Tuition & Fees

General Regulations

Note: The information in this section is valid only for the academic year May 2024 through May 2025. For the most up-to-date numbers please visit the Canisius tuition and aid webpage.

All tuition charges, student fees, and room and board charges are assessed and collected by the Student Records and Financial Services Center, with the exception of the deposit fee for new students that is collected by the Office of Admissions. The Trustees of the university, when necessary, may amend the tuition charges, fees and room and board charges. Tuition and fee rates at Canisius are the same for online and on-campus courses.  Courses taught online offer the same excellent instructors, education, and support services as courses taught on-campus.

Tuition Deposits

All candidates for undergraduate admission must make a pre-registration deposit of $200 on or before the Candidate’s Reply Date of May 1. This deposit will be applied to the tuition bill of the first semester after the formal notice of acceptance. The entire deposit is forfeited if the student fails to enter the university or withdraws from the university before the completion of the semester.

Room Deposits

A $200 deposit is required of first time students occupying a room in one of the residence halls. The room deposit is non-refundable and is applied as a payment toward the spring semester student bill.

Payment of Tuition, Fees, and Room & Board

Tuition, fees, room and board are due on the date printed on the bill.

Students must either:

• Pay the bill in full less NYS awards.
• Be enrolled in a payment plan.

Failure to do this by the close of business on the due date printed on the bill will result in a $100 Late Fee assessed monthly (max. $300). The Student Records and Financial Services Center is responsible for the assessment and collection of tuition and fees payable to Canisius University. All prior financial obligations to the university must be paid in full before registration will be permitted for any new semester. If payment or other arrangements are not made, the Student Records and Financial Services Center has the option of canceling the student’s registration.

Canisius University accepts for payment cash, check (US funds only), money orders, wire transfers, and checks over the telephone. Tuition payments can be made online with your checking or savings account. It is the university policy to write the student’s ID number on the face of the check or money order to ensure accurate posting. By submitting a check, please be aware that you are authorizing Canisius University to use information on your check to make a one-time electronic debit from your account at the financial institution indicated on your check. This electronic debit will be for the amount on the check. Funds may be withdrawn from your account as soon as the same day your payment is received and you will not receive your check back from your financial institution. Contact the Student Records and Financial Services Center if you have any questions about electronic check collection or options available if you do not want your payments collected electronically.

Checks for tuition payments should be mailed to:
Canisius University
Student Records and Financial Services Center
2001 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14208

Make your check payable to Canisius University. Your student ID number must be clearly written on the check so that your tuition account is properly credited. All payments are credited on the day received.

Students personally guarantee and are responsible for all obligations to the university for tuition, fees and other charges. Students under the age of majority, under 18 in New York State, have by assumption received the personal guarantee of their parent(s) or guardian unless the student, the parent(s), or guardian notifies the university in writing of their invalidation of the personal and parental assumption of guarantee of all tuition, fees and other charges.

Any student who has an outstanding balance due to the university is officially given notice that the university will not allow any course registration until all balances are paid in full. These students will also be subject to additional collection costs, attorneys’ fees, late fees, fines or interest charges on the unpaid balance. Failure to receive a bill in the mail is not sufficient grounds to appeal university policy. It is the responsibility of the student to check their account balance online and remit timely payment.

Students participating in a tuition remission, exchange, or consortium program are responsible for fees, and room and board if applicable. Please contact the Student Records and Financial Services Center with any questions.

Withdrawal, Cancellation, and Refund

Unofficial withdrawal does not cancel an account. No withdrawal credit will be given to any student who does not fill out the proper withdrawal forms provided by the appropriate administrative office. No withdrawals will be accepted or withdrawal credit given over the telephone. Withdrawal tuition adjustments will be processed based on the completed and approved paperwork using the chart below.  Tuition credit or refunds will be given to those students whose bills are paid.

No refund of tuition, housing or board costs may be demanded as a matter of right when a student leaves the university or university owned housing without completing the semester in which enrolled. For a student to request a refund, the withdrawal must be authorized by the appropriate associate academic dean and/or the Director of Residence Life or designee by the filing of an official form, countersigned by the parent or guardian in the case of a freshman. If this is done, a refund of tuition, housing, and/or board costs only will be processed according to the following schedule:

Fees are not refundable.

