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. In this section you will find information about:

Withdrawal/Drop Refunds

Dropping/Withdrawing and Refunds

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.

Refund of Excess Financial Aid

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

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, safest and most convenient way to receive your student refund. 

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 your Student Account Dashboard
  4. Scroll down on the Overview Page until you see the "Sign up for direct deposit refunds!" box, and click on "Sign up". Complete the steps and required bank information to enroll.

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.

Refund by Mail

Refunds by mail may be delayed

Students may choose to have their refund mailed to a permanent or local address. Refunds that are delivered by mail will be delayed. For students who do not indicate a refund preference, refunds will be mailed to the permanent address at a later time.

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

Federal Direct Parent PLUS Borrowers

How Loans are 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.

Refund by Flywire (Wire Payment) for International Students

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.

 

Refund Summary

A refund will be issued to the student if:

  • The student has financial aid that exceeds his or her tuition and fees.
  • The student has signed up for eRefund (direct deposit) and 14-days have passed since a personal check payment (paper or eCheck) has been posted to the student's account.

A refund will be given to the parent if:

  • The amount of the Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan is greater than the student's tuition and fees.
  • 14-days have passed since a personal check payment (paper or eCheck) has been posted to the student's account and the amount of the Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan is greater than the semester charges.
  • The parent will receive the refund by paper check and it will be mailed to the parent's address.

Please Note: As of 9/20/17, the refunding procedure will be as follows:

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