Withdrawal & Refund

Accepted students choosing to withdraw from their program, for any reason, must meet with the Education Abroad Office in-person to receive a Withdrawal Form.

Click to inform the office about your decision to withdraw.

If for any reason a student must withdraw from their Study Abroad program, the following policies apply:

• If a student completes an application but would like to withdraw before the application deadline, the student will not be billed the $100 NON-REFUNDABLE* Study Abroad Course fee. Given that their application has not been reviewed AND they have not been officially accepted to their program, they will incur no costs or penalties.
• Once a Study Abroad Application is reviewed and the student has been officially notified of their acceptance, the $100 NON-REFUNDABLE* Study Abroad Course fee will be billed through the Student Accounts Office.
  • Exception: the Study Abroad Course Fee is refundable only if a student is NOT accepted into the program or the program is canceled due to low enrollment.
• If a student must withdraw their application after submitting their Study Abroad Certification Form to the Education Abroad Office, the student will be financially responsible for any payments that have been made on their behalf and any other non-recoverable costs (i.e., instructional costs, deposits, field trip payments, faculty support, overseas accommodations, tours, or other program-related charges). The student will be held liable for these and other charges including, but not limited to:
  • Cancelation penalties charged by host universities, affiliate providers, airlines, hotels, tour agencies, etc
  • Loss incurred through unfavorable currency exchange
  • Bank fees, overseas wire charges or other expenses needed to secure our refund
• It is the student's responsibility to inquire as to the estimated non-recoverable costs incurred at the time of their withdrawal. In extreme case cases, it could mean that the student is financially responsible for the entire program fee.
• In the event of a student's suspension or expulsion from ISU or from the Study Abroad Program, the student is financially responsible for costs related to the program.
• If the student withdraws after the first day of the program, the student will be financially responsible for the entire program fee and no refunds will be made.

Dropping all classes after the semester begins:

If the student completely withdraws after the first week of classes, he or she will have to return a percentage of financial aid equal to the amount of the semester completed. For example, if the student withdraws after completing 30% of his classes, he or she is only entitled to approximately 30% of their financial aid (and must pay back the remaining 70%).

If this occurs, the office will return a portion of the federal aid money used to pay institutional charges (such as tuition, fees, or university housing) on a student's account. Sometimes this will leave some university charges unpaid, and the student will be billed for this amount. Second, if the student received federal aid funds directly (as a refund, for example) to be used for other educational expenses, the student may have to return some portion of that money. The amount due will appear on the student's bill in about 45 days after the withdrawal date.