No refund of tuition will be granted to a full-time undergraduate student who withdraws from a course but continues attendance in other courses at the university, with the exception of drop-and-add week. Such students will be deemed to retain full-time status. Refunds of tuition will be calculated from the date on which the withdrawal is approved by the appropriate academic dean. Full tuition and fees will be refunded in the event of cancellation of a student’s enrollment because of an error on the part of the university. Any individual remaining enrolled may terminate the room and board agreement only under special circumstances approved by the Office of Student Life. The same schedules noted above will be used to determine the final bill for housing and board costs, as specified in the Room and Board Contract.

Outstanding Financial Obligations

Any outstanding financial obligation which a student owes to the university can prevent the student from registering for courses or making schedule adjustments.

The following types of outstanding financial obligations can cause a financial hold to be placed on a student’s record:

1. Any outstanding tuition, default on payment plans, late charges, write-offs or Perkins loans;
2. Library — any late fines or replacement fees for books not returned;
3. Residence Life residence hall damage fees;
4. Koessler Athletic Center fees for lost or damaged equipment.

In order to clear a financial hold, a student must pay the obligation due at the appropriate office or make suitable payment arrangements with that office. A student must clear ALL financial holds in order to register for classes or make schedule changes.

Veterans Administration Compliance with Title 38 USC 3679(e)

Individuals can attend or participate in a program of education if the Chapter 31 or Chapter 33 beneficiary provides Canisius University with a “Certificate or Eligibility (COE)”. 

While payment from the VA to the school is pending.  Canisius University will not:

• Prevent the student’s enrollment
• Assess a late penalty fee to the student
• Require student secure alternative or additional funding
• Deny their access to any resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities} available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution.

Governmental Programs

Students who attend Canisius University under the provision of Public Laws 16, 346, 550, or 894 and those under the sponsorship and benefits of other government agencies are subject to regulations governing certified papers from the Department of Veterans Affairs or other appropriate government agencies. They must present these papers to the Student Records and Financial Services Center.

Deferred Tuition Payments

Students desiring a tuition deferment or monthly installments in paying their tuition may enter into a Semester Payment Plan with the university. If a student wishes to utilize the Semester Payment Plan, he/she must enroll in the plan by the due date on the bill. All Semester Payment Plans are subject to an administration fee and a penalty fee if the balance is not paid in full by the payment plan’s final due date. Once enrolled in a Semester Payment Plan, the administration fee will be added to the tuition bill and the remaining balance is due in accordance with the terms of the agreed upon plan.

Full-Time Students

A full-time undergraduate student is one who is registered for at least 12 credit hours in a semester.

Part-Time Students

A part-time undergraduate student is one who is registered for less than 12 credit hours in a semester.

Undergraduate Tuition for Fall and Spring Semesters

Effective May 2024 through May 2025

¹

 On a space-available basis.

²

 No fees, except for laboratory, are charged.

Housing Rates

Meal Plan Options¹

¹

A detailed description of each plan may be obtained from the Student Records & Financial Services Center.  All residents of Bosch, Frisch or Dugan are required to purchase a Griff Food Plan for the fall and spring semesters.

• Freshmen are automatically assigned to the Griff Unlimited plan.
• Sophomores, Juniors and seniors may choose Griff Unlimited, Griff 12 Meals/Week, or Griff 7 Meals/Week Plan.

All other resident and commuter students may choose any Griff Food Plan.  Griff Food Plan enrollment and changes are allowed only through the first week of each semester.  If a meal plan is purchased in the fall semester, it will automatically be re-billed in the spring semester, unless changed during the first week of the spring semester.

Fees for all Undergraduate Students

HEALTH INSURANCE

Canisius requires all full-time undergraduate students to have health insurance.  All International Students (including Canadian students) will be automatically enrolled in the plan.  Domestic students can either enroll in the Canisius University Student Health Insurance Plan or retain comparable coverage via their current health insurance plan or family plan. If a student will use their own health insurance plan or be covered by a parent’s plan, there is a requirement to demonstrate proof of comparable health insurance coverage and waive out of the Canisius University Health Insurance Plan.  Go to canisius.edu/studenthealthinsurance for more information and complete the form needed to demonstrate proof of health insurance.

Special Fees

Certain courses require additional fees that are associated with equipment, supplies, or specific activities within those courses. Some standard fees are listed below, although additional classes may also have fees associated with them (including travel).

Occasional Fees and Charges