Refunds

Withdrawal/Drop Refunds

If you drop a course or withdraw from the semester, you may receive a refund, depending on several factors:

The Tuition Adjustment Policy determines the percentage of tuition that you will be charged if you drop a course after the regular drop deadline. The longer you stay enrolled in the course, the higher the percentage of tuition that you will be charged.

You can find tuition adjustment timing and percentages for your classes in LionPATH by selecting Enrollment and then Drop Classes, and then selecting the “Tuition Calendar $” link in the "Tuition Calendar" column for each course.

Whether you receive a refund, and the amount of that refund, will be affected by whether you are in full-time or part-time status.

Dropping a course or withdrawing from the semester may affect your financial aid, which may then affect any adjustments to your bill and any potential refund.

Be Aware of the Financial Implications of Withdrawing

Completing a withdrawal may impact your eligibility for financial aid, and in many cases, this results in financial aid being returned to the lender. This can create a balance on your account, which, if not paid, will result in a hold and late fees. If you are considering withdrawing from the semester, please contact the World Campus Financial Aid Office to see how the withdrawal would affect your account and aid eligibility. 

Feel free to contact us with questions about your individual circumstances and how any possible refund would be determined for you.

Refund of Excess Financial Aid

Penn State will refund any credit balance created as the result of excess financial aid in a student's account within two weeks of either the date that the aid was credited to the student's account or the first day of the semester, whichever is later. 

For the quickest delivery of your refund, you can enroll in eRefund (direct deposit) in LionPATH. You will need to accept our refund authorization agreement in order to complete your direct deposit enrollment. Your refund will be electronically deposited into your bank account of choice.

If you choose not to use direct deposit, your refund will be mailed to the address listed on your student record and will arrive later than a direct deposit.