Refund of Student Account Charges
Refund Processing
Refunds for students with federal student aid (FSA) credit balances are processed within 14 days of the date the credit balance was created, per federal regulation. A FSA credit balance is defined as a credit balance where the total federal funds on an account are greater than the total tuition and eligible fees. Federal (Title IV) funds include Direct loans, Perkins loans, Parent PLUS loans, and federal grants.
Refunds of credits resulting from other types of payments including but not limited to check/e-check, credit card, wire, state grant, 529, payment plan, commercial loan or contract with third party sponsor are not automatically refunded. These payments will be held to apply to future term charges. Refunds of credits from these funds may be processed by student request. If future term charges exist on the student account, these amounts will be deducted from any refund. Students who wish to request a refund of credits from these types of payments should complete this form while logged into their Catholic University student email account. Student ID number must be included in the email.
| FSA Credit Balance Example | Non-FSA Credit Balance Example | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $17,630 | Tuition | $17,630 |
| Fees | $100 | Fees | $100 |
| Federal Aid | $18,000 | Federal Aid | $16,000 |
| FSA Credit | ($270) | Scholarship | $2,000 |
| Non-FSA Credit | ($270) | ||
When a refund is processed notification will be sent to the student's Catholic University email address. Students should keep in mind that changes to their account that occur after a refund is processed (schedule additions, housing/meal plan changes, financial aid adjustments, etc.) may result in a balance due to the university.
Some charges, such as the Student Medical Plan, late payment fees, and interest charges, cannot be paid with federal (Title IV) funds without prior authorization. (See Payments from Title IV Funds for information on how to grant authorization.) Additionally, any credit balance from the current term created by Title IV funds cannot be applied to an outstanding balance from a prior term. Students or parents who receive a refund triggered by the disbursement of Title IV funds may, therefore, still owe a balance to the university. Upon receipt of a refund, students and Authorized Users should verify whether any balance remains on the account and, if so, promptly submit payment to avoid account holds and/or late payment fees.
Parent PLUS Refunds
Refunds are issued to parent PLUS loan borrowers when the PLUS loan disbursement results in an overpayment of the student account (as described in the above section). Refunds will be directed to the student if when completing the PLUS loan application the borrower noted that refunds could be directed to the student.
Refund Delivery
Students and Parent PLUS borrowers who have U.S. bank accounts should enroll in direct deposit through Cardinal Pay so refunds may be deposited into students' or borrowers' bank accounts. Refunds transmitted via electronic funds transfer are generally available 2-3 business days after the date you are notified of the refund.
Refund checks will be produced for students and borrowers who do not have U.S. bank accounts and cannot enroll in direct deposit. Refund checks are mailed to the Refund address students have specified in Cardinal Students. If no Refund address has been specified, checks will be mailed to the Home address specified in Cardinal Students. Refund checks may only be mailed to U.S. addresses. A student whose Home address is outside of the United States must enter a Refund address within the U.S.
Direct Deposit
Students enroll in direct deposit by selecting the Direct Deposit tile in Cardinal Students and then selecting the Cardinal Pay link. Once in Cardinal Pay, select the eRefunds tab. Select the Enroll for eRefunds link. Parent PLUS borrowers with Authorized Payer access to Cardinal Pay can enroll in direct deposit for Parent PLUS refunds by also selecting the eRefunds tab and the Enroll for eRefunds link.
If you have any questions regarding your refund please contact the Office of Enrollment Services at cua-refunds@cua.edu or 202-319-5300.
Refunds of Student Account Charges
Refunds of student account charges are issued in accordance with the university policy outlined at http://policies.cua.edu/enrollment/refund/RefundStudentCharges.cfm. Students considering a withdrawal are encouraged to review the policy to ensure they understand the financial implications. Students utilizing financial aid are also encouraged to review the withdrawal policies of the Office of Student Financial Assistance.
Tuition Refund Insurance Plan
The Tuition Refund Plan (TRP) is a private insurance program of A.W.G. Dewar, Inc. that supplements the refund policy of The Catholic University of America. Those enrolled in the plan may be eligible for a refund even if the University's own refund policy may have expired at the time of withdrawal.
Participation in the Tuition Refund Plan is optional and the University's refund policy is applicable whether or not you enroll in the plan. However, if you do not participate in the Tuition Refund Plan, any refund is limited to the amounts allowed by the University's policy.
Full-time undergraduate students (excluding those in the Metropolitan School of Professional Studies) will be auto-enrolled in the Tuition Refund Plan unless they opt out of it by the add/drop deadline in the fall semester, as listed in the Academic Calendar. Other students may proactively enroll in the plan by visiting https://www.collegerefund.com/college/1954/1/coverage. Student who do not opt-out by the deadline will be billed for the plan in both the fall and spring semesters with half of the annual premium being billed each semester.
The opt-out website is available at https://www.tuitionprotection.com/catholicu.
Students who are pre-billed for the plan and who successfully submit a waiver at the above website will see the Tuition Refund Insurance charge removed from their account within 48 hours of waiver submission.