Withdrawals & Refund of Tuition

Students incur a liability for all credit hours that remain on their schedule of courses as of the end of the official drop/add period. The amount of this liability is identified on the Student Assessment Payment Schedule. Any amount paid in excess of the amount owed (assessed fee and outstanding University charges) during the term will be carried forward and will be applied against subsequent University charges incurred or may be refunded by request. Full refunds of tuition fees may be granted in instances of withdrawal from the University under the following conditions:

  1. Involuntary call to active military duty
  2. Death of the student or death in the immediate family (parent, spouse, child, sibling)
  3. Illness of the student of such duration or severity, as confirmed in writing by a physician, that completion of the term is precluded
  4. Cancellation of the course by the University
  5. Exceptional circumstances that could not have been foreseen and were beyond the control of the student, as approved by the University refund committee.

Students who withdraw after the fifth day of the semester/term but prior to the end of the fourth week of the semester (or for Summer sessions by the first twenty-five percent [25%] of the term) are eligible for a twenty-five percent (25%) refund of tuition and fees. After this period, students who withdraw are held fully liable for fees. Students who withdraw and have received federal financial aid (Title IV programs), state or university aid may be required to repay to the aid source the amount of unearned financial aid funds disbursed to them as of their withdrawal date as described in the section on “Withdrawals and Return of Financial Aid”.

Note: In the case where a withdrawal petition is approved, a refund can only be provided if the refund withdrawal request is submitted and completed within six (6) months after the end of the semester/term in which the withdrawal occurred. If financial aid is received by the student during the term in which the refund is granted, state and federal regulations may require that the refund be returned to the aid source. An application for a request for refund of fees should be submitted as follows:

Tuition Refund Policy

University debts will always be deducted from any university refund source prior to disbursement to the student. Any amount paid in excess of the amount owed during the term may be applied against subsequent university charges incurred, or may be refunded upon request.
Payments made by credit card will be refunded to the credit card account, otherwise the refund request will be processed as a credit to the student’s Suntrust-FSUCard account or a check will be mailed per the student’s request on the refund request form.

Tuition Refund Processing Time

Refunds requested for tuition fees are generally made within four weeks of application. At the beginning of a semester, refunds will not be processed until the end of the third week of class to ensure that all checks have cleared the bank. Refunds requested during the fiscal year close-out, during the last two weeks of June, will not be processed until the first week of July. The refund will be processed as a credit to the student’s FSUCard account for currently enrolled students, unless the student requests a check to be mailed to the address on file. However, payments made by credit card will be refunded to the credit card. Checks will be mailed to those students who are no longer enrolled. Refund request forms are available at the Office of Student Business Services, A1500 University Center or online at https://studentbusiness.fsu.edu/forms.

SBS Tip

Apply for a tuition refund with this form. Refunds for Housing payments are made through the Housing Office, and refunds for meal plan payments are handled through the meal plan office.