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Refunds

A credit balance is the result of an overpayment on a student's account from Financial Aid, loans or payments received. Credit balance refunds will be processed when a credit actually exists on the student's account. Anticipated Financial Aid must be posted to the student's account in order for a credit to exist and for a refund to be processed.

For students who have applied for financial aid loans, here is what you can expect:

  • If you have accepted your loan(s), then you will receive a disclosure statement by mail (or online in MyView) informing you of when your funds will be disbursed to UMSL.
  • Once your student account has been reviewed, all your paperwork completed, and it is verified that you are enrolled in sufficient class hours to receive the financial aid; your funds will then be released from the lender. The timeframe for UMSL to receive your funds from the lender is 3-5 business days. You are not eligible for a refund at this point because your aid is still classified as anticipated.
  • When your financial aid funds are received by UMSL, the funds are then applied to your student account. During the Fall and Spring semesters, your financial aid funds will be applied to your student account no sooner than ten days prior to the start of classes. During the Summer semester, your financial aid funds will be applied to your student account no sooner than the day you are actually taking the course(s) that have the hours required to receive the aid.
  • After your financial aid funds have paid your student account charges in full, if you then have a credit balance on your account, you are now eligible for a refund. 
  • As student accounts go into credit balance, they are reviewed, and refunds are processed to students via direct deposit through TouchNet. This is the quickest and most efficient way to receive refunds.
    • If you do not have direct deposit set up, refunds may be delayed by up to 2 weeks. These are manually processed once a week. Once it is processed, it will go as a check to your mailing address in MyView.

For students that have direct deposit, allow 3-5 business days from the day that your refund is processed to receive your refund in your bank account. Refund checks will arrive 7-10 business days after they are processed.

Types of Refunds

If a credit card payment has been made towards your student account in the past 120 days, any refund due to you will be returned to that credit card.

Drop

Students who plan to drop from a particular class should do so immediately. A single day can make a big difference in the amount of a refund. Refunds are effective from the date a drop is submitted online or a completed drop or withdrawal form is received in the Registrars Office, not from the last day of attendance. Nonattendance does not constitute an official drop/withdrawal, and students will be responsible for unpaid fees. Stop payment of a check also does not constitute an official drop/withdrawal from classes. For stop payments, a $20 returned check fee will apply and students will be responsible for unpaid fees. Students who officially drop one or some of their classes may have fees reassessed and/or refunded based on the current semesters fee reassessment schedule.

 Note: The following fees are reassessed due to a drop or withdrawal: Tuition Fee, Special Course Fee (if applicable). These are the only fees that can be reassessed and refunded.

Charges that students accrue prior to a refund being issued will be deducted from the refund amount. Charges that are accrued after a refund is issued will be billed to the student on the monthly billing statement. The financial aid award, if any, is subject to revision. 

Withdrawal

To be eligible for a refund, students who withdraw during the semester must follow the withdrawal procedures established by the University. Students are responsible for canceling their registration and verifying that all of their classes have been dropped. When a student completely withdraws from a semester and was receiving federal financial aid, the University and/or the student may be required to return some of the financial aid, awarded to the student. See the Federal Aid (Title IV) Refund Policy below for more information.

Actions that are not considered official notification of withdrawal

  • Assuming classes will be cancelled for non-payment
  • Failure to attend class
  • Giving notice to an instructor
  • Stopping payment on a check used to pay fees
  • Crossing out courses on a schedule
  • Returning only partial payment to the Cashiers Office
  • Verbal notice to any University Office

The timeframe to receive a refund may be longer for students who have dropped hours and are receiving financial aid funds that may be reduced based on enrollment requirements, or for students who have dropped hours and no longer have a full time course load. Refunds may also be delayed for students who have had an administrative drop, backdated drop or a complete withdrawal.

The Federal Aid (Title IV) Refund Policy assumes that a student earns his or her aid based on the period of time he or she is enrolled. Students who attend past the 60 percent point in a semester are considered to have earned 100% of the Title IV aid awarded for the payment period. A student who withdraws prior to the 60 percent point will earn the percentage of federal aid based on the number of days attended in the semester. The Federal refund policy only applies if the student is withdrawing from all classes.

The Student Financial Services Office (SFS) will determine the amount of financial assistance, if any, that must be returned to the sources of aid. Students who withdraw, drop out, are dismissed or take a leave of absence prior to completing at least 60% of a semester will have their federal aid recalculated. The student will be responsible for payment of any other charges that remain (e.g. bookstore charge, parking ticket). If a credit balance remains on the student’s account after the return of any required funds, the balance will be refunded to the student. Students considering withdrawing from all classes should consult with the SFS office if they are concerned about the financial impact of withdrawing.

