A hold is placed on a student’s account by Student Financial Services if their balance is past due after the first billing due date of the semester. If a hold is not resolved, students will be unable to register for classes, change programs, obtain academic certifications, or receive a diploma. If you are due to graduate and you have a past-due balance, a graduation hold will be placed 30 days prior to the graduation date. You would not be able to receive a diploma until the balance is paid. Please review our guidelines below to ensure that you have completed all of the necessary requirements needed for a hold to be removed, or for us to request a hold to be removed on your behalf by Student Financial Services.

Missing Financial Aid Application Documents:

If you are a financial aid recipient, a hold can only be removed once we have received all of your documents, have processed your aid package, and can confirm that your aid will settle your past-due balance. Please visit our How to Apply to make sure that we have received all of the documents necessary to process your financial aid package.

New York State TAP Award:

If you are a TAP award recipient, please contact the NYS Higher Education Services Corporation at (888) 697-4372 to ensure that your TAP application has been completed. Our office can request for a hold to be removed if we determine that the TAP application is complete, and that your TAP funding is simply awaiting disbursement and will settle your past-due balance.

Selected for Federal Verification:

If you are selected for federal verification, please submit an appropriate verification worksheet and a signed copy of your parent(s)’ tax return on the bottom of page 2. Families will have to request an appropriate tax transcript from the IRS if they are unable to provide a signed tax return. Our office can request for a hold to be removed if we determine that disbursed funds will settle your past-due balance once your FAFSA has been verified. Further instructions can be found on our Federal Verification and Forms pages respectively.

Federal Direct Loan Application:

If you plan to borrow a federal direct loan, our office must have the corresponding FAFSA, Entrance Counseling, Master Promissory Note, and Application form to consider removing a hold. Our office can request for a hold to be removed once we have received these documents and determined that disbursed funds will settle your past-due balance. For more information, please visit our Federal Direct Loan information page

Private Loan Application:

If you plan to borrow a private loan, our office must have the private loan application form to consider requesting to remove a hold. Our office can request for a hold to be removed once we have received this document, a certification request from your lender, and determined that disbursed funds will settle your past-due balance. For more information, please visit our Private Loan information page.

Outside Scholarships:

If you are awaiting an outside scholarship, please be aware that a hold cannot be removed until a legitimate form of payment from your third-party organization has been received. Our office can request for a hold to be removed once we have received this confirmation and determines that disbursed funds will settle your past-due balance. Please visit our Outside Scholarships page to ensure that you have completed the necessary requirements and address to have your funds sent to for payment to Columbia University.