Refund Policies
Overpayment Refunds
Federal regulations prohibit WPI from holding federal loan proceeds and/or Title IV financial aid (i.e., Pell Grant) funds in excess of 14 days from the date of posting if the fund creates a refund. A request to hold the excess funds must be sent in writing to the Bursar’s Office (email is accepted). If you request funds to be held, they will be refunded at the close of the award year, at the end of the spring semester.
Financial aid refunds for undergraduate students will not be processed until after the last day of the first week of the add/drop period of each term. Graduate student refunds will not be processed until the end of the full add/drop period for a term.
All students with a PLUS loan applied to their account, unless the parent releases the PLUS refund to the student, will receive the refund check made payable and mailed to the applicant of the loan.
Students must request a refund. The refund request form can be found here.
Graduate Students
WPI makes a substantial financial commitment at the time a course is scheduled for instruction. However, students who officially withdraw from a course before the first 10 days of the semester have passed (not including weekends) will receive a refund of 100% of the tuition and fees paid, minus a $100 penalty. No tuition and fees paid by the student will be refunded after day 10 of the semester.
Undergraduate Students
| Tuition Charges Upon Withdrawal or Suspension | |
|---|---|
| Charges upon formal withdrawal from the college during each semester are: | |
| Withdrawal after enrollment but prior to first day of classes of the first term of a semester | Charged 0% |
| Withdrawal within one week following first day of classes of the above term | 20% of tuition |
| Withdrawal within two weeks following first day of classes of the above term | 40% of tuition |
| Withdrawal within three weeks following first day of classes of the above term | 60% of tuition |
| Withdrawal prior to the final add/drop day of the second term of a semester | 80% of tuition |
| Withdrawal on or after add/drop of the second term of a semester | 100% of tuition |
To qualify for a reduction in tuition, students must submit a formal withdrawal application via the Office of the Registrar. The date this application is received in the Registrar's office will determine the charge.
There is no reduction in charges/tuition in the case of withdrawal from individual courses.
Students who have paid full tuition for eight semesters may be allowed to enroll as special (part-time) students on a per-course basis and be charged tuition accordingly. (Two summer terms enrolled as a full-time student may be counted as a semester.) Application forms for special student status are available at the Office of the Registrar.
| Room Charges Upon Withdrawal or Suspension | |
|---|---|
| Withdrawal after enrollment, but prior to the first day of classes (forfeiture of advance payment) | Charged 0% |
| Withdrawal after the first day of classes | 100% charge of room fee |
| Board Charges Upon Withdrawal or Suspension | |
|---|---|
| Withdrawal after enrollment, but prior to the first day of classes | No Charges |
| Withdrawal within four weeks following the first day of classes | 25% of board fee |
| Withdrawal within eight weeks following the first day of classes | 50% of board fee |
| Withdrawal within twelve weeks following the first day of classes | 75% of board fee |
| Withdrawal after twelve weeks following the first day of classes | 100% of board fee |
Financial Aid Upon Withdrawal/Suspension
Federal regulations for a student receiving a Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Perkins Loan, or Stafford Loan require repayments to the fund from excess credit when a student withdraws or is suspended before the end of a term. Health insurance, health fee, and social fee are not prorated nor refunded. Stafford Loans, Perkins Loans, Parent PLUS Loans, Pell Grants, and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants are reduced in that order according to specific federal and state formulas the school must follow. The formulas do not always require that any or all of these funds be reduced.
After the above reductions, WPI scholarships and institute loans are reduced up to the amount of remaining credit. If additional credit remains, it will be refunded to the student or outside sources.