Federal Title IV Aid Paying your student fees: Title IV Federal Aid will automatically apply toward current charges and fees. Students receiving this aid will have the option to have the aid also be applied toward other charges (such as bookstore charges, parking permit charges, prior term charges, etc.). This option will be presented online or by mail depending on how the student applied for the aid. If an option is not chosen within the specified time frame, it will be assumed that the student does not want his or her federal aid to pay all charges. 

Your agreement to allow your Federal Financial Aid to be applied toward all charges on your student account is important as this may impact the processing of your refund. Your refund may not be mailed to you or direct deposited into your bank account if your student account reflects a balance due after your refund has been processed. This applies if you have a balance due in the current term because you have not agreed to allow your aid to pay all charges or if you have a balance due in a term from the prior financial aid year. Refunds to students having a balance due are processed as a paper check that is routed to the SFS's Office, not to the student. As refund checks are received in the SFS Office, students are emailed to advise that a check is available for pickup.

If you have any funds available after what is owed directly to the University, the refund will be released to the parent at the address listed on the PLUS Application. Refunds from proceeds of PLUS will be issued to the student only if the parent requests that on the PLUS application.

Scholarship funds will be applied towards any outstanding balance. A refund will be created if your scholarship(s) exceed the charges on your student account.

Refunds of educational and mandatory fees may be given to:

  • Students who have passed away before completing the current academic semester. There may be required adjustments to scholarships, grants or loans applied by the Office of Financial Aid. Any refund will be made payable to the administrator or executor of the estate of the deceased student. If, after all adjustments have been made, there still remains a debt, generally the University would not attempt to recover the debt from the estate of the deceased student.
  • Military reservists and State National Guard members who receive emergency orders to active duty after having enrolled at the University and paid fees.
  • Active duty military personnel who receive an emergency reassignment after having enrolled at the University and paid fees.
  • In extraordinary cases in which serious illness or injury prevent a student from continuing classes, and other arrangements with instructors are not possible, a withdrawal may be requested. The student must provide written documentation of an illness, accident, injury or situation that could not be influenced, planned for, or prevented by the student or the institution and which subsequently caused a change in the students enrollment.

  • Students called to Jury Duty prior to the completion of the semester.

The University reserves the right to cancel any program. In the event of cancellation, students will be notified immediately, and all program fees will be refunded or applied to a future program at your request.

Return of Department of Defense Tuition Assistance (TA) Funds

In accordance with the Department of Defense Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the University is required to return unearned funds to the program, if a student withdraws from a course paid for by Department of Defense funds (tuition assistance), based on the following schedules: 

8 Week Course Withdrawal

4 Week Course Withdrawal

Before or during week 1

100%

Days 1-7

100%

During week 2

75%

Day 8

70%

During weeks 3-4

50%

Day 9

67%

During week 5*

40%

Day 10

63%

During weeks 6-8

0%

Day 11

59%

Day 12

56%

12 Week Course Withdrawal

Day 13

52%

Before or during weeks 1 -2

100%

Day 14

48%

During weeks 3-4

75%

Day 15

44%

During weeks 5-6

50%

Day 16*

41%

During week 7*

40%

Day 17 0%

During weeks 8-12

0%

16 Week Course Withdrawal

Before or during weeks 1 -2

100%

During weeks 3-4

75%

During weeks 5-8

50%

During weeks 9-10*

40%

During weeks 11-16

0%

* After this point, the course is 60% complete.

Courses / classes of non-standard length not noted above will be returned to the program on a proportional basis. This will be calculated by dividing the number of days completed of the course by the total number of days of the course. Once the course is 60% or more complete, no return to the program will be required.

Check your refund status

  • Log-in to MyView using your SSO ID and password. This is the same information you use to access MyGateway.
  • Once logged into MyView, you will click on Student Center in the middle of the screen.
  • On the following page, in the Finances box in the middle of the page, click Proceed to TouchNet. Your pop-up blocker must be turned off in order to allow the Direct Deposit set-up page to open.
  • Log into TouchNet using your SSO ID and password.
  • Click the Refunds link in the main menu bar at the top of the screen.

Appeals

Only certain fees are refundable or adjustable. In the event that a student is dissatisfied with the outcome of a class reassessment, an appeal can be made online from the Appeal of Fees website.  

In order to appeal a course, you must do so within 90 days of the end of a fall or spring semester or within 30 days of the end of summer semester. Also, the course must not have been assigned a grade in the A to F scale. If you feel you were inappropriately assigned grades for the semester that you are trying to appeal, please refer to the University of Missouri-St. Louis Grade Appeal Procedures.

The Appeal of Fees Committee does not have the jurisdiction to decide on specific cases concerning course content, educational atmosphere, and/or issues with a professor. In the event that a student has concerns of this nature, we request that they visit the Office of Academic Affairs at 426 Woods Hall.

Student Printing Account

When adding credit to your Personal Printing account, please be aware that the credit added to your Personal Printing account (SCRDT) is non-refundable and stays available for use until you are no longer active or eligible as a student. Eligibility is until you are not enrolled in a course for three consecutive terms.