Refund Policy

The tuition payment will be refunded in full if you cancel your registration prior to attending classes and do not incur other University charges. 

If you register for course(s) and subsequently withdraw or drop to part-time, the refund will be made according to Penn State's Tuition Adjustment Schedule.

Students that drop below full-time or drop below their originally registered credit level may not receive a tuition refund. Adjustments for tuition will be determined on the effective date of the drop. Any adjustment of charges will be made according to Penn State's Tuition Adjustment Schedule.

When will refunds be issued?

Penn State will refund the credit balance which is the result of Federal financial aid in a student's account within TWO weeks of either the date the aid was credited to the student's account or the first day of the semester, whichever is later.

eRefund allows you to receive a refund due to you as a direct deposit into your U.S. checking or savings bank account. It is the fastest and most convenient way to receive your student refund. 

Students, to enroll in eRefund follow these steps: 

1. Login to your Student Home Base in LionPATH
2. Click on "My Finances" on top of the page
3. Select "Manage My Account/Make A Payment" to get to the billing and payment portal
4. Navigate to the eRefunds tab.
5. Enter and confirm your U.S. bank account information (routing and account number).
6. Agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy and click "Submit". 

Once enrollment is complete, future eligible refunds will be sent to the enrolled bank account. 

After an eRefund has been generated by Penn State to your financial institution, the process may take up to 3-5 business days before it will appear as a credit in your account. Please refer to your financial institution's policy concerning the availability of these funds.

Watch the AI-assisted video below on how to enroll in eRefund.

Students who do not enroll in eRefund, will receive a refund check sent by mail to their home address on record.

International students will have their refund check mailed to their local address. Refunds by mail are sent via United States Postal Service and can only be sent to U.S. based addresses.

It is the student's responsibility to keep his/her local and home addresses up to date in Account Management.

How are loans applied to Student Accounts?

The Federal Direct Parent PLUS funds are applied to the student's tuition and fees first, and then the student's other financial aid funds are applied.

Beginning summer 2026, Authorized Users will be able to enroll in eRefund to receive refunds from excess Direct Parent PLUS Loans funds only. The Authorized User must also be the loan's borrower. To enroll, please follow the steps below:

1. Log in to the student account at Penn State's online bill payment for parent/authorized user log in page.
2. Navigate to the eRefunds tab.
3. Enter the last 4-digits of your SSN and zip code as indicated on the PLUS Loan application.
4. Enter and confirm your U.S. bank account information (routing and account number).
5. Agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy and click "Submit". 

Once enrollment is complete, future eligible refunds will be sent to the enrolled bank account. 

If not enrolled in eRefund as an Authorized User, the parent borrower will receive a refund check sent by mail to their address as indicated on the loan application. 

eRefund for Authorized Users are for Parent PLUS Loan disbursements only and will not be used for refunds of student account credit balances. 

Refunds by wire payment via Flywire is a refunding option available for international students residing outside of the United States and who do not have the ability to set up a U.S. bank account to enroll in eRefund.

International students who qualify for a refund, will be contacted via their Penn State email address, and offered this innovative refunding service. Easy instructions to securely set up the wire payment will follow once the student accepts the service. The refund will be then transferred to the bank account designated by the student in their own country. There is a minimal fee charged by Flywire which is deducted from the refund total prior to transferring the funds to the student, and the student will always be notified of this fee before the funds are sent.

• For more information, please visit Flywire’s website
• For questions about a refund on your student account, please submit a contact us form
• For additional information about Flywire international refunds, please contact Flywire’s customer service

Student account refunds are issued once per week.

A refund will be issued to the student if:

• The student has financial aid that exceeds the balance due of eligible charges on the student account.
• A personal payment from any source exceeds the student account balance, and 14-days have passed since a personal check payment (paper or eCheck) has been posted to the student account.

A refund will be issued to the parent if:

• The amount of the Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan exceeds the balance due of eligible charges on the student's account.

If you have a credit balance on your account, you will be refunded through direct deposit if enrolled in eRefund, or paper check.