Cross-Registration Guide

Please note the following deadlines. See the “Cross-Registration Procedure” section for additional important details. If any of the following dates fall on a weekend or holiday, the deadline shall be the next business day.

Financial aid may not apply to minor (non-compulsory) terms. Please be certain to contact your financial aid counselor prior to applying.

This guide is intended for matriculated undergraduate SUNY Cortland students who are planning to enroll at a host school on a part-time basis.

SUNY’s system-wide cross registration process gives SUNY Cortland students the opportunity to study on other campuses as part of their official enrollment without additional tuition charges. The cross-registration policy enacted by SUNY applies to all SUNY campuses and community colleges.

Cross-registration was established to enable students to complete their degree in a timely way (within four years), to adjust for a course conflict or time constraint, or to overcome course availability issues.

A “home school” is where a student is matriculated (in a degree program) full time. SUNY Cortland degree-seeking students would refer to Cortland as the “home school.” The school a student attends part time as part of the cross-registration agreement is the “host school”.

Students are permitted to cross-register at state-operated campuses and SUNY Community Colleges. Students may not cross-register at CUNY or private colleges and universities, in any academic programs jointly offered by more than one SUNY campus, in SUNY’s statutory colleges at Cornell and Alfred Universities, in courses with instructional arrangements between Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) and Syracuse University, at State-Operated branch campuses co-located with a SUNY community college, in Study Abroad programs, or International Programs.

Completing the cross-registration process is required to use the SUNY financial aid consortium. You may also cross-register without using the consortium agreement or financial aid

If you plan to use financial aid for cross-registration, you must be assured you are eligible to use financial aid and have available aid. You should set up an appointment with the Financial Aid Office before you apply. If you elect to use financial aid and approval is denied, you will be required to complete a new request.

All students must apply for cross-registration and obtain permission in advance to receive the cross-registration benefit. The application is submitted to the College using the SUNY application.

Fall and Spring Terms

• For Fall terms, you must complete the online request, and receive permission to transfer by August 1. You must be assured you are eligible to use financial aid and have available aid if you plan to use it. You should set up an appointment with an associate in the Financial Aid Office before you apply.
• For Spring terms, you must complete the online request and receive permission to transfer by December 15. You must be assured you are eligible to use financial aid and have available aid if you plan to use it. You should set up an appointment with an associate in the Financial Aid Office before you apply.

Summer and Winter Session

• For Summer terms (when available at the host) you must complete the online request and receive permission to transfer by May 1. You must be assured you are eligible to use financial aid and have available aid if you plan to use it. You should set up an appointment the Financial Aid Office before you apply.
• For Winter terms (when available at the host) you must complete the online request and receive permission to transfer by December 1. Standard financial aid covered by the SUNY consortium agreement is generally not provided during Winter Session by SUNY Cortland, though alternate aid sources and loans may be available to you. If you are applying for a winter session course, you will be directly billed by the host school. If you receive an alternate aid funding source or loan, you will be responsible for providing the information and payment to the host.
• Please note that campuses can opt out of summer and winter sessions. Please contact the host campus to be assured they are enrolling via cross-registration.

Cross Registration Process

Speak with your academic advisor.

Your advisor will need to review and approve your plan before you begin. Your advisor and the associate dean will consult once your application is submitted. Courses must be applicable to your degree and meet the criteria for cross registration.

Complete the Permission to Transfer process with Advisement and Transition by the deadline.

SUNY Cortland requires pre-approval of all transfer courses (including cross-registered courses). Please view the process and policies on the Advisement and Transition site.

Complete the SUNY Online Cross-Registration Application by the deadline.

This will begin the formal process on campus. Once Student Registration and Record Services receives your request, it will be forwarded to campus approvers, including the associate dean and your advisor. The Financial Aid Office may also review your application to determine if aid can be applied.

Obtain a Certificate of Residence (COR) if you are attending a community college.

Cortland cannot approve cross-registration until a copy of a Certificate of Residence (COR) is provided to SUNY Document Version: 2022-2023 Academic Year SUNY Cortland Cross-Registration Handbook for Cortland Students 4 Cortland. Students must also provide the original certificate to the Community College. This is a required step for Community Colleges to be assured a student can be offered in-state tuition. If a student does not provide the certificate to the College, they may be billed directly for any tuition due. Students are able to obtain a certificate from their County Clerk. When the certificate is received, students are advised to upload it to the cross-registration application or bring a copy to Student Registration and Record Services.

Register at the host school by their deadline.

