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Refunds for Course Drops and Withdrawals

Course Drops

Students who reduce their course load (except for full-time undergraduates maintaining 12 credit hours or more) by dropping classes during the refund period of the semester will have the tuition cancellation calculated as of the date of the course drop. The student's account must show a credit balance before a refund will be processed.

Tuition and fee refund policies and deadlines for study abroad and special programs may differ by program and location. Students should check with the appropriate office or program webpage for specific guidelines.

Discontinuing attendance from class or notifying an instructor does not constitute an official course drop. Without an official course drop, students will be responsible for all tuition and related fees.

Students who are enrolled in the university's online degree programs should refer to their specific program academic calendar to determine the applicable tuition refund schedule. Please also see State Authorization page for state specific regulations

Additional Refunds For Withdrawals

When students withdraw from courses with a standard face to face schedule during a regular semester (fall/spring), refunds will be based on the published dates in the Academic Calendar and Catalog. The cancellation percentage is based on the date of the course drop or withdrawal:

  • 100 percent tuition refund for course drop/withdrawal through the second calendar week of classes
  • 50 percent tuition refund for course drop/withdrawal through the third calendar week of classes
  • 25 percent tuition refund for course drop/withdrawal through the fourth calendar week of classes
  • NO REFUNDS - Course drop/withdrawal after the fourth calendar week of classes

Refunds are based on the number of days that have elapsed since the beginning of the section. You may use the table below to determine your refund amount depending on the section length.

Refund Schedule for Classes
Class Length (Days) Days to Drop with 100% Refund Days to Withdraw with 50% Refund Days to Withdraw with 25% Refund (no refunds after this date) Last Day to Withdraw with W
1-14 1 No Refund No Refund 0
15-34 2 4 5 12
35-42 5 8 11 26
43-49 6 9 12 31
50-65 7 11 15 36
66-80 9 14 19 47
81-96 12 19 26 63
97-110 14 21 28 70
111+ 15 22 29 75

For additional information about the refund schedule and regulations for dropping or withdrawing from a course, please visit the Registrar Office, Student Services section.

Requests for cancellation of room charges must be initiated by the student in writing to Housing and Dining Programs, by the withdrawal deadlines.

The cancellation percentage is based on the date of withdrawal. More information regarding policies and procedures for campus housing can be obtained at the Housing and Dinning page by reviewing the Housing License Agreement.

Note: Academic dismissal will result in a prorated charge for the weeks the student resided in university housing.

Meal Plan and Eaglebucks are administered by One Card & Dining Services.

Meal Plans: The Meal Plan Enrollment and Change Deadline coincides with the university's add/drop period, approximately 10 business days into the start of each semester.

Meal Plan charges and refunds for all meal plans are prorated and calculated on a daily basis, based on the time of enrollment and total dining days per semester — not by the number of meals used. The dining days charges and refunds are calculated by the type of meal plan a student is enrolled in, when they were enrolled in the meal plan, and when the meal plan was applied to a student's One Card.

Requests for meal plan cancellations must be initiated by the student to One Card & Dining Services through the Meal Plan portal, or via email at mealplans@american.edu by the Meal Plan Change deadline.

Eaglebucks: Students may request refunds of unused Eaglebucks (minimum refund requirement is $5.00) by emailing eaglebucks@american.edu from their AU Email account. Once One Card & Dining Services has confirmed student matriculation or transition from èßäÉçÇøapp University, a refund of unused Eaglebucks will be initiated. Refunds are processed by Student Accounts through direct deposit or processed by check to the last known address on record.

For additional information regarding Meal Plans and Eaglebucks, please refer to the One Card & Dining Services website or call 202-885-CARD(2273).

To obtain additional information regarding the Title IV Funds Policy, visit the page.