Office of the Assemblies

Thank you for conveying to me Student Assembly Resolution #10: Mitigating Negative Student Impact of 14% International Student Tax Withholding. I appreciate the Student Assembly’s interest in supporting international students.

We recognize that we can do more to inform international students of the tax withholding, and the Admissions and Financial Aid offices are expanding their efforts to ensure that students understand how they may be taxed and how their withholding will proceed. This will include sending new direct notices, including by email, as well as revising and expanding the language accessible on websites. The offices are recommending and supporting similar enhanced efforts from the Bursar, the Tax Office, and Global Cornell.

At present, international students are eligible for a loan to cover the costs of the tax withholding. As it states on our website: “If this tax withholding presents a financial hardship for you when it appears on your bursar account, you may contact the Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment to request a loan. These university loans are interest-free until six months after graduation.”

We will make the option of a loan clearer in our notices to international students.

Unfortunately, the Financial Aid office cannot at this time include the withholding amount in students’ financial aid award letters. Individual student circumstances vary, so adding this as a line item in students’ Cost-of-Attendance calculations upfront would be at best an estimate that would likely be inaccurate.

Thank you to you and the Assembly for your advocacy.

Sincerely,

Martha E. Pollack