Students are responsible for completing registration at the host school. All applicable dates, deadlines and restrictions may apply at the host school. Please review the school web site and catalog for registration requirements.

After You Register

You agree to abide by all regulations, deadlines and requirements of the host institution (parking, attendance, library rules, etc.). Be sure you are aware of the rules before you register.

The host will send SUNY Cortland a transcript when you are complete, and the tuition bill or consortium information will be provided to Cortland directly. If you drop or withdraw from ANY courses at Cortland or the host school, you must notify Student Registration and Record Services immediately. Failure to do so may result in tuition being directly billed to you.

Cross registration is an exceptional arrangement that requires campus academic and financial approval. Courses must meet specific criteria and certain conditions must be met for cross registration to be permitted.

Permission to Transfer and Cross Registration

The permission to transfer process is a separate process where an academic advisor determines if a selected course transfers back to the institution appropriately. This process exists so students do not individually pursue courses that are not applicable to their program.

Cross registration is a financial aid consortium agreement and billing policy that has separate and unique requirements. Students may be permitted to transfer a course, but may not qualify for cross registration benefits.

Ineligible Courses and Restrictions

Currently, cross registration is not open to optional or exploratory courses that are not applicable to the degree program. Eligible courses are those that apply to any portion of the degree program requirements, which includes general education and elective courses that are required in a major.

Cross registration is not permitted when the course is offered at SUNY Cortland and/or when the course can be reasonably completed in a subsequent term. Current enrollment, the availability of alternate sections, the frequency of course offerings, class level and outstanding degree requirements may all be considerations when determining if cross registration may apply.

Cross registration is offered to assist in the fulfillment of specific degree-applicable requirements. Cross registration may be denied when the proposed course is not a specific transfer equivalent course. Courses that transfer back as general or unnumbered electives (e.g. LASR 1XX) are not eligible for cross registration.

Cross registration is not permitted when the student is pursuing coursework that awards an excess number of credit hours. For example, cross registration cannot be permitted when a student registers for a 4-credit course to fulfill a 3-credit requirement at Cortland. Because cross registration is a financial aid consortium agreement, the College cannot approve additional credits where they are not required. Students should be seeking courses that match the credit required at SUNY Cortland. Please contact your financial aid counselor if you have any questions about the applicability of aid.

Cross registration is not currently available to graduate level courses at SUNY Cortland.

In accordance with New York State Education Law, Section 6301 each full-time and part-time student residing in New York State must file a Certificate of Residence (COR) to show they are a resident of a New York when attending a community college. A student’s county of legal residence contributes a portion of the cost of attendance to the community college.

In most counties, the COR is obtained by making a request of the County Clerk. In general, you will be required to provide ID (such as a driver’s license or permit) and one year’s proof of residency in New York State and 6 month’s proof of residency in your home county. Please consult the web site for your home county or call the County Clerk for more information.

If you are attending a community college, you must provide SUNY Cortland and the Community College with a certificate of residence. No approval will be granted until SUNY Cortland has received the copy of the certificate of residence.

Students are welcome to attend any school in the system that is suitable for them. The following resources are provided as a general guide for students seeking cross-registration opportunities near the Cortland campus.

Nearby Host Schools

Open SUNY, SUNY Online and Campus Online Courses

In addition to traditional classes, many SUNY schools offer online or hybrid courses which require little or no travel to the host campus. The Open SUNY (SUNY Online) Course Navigator is a convenient way to review a series of options from SUNY campuses across the state. 

You are encouraged to read the following important policy notices. Policies in place at SUNY Cortland and the host school must be followed to maintain enrollment. All current SUNY Cortland catalog policies will apply to cross-registered course enrollments.

Enrollment

Cortland students must be enrolled and attending SUNY Cortland to participate. In addition, students must be in good academic standing (eligible to attend class) and not in a leave status. Cross-registering students are limited to six credits of undergraduate cross-registered coursework per term. There are no exceptions to this limit, and additional program limits may also apply. Please consult your advisor to be assured cross-registered courses will apply to your degree program.

Enrollment changes while you are cross-registered may impact your eligibility for financial aid for the current term and/or future terms. Please consult the SUNY Cortland Financial Aid Office regarding academic eligibility for financial aid before making any changes to your schedule when you are cross-registered.

Students are responsible for notifying the appropriate offices on both the home and host campuses if they withdraw from any course(s) within 5 business days. SUNY Cortland students must notify their advisor and the Student Registration and Record Services in writing.

Please be advised that if you fail to meet the enrollment requirements, you may be directly liable for tuition and fees at the host institution.

