the deadline may be subject to enrollment changes, including being dropped from classes. 

Note: Accepting financial aid alone does not meet the payment requirement until the aid is officially posted to the student account.

Many university fees are not tied to physical classroom use. They support shared services and infrastructure that are required for students to enroll, access courses, receive academic support, process financial aid, maintain records, and earn credit—regardless of whether a class is online or in person.

Most mandatory fees are assessed based on enrollment, not location. These fees fund services and systems that must operate for all students, including technology platforms, advising, billing, compliance, and student support functions that online students still rely on.

No. Mandatory fees are structured as shared-service fees, not pay-per-use charges. They help ensure services are available to the student body as a whole, even if an individual student does not use every service funded by the fee.

No. Mandatory fees are not based on individual usage. They are assessed to support shared services and cannot be waived simply because a student does not use a specific facility or service.

Yes, but only in specific situations authorized by law or policy. These may include statutory exemptions, approved waivers, or cases where a fee does not apply to a specific term or enrollment level.

Mandatory fees are established through formal approval processes that may include state law, governing board approval, and required advisory input. Once approved, they must be applied consistently to all students who meet the criteria for the fee.

No. The university does not have discretion to remove mandatory fees on an individual basis because a course is online or a student is off campus. Fees can only be reduced or removed if allowed under law or formal policy.

Tuition pays for instruction and academic delivery. Mandatory fees support shared services and infrastructure that allow students to enroll, access courses, receive support, and earn credit. Both are assessed based on enrollment, not physical presence.

• More information: Explanation of Tuition and Fees 

Statutory tuition is the portion of tuition that is set in state law. For Texas public universities, the statutory tuition rate for resident undergraduate students is $50 per semester credit hour, as established in the Texas Education Code in 2026. Universities do not have discretion to change this rate except through legislative action.

Designated tuition is set by the university’s governing board within limits allowed by state law. It helps fund instructional and academic operations beyond what is covered by statutory tuition and state appropriations. Like statutory tuition, it is assessed based on enrollment, not course format.

Financial Aid cannot remove or waive mandatory tuition or fees. Financial aid awards are applied to help pay charges, but they do not change which charges are assessed. Tuition and fee assessments, exemptions, and waivers are governed by law and university policy and are administered through Student Business Services.

If you believe a fee was assessed in error or you may be eligible for an approved exemption or waiver, Student Business Services can review your account.

Note: Financial Aid determines eligibility for aid; Student Business Services oversees charges, waivers, and billing adjustments.