Withdrawal and Refund Policy
In the event of study abroad program withdrawal, cancellation, or interruption, the following policies apply:
Prior to Application Deadline
- If a student completes an application but would like to withdraw before the application deadline, the student will not be billed the Non-Refundable Study Abroad Application Fee as their application has not been fully reviewed and processed, and they have not been officially approved to participate in their program by the Study Abroad Team.
- Application deadlines vary by program and are listed on each program brochure page within the My Study Abroad portal.
After Application Approval
- Once a Study Abroad Application is reviewed and processed and the student has been officially notified of their approval to participate, the Non-Refundable Study Abroad Application Fee* will be billed through the Student Accounts Office.
- If a student must withdraw their application for any reason, after being approved and receiving an official study abroad approval email from the Study Abroad Team, the student will be financially responsible for any payments that have been made on their behalf by the Office of International Engagement (OIE) and any other non-recoverable costs (i.e., instructional costs, deposits, field trip payments, faculty support, overseas accommodations, tours, or other program-related charges). The student will be held liable for these and other charges including, but not limited to:
- Cancellation penalties charged by host universities, affiliate providers, airlines, hotels, tour agencies, etc.
- Loss incurred through unfavorable currency exchange
- Bank fees, overseas wire charges, and/or other transaction-related expenses
- It is the student's responsibility to inquire as to the estimated non-recoverable costs incurred at the time of their withdrawal. In extreme cases, this could mean that the student is financially responsible for the entire program fee.
- Study abroad travel can be cancelled or shortened for reasons outside the control of any parties (i.e., terrorism, natural disasters, widespread infectious diseases, scarce or absent medical resources and/or services, increased criminal activity, reduced and/or limited availability of support services from U.S. government officials, or civil unrest, etc.). Any fees and expenses that are non-recoverable will be the sole responsibility of the participating student.
- In the event of a student's suspension or expulsion from ISU or from their Study Abroad Program, the student will remain financially responsible for the costs related to the program.
- If the student withdraws after the first day of their Study Abroad Program, the student will be financially responsible for the entire program fee and no refunds will be issued.
- Withdrawal and refund policies vary by study abroad providers/affiliate companies. Under ISU’s institutional refund policies, students are responsible for all non-recoverable costs owed to a study abroad provider, including unpaid balances that may remain after amounts paid from federal or state grant or loan funds have been returned to the grant/loan program in accordance with federal law.
*Exception: The Non-Refundable Study Abroad Application Fee is refundable only if a student's application is NOT accepted by their selected Study Abroad Program/host institution, or the program is cancelled (due to low enrollment or other variables).
Requesting a Withdrawal
Students who have been officially approved to study abroad by the Study Abroad Team who choose to withdraw from their program for any reason, must submit an official Withdrawal Form. Students must contact the Study Abroad Team and/or their program-specific Study Abroad Advisor to request a Withdrawal Form.
Until a student has submitted the Withdrawal Form to the Study Abroad Team, OIE reserves the right to assume participation and consequently the student will be responsible for all costs incurred by the university, and/or program provider, and/or host institution on their behalf.
Note: Students participating in a faculty-led program who choose to withdraw for any reason, must contact the Study Abroad Team to request a Withdrawal Form and complete the official withdrawal process. Notifying only the program Faculty Director(s) of request to withdraw is not recognized by OIE as a formal notice of withdrawal.