Understanding My College Expenses FAQs

Guttman Community College wants to ensure you are aware of how much it will cost you to attend our college. Below are some of the commonly asked questions we have received, and we hope you find them helpful as you plan for your college expenses.

College is not free, and enrolling in courses will result in a bill due to the College. The good news is there are financial aid options available to help you cover your educational expenses. For information on how to apply for financial aid, please visit the Applying for Financial Aid webpage.

There are various reasons why you are receiving a bill notification and the most common reasons are (but are not limited to):

  • You did not list Guttman on your financial aid applications, resulting in the College not receiving your information.
  • You may have changed your enrollment by adding or dropping courses after the Financial Aid Certification Date. (See academic calendar for details.)
  • You may have received ineligible grades (for example, WN grades) which resulted in a reduction or loss of financial aid eligibility.
  • You decided not to attend college but did not drop your courses prior to the start of the term.

For additional information about tuition refund deadlines, please find information on the Bursar webpage. You can also review Guttman’s Academic Calendar for important dates, including tuition refund dates.

For a full-time New York City Resident student, your direct costs (tuition and fees) are $2,596.45 per term, and the total annual costs is $5,192.90 (based on 12 or more credits/equated credits per term).

If you are a full-time student and a non-resident of New York City or an out of state resident, then your direct costs (tuition and fees) are approximately $5,956.45 per term, and the annual cost is $11,912.90 (based on 18 credits/equated credits per term).

For detailed information about tuition and fees, please visit the Bursar webpage.

Direct costs are those expenses that you have to pay directly to Guttman Community College, and indirect costs are estimated expenses that you may need to pay for out-of-pocket because you are attending college.

At Guttman Community College, your direct costs represent your tuition and fees. Indirect costs are out-of-pocket expenses such as books, supplies, transportation, personal expenses, and room and board.

A student’s college budget or Cost of Attendance (COA) is comprised of both direct and indirect costs.  See additional information about your COA.

Your financial aid awards are applied to your direct costs, which consist of your tuition and fees per term. If your financial aid awards exceed your tuition and fees, then you may be eligible for a financial aid refund to help you cover indirect costs which are out-of-pocket expenses such as books and supplies.

Your financial aid awards, such as Federal or State grants, Scholarships, or Federal Direct Loans, cannot exceed your total cost of attendance for the academic year.

If the amount of financial aid you are receiving is greater than your tuition and fee charges for the term, then you may be eligible for a refund. Generally, financial aid awards are disbursed in two or more payments. You can review your award disbursement dates by logging into your CUNYfirst account and clicking on the “Financial Aid” tile.

Note: If you have outstanding items in your CUNYfirst Student Center, then the disbursement of your financial aid awards may be delayed until all pending requirements are fulfilled. Make sure to review your To Do List (located in the Tasks and Holds section) in your CUNYfirst Student Center and submit all required documents to the Office of Financial aid.

There are two ways you can receive your refund.  One way to receive your refund is by paper check which is mailed to the mailing address you have listed on your CUNYfirst account. Students are encouraged to maintain an accurate and up-to-date mailing address on CUNYfirst. For assistance in updating your mailing address on CUNYfirst, please visit the HUB Student Information Center on campus.

The second way you can receive a refund is by signing up for direct deposit. You must have a bank account in your name to sign up for direct deposit. We highly encourage you to sign up for direct deposit as a secure and fast way to receive your financial aid refunds and/or Federal Work Study payments. See more information and instructions on setting up your direct deposit.

The best way to receive help with your financial aid is to contact us by:

  • Setting up a Starfish appointment to meet one-on-one with a financial aid advisor
  • Email the financial aid team at Aid@guttman.cuny.edu
  • Visit the HUB Student Information Center (3rd floor)
  • Call us at (646) 313-8011
  • Attend an in-person or virtual event held throughout the academic year – check your Guttman email daily and sign up for one of our events!