Data Sharing and Reporting

Completion of the Cross-Registration form grants approval for a host institution to release grades/transcripts to SUNY Cortland at the end of the semester.

A transcript will be provided by the host institution. Students will not be required to request a transcript when transferring a course back to SUNY Cortland and will not be required to pay for a transcript when it is directly provided to SUNY Cortland.

Applying for cross-registration also permits the home and host institutions to communicate regarding a student’s academic and financial record, as it relates to cross-registration.

SUNY Cortland Transfer Course Policies

Cross-registered courses are accepted as standard transfer courses. Students will receive the benefit of course credit and requirement fulfillment, but the course grade will not be used in Cortland’s GPA calculation.

Cross-registered transfer courses are subject to the SUNY Cortland transfer policies listed in the College Catalog. Students will continue to follow the steps required in the permission to transfer process and must obtain approval prior to enrolling in courses at another institution. Cortland reserves the right to deny transfer credit that has not been pre-approved.

The following important transfer course policies will also apply to cross-registered courses:

• Students must complete the “Permission to Transfer Credit from Another Institution” form and secure approval from their academic advisor and the Advisement and Transition Office before the deadlines.
• Only courses with a grade of C- or better will transfer to SUNY Cortland. Document Version: 2022-2023 Academic Year SUNY Cortland Cross-Registration Handbook for Cortland Students 8
• Students cannot enroll in a course at another institution while enrolled in student teaching and certain practicums or fieldwork.
• Departments may require you to take specific courses at SUNY Cortland. Not all courses are eligible to transfer. Applicable residency requirements and course credit limits will still apply.
• Students cannot receive transfer credit for a course they have already received credit for at Cortland.
• While general credit for an equivalent course offered as writing intensive (WI) at Cortland can be accepted, transfer courses will not fulfill the WI requirement.
• Students may not enroll for more than 18 credits in major terms between Cortland and the host school. Other limits apply for summer terms.

Student Conduct

Students are required to adhere to SUNY Cortland’s Code of Student Conduct even while attending a host school. Students are also required to adhere to the conduct policies of the host school while they are enrolled. Students who are academically or disciplinarily suspended/dismissed at either school are ineligible for cross-registration. Students who are dismissed or suspended during the cross-registered academic term will be required to cease enrollment at both schools and may be liable for tuition and fees.

Host School Requirements

The following important information should be considered as you register for classes at a host school.

• Course prerequisites or additional requirements established by the host must be met.
• Host institutions reserve the right to deny registration based on their campus policies and the host institution may apply rules to non-matriculated students as they deem necessary (e.g., restrictions on classes based on seat availability).
• Host schools may require students to submit transcripts or enrollment permission forms.
• Students must complete the registration process through the appropriate offices at the host institution to be considered officially registered in a course.
• Registration dates and deadlines vary by college. Students are responsible for contacting the host institution for registration related dates and deadlines and determining which office(s) are responsible for signing the form. Students will be responsible for the attendance and academic requirements of the course even if home and host calendars and policies do not coincide.
• All course-related fees in excess of tuition remain a student responsibility (e.g., lab fees, distance learning fees, supplies). Additional voluntary fees such as parking, gym fees and student use fees are the responsibility of the student as well, in accord with the host campus policies or the cross-registration policy. Comprehensive or broad-based fees shall not be charged by a host school. If you are charged additional road-based fees by the host, please notify Student Registration and Record Services at Cortland.
• Students agree to abide by all fee and fine policies of the host institution (parking, library, late registration/withdrawal etc.) and will be responsible for any fees or fines they incur.
• Any Health Center (immunization/records/physical exam, etc.) requirements must be met at the host.
• If you are dismissed or suspended from the host school for failing to comply with policy, you may be made directly liable for tuition and fees.

Use this checklist to be assured you are completing the required steps to successfully cross-register at a host institution.

You must complete the steps marked with an asterisk (*) before the published SUNY Cortland deadlines to have your application considered.

1. Consult your academic advisor. *
2. Complete the SUNY cross-registration application. *
3. Complete the Permission to Transfer process with Advisement and Transition. *
4. Obtain a Certificate of Residence from the County Clerk in your home county.
   Only required if you are attending a Community College.
5. Upload a copy of the Certificate of Residence and provide the original to the host school. 
   Only required if you are attending a Community College.
6. Register at the host school by published deadlines.
   Fees or charges for late or exceptional registration are the responsibility of the student.
7. Complete any health, student conduct or enrollment requirements at the host school.
8. Attend class based on the calendar at the host school.