Student Account Refunds

A student may have a credit balance in their account as a result of outside funding (such as a student loan or scholarship disbursement), or from a change in billing (such as a tuition refund caused by dropping a course), or change in status (such as withdrawal or an activated discount).

When to Expect Payment

Student loan refunds will be made in compliance with federal regulations to send any eligible credit balance to the student within 14 days of the disbursement. For all other refunds Fielding will make a good faith effort to issue refund payments within 30 days.

Students may enroll in the echeck refund program through WebAdvisor in order to receive electronic deposit of refunds.

Uncashed checks or returned refunds

Refund checks that are not cashed within 180 days from the date of issuance are not valid. If refund checks are not cashed within 180 days from the date of issuance, the student will be contacted. If the student is unreachable, a stop payment will be placed on the check. No later than 240 days from the date of issuance, the uncashed funds will be applied first to a current or past due balance (within the same award year or for a balance of up to $200, if federal student loan funds), and any remaining amount will be returned to the original funding source.

If a check or electronic funds transfer is returned to the university, additional attempts will be made to issue a refund to the student. If these attempts are not successful, the student loan funds will be returned to the lender within 45 days of the return.

Sponsors and scholarships

Certain scholarships and sponsors allow students to receive the credit balance of funds based on eligibility and the guidelines provided by the sponsor or scholarship program. If a student is eligible for the credit balance of a sponsor or scholarship credit, the funds will be sent to the student. Fielding will make a good faith effort to issue refunds for sponsor payments and scholarships within 30 days.

Monthly payment plan

Students on the monthly payment plan should consult their payment plan agreement and Student Accounts staff for additional information on refund amounts.

Dropping a course or withdrawing

A student who drops a course or withdraws from the University may be entitled to a tuition refund, and the recorded withdrawal or drop date is used to determine the refund. Non-attendance or nonparticipation in coursework does not constitute an official drop of the course or withdrawal. For students who have failed to drop a course or withdraw officially, the mid-point of the course period or the last date of academically significant interaction (as determined by the Registrar in consultation with faculty/program staff) will be used to determine the drop or withdrawal date.