Overpayments and eRefunds
During your time at Purchase College, you may have over-payments on your account from financial aid or out-of-pocket payments that the college will then process as a refund.
We request you set up an eRefund profile as this is the quickest method to receive a refund.
Refunds (How and when they are issued)
In general, when a student has excess funds (greater than their bill) a refund will be generated to the student if the student’s financial aid caused the refund. Conversely, if a parent PLUS Loan caused the refund, it would be generated as a check to the parent borrower.
Refunds will not be issued until all financial aid has paid towards the semester bill and the bill is paid in full. The last of the funding that arrives in our office to apply to your student account is where your refund will come from. If a student is an Excelsior recipient, their refund will not be processed until the semester ends when the grades are posted and processed by the Registrar’s office.
eRefund profile
An eRefund Profile allows you to link a current checking or savings account of your choice, for direct deposit of your refunds. Once your eRefund Profile is set up, Purchase College will process all refunds into that account as early as 24 hours after the overpayment occurs on your account.
Please note that if you make a payment to your account using a credit/debit card (either online or in person) the payment will be refunded back to the card used to make the payment.
- Log onto the myHeliotrope Portal
- Click the “Student Accounts” box
- Click the “Set Up TouchNet eRefund Profile” box
- This brings you to the TouchNet website. If you have not already, you need to set up two-step verification by clicking on the link that says “Security Settings” on the page you have been brought to. You can also get to “Security Settings” by clicking “My Profile” on the right of the screen in the [blue] bar that runs horizontally across the page. From there, click on “Security Settings” from the list that pops down.
- Select how you would like to receive the verification code (text message via a mobile number, email address to another account that is NOT YOUR @purchase.edu email account OR use the Google Authenticator app which you would need to download onto your smartphone).
- You will receive the code to your preferred method. You’ll type it in the box that appears after you press the “Send Code” button; then click “Verify.” Your page will now reload with your primary method shown as the method you selected in step 5.
- Next, click on “Refunds” from the top, horizontal [blue] bar that runs across the page. When this page loads click the “Set up Account” button and enter all information that it asks for. Please be sure to enter the correct Routing and Account numbers and DO NOT enter Debit Card numbers. Then click continue.
- The new pop-up will summarize the information you entered and as long as it is correct and you understand the terms, check off the box for “I Agree” and click “Continue.” You can also print the agreement if you’d like.
This will save your direct deposit profile, and we will be able to electronically refund your over-payment.
If you experience any issues setting up your eRefund profile, please contact our office. You may also want to try using a different internet browser (Google Chrome vs. Internet Explorer, for example) if you are having technical difficulties.
Our office is able to provide you a paper check. If you would like your refund in the form of a check, please send us an email from your Purchase College email account to financialservices@purchase.edu requesting your refund in the form of a check and include the address you would like the check mailed to or if you would like to pick it up from our office. Please note that it may take up to 2–3 weeks to receive your check via mail.