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Study Abroad Deposit and Fee Refund Policy

The University of Michigan (U-M) understands that studying abroad can be a life-changing experience, but it also comes with significant financial investments. To ensure that students can make informed decisions about their participation in study abroad programs, the university has established this refund policy for study abroad trip deposits.

Definitions 

(for the study abroad refund policy only):

  • Deposit: Money paid to UM-Dearborn on behalf of a study abroad participant to reserve a spot in a relevant program
  • Fee: A charge to a student account of a UM-Dearborn student or guest student to cover program expenses
  • Charge: Any debit entered on a student account

Scope:

This refund policy applies to all study-abroad-related fees, deposits, and charges (outside of tuition, registration, and course/material fees) made to a student’s UM-Dearborn student account.  

Deposit Requirements:

To secure a spot in several study abroad programs run by UM-Dearborn (including all faculty-led trips), participants are required to pay a deposit, which is non-refundable. This deposit demonstrates your commitment to the program and allows us to begin making necessary arrangements on your behalf.  The amount of the deposit varies depending on the program and can be found on updated program brochures (online and/or print).  

Fee Requirements:

Some UM-Dearborn-managed programs might also require additional fees to cover program expenses.  These fees should be listed on updated program brochures (online and/or print).  

To simplify transactions, deposits and fee amounts might be combined into one charge on a participating student’s account.  This does not mean that deposits and fees follow the same payment deadlines and refund policies.  Students will receive an email explaining deadlines and amounts due for program deposits and fees typically 5-7 days prior to the total expense being charged to all students with accepted applications.  Students would be able to opt out of being charged during that time by following the directions provided in the email.  Unless otherwise stated, deposits are always non-refundable (outside of the exceptions described below) whereas fees are typically refundable based on the Fee Refund Schedule provided below.  

Deposit Refunds Not Needing a Petition:

The deposit is non-refundable, except under the following circumstances:

  1. The study abroad program is canceled by UM-Dearborn.
  2. You are denied a visa by the host country's authorities, provided that you have followed all visa application procedures provided by the relevant embassy or consulate.

Both of these situations would lead to a full refund of a deposit unless UM-Dearborn has provided unique conditions prior to your payment to which you have agreed.  

Deposit and Fee Refunds Needing a Petition:

In the event of an emergency or unforeseen circumstances, the university may consider granting a full or partial refund of the deposit and fees paid. To request a refund, students must submit a petition explaining the reason they can no longer participate and why they believe a refund is justified.  Students should also provide documentation supporting their claim if available (e.g., a doctor’s note explaining why travel is not possible).   Petition requests should be submitted to the Study Abroad Support Team ([email protected]).  After receipt, the request will be reviewed and either an acceptance/denial statement or a request for additional information will be made typically within one week of submission.  Refund requests must be submitted no later than a study abroad program’s official start date.

While the university will do its best to issue refunds when emergencies arise, this may not always be possible.  For example, if some or all of the participant’s funds have been either sent to or committed to a third party vendor (such as for a hotel reservation or to secure ground transportation), the refundability of those funds might depend on the refund policy of the vendor.  

Removal of Unpaid Charges from Student Accounts

Unpaid charges can be removed from the accounts of students if all of the following conditions are met.

  1. The student did not or will not participate in the study abroad program.
  2. The charged funds have not been either sent as payment or committed to a third party vendor. (Students should have already paid by the point that payment to vendors is made.  However, should a situation arise where the student agreed to pay but had not yet paid before payment was due to a vendor, then the deposit/fee(s) added to the student account would no longer be removable.)

Please note: If a student has agreed in a signed statement that a charge will not be removed and is owed regardless of participation, that signed statement will take precedence over the standard policy described above.  

Fee Refund Schedule

The following refund schedule will apply to refundable study abroad fees (that is, not non-refundable deposits or fees sent in payment to third party vendors) unless a unique refund schedule has been shared regarding a specific trip.  In that instance, the unique refund schedule would have precedence over the standard refund schedule shared below.

  • Withdrawal more than 30 days prior to the program start date: 100% of refundable fees
  • Withdrawal 30 days or less before program start date: 50% of refundable fees
  • Withdrawal 15 days or less before program start date: 25% of refundable fees
  • Withdrawal on or after the program start date: No refund will be issued

Amendments:

This refund policy may be amended from time to time, as deemed necessary by the university. Students are encouraged to review the policy periodically to ensure they are aware of any changes. Any changes will be communicated through the official channels of communication used for the study abroad program.

Questions:

Students with questions or concerns about the refund policy should contact the Study Abroad Support Team ([email protected]). 

Conclusion:

By submitting a study abroad deposit or fee, students acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agree to abide by the university's refund policy for study abroad trip deposits. The university reserves the right to deny any refund request that does not meet the criteria outlined in this policy.

Last Updated: 11/10/2023