Refunds
Important Change in Refund Process
The College's implementation of the federal government's Direct Loan Program will affect the timing of when we receive your loan funds and also any refund you may be receiving. The Financial Aid Office will disburse loan funds to your student account on the first day of class if all requirements for receiving these funds have been met (see the Financial Aid website for more information). If a credit balance on your student account is a result of federal funds, refund checks will be mailed to the student's CSU box or local address approximately 7-10 days after classes start. Please be prepared to cover any non-WM costs for housing, meals and other personal expenses until the refund is available.
You are encouraged to submit an online Student Account Refund Request Form to expedite the refund process if you expect to need funds soon after classes begin. The Bursar's Office will process W&M Express Card transfer requests for book purchases at the W&M Barnes and Noble Bookstore beginning the Friday prior to the first day of class for those students who are showing an expected credit on their student account from financial aid resources.
Student Account Refund Process
Financial Aid refunds resulting from federal loans or grants are automatically refunded after the date of disbursement following federal guidelines. If an overpayment shows on a student's account, and it is not created by federal financial aid, the student is required to request a refund from the Office of the Bursar. If a request is not filed, the overpayment will remain on the student's account as a credit for the next semester. Beginning with the Fall 2008 semester all refund checks will be mailed directly to the undergraduate student's CSU Box. Graduate student refund checks will be mailed to the student's GSH Box or the local mailing address. It is the responsibility of the student to update their mailing address by logging onto myWM in Banner.
Refunds for Dropped Classes and/or Reduced Course Load
Depending on your course load and the date you drop a course, you may or may not be entitled to a reduction in tuition and fees. If you are planning to withdraw or reduce your course load, please contact our office for refund information at (757) 221-1220 or [[bursar]].
Students withdrawing from all classes or below half-time and whose financial aid has not been confirmed will be responsible for all charges still owed to The College. Financial Aid may not be disbursed if the student is no longer enrolled. Check with the Financial Aid Office at (757) 221-2420 before withdrawing from all classes or below half-time.
Federal Financial Aid
Federal Financial Aid regulations require the student to give the university permission to pay miscellaneous charges (i.e. student health charges, library fines, parking fines, etc.) or prior term charges owed by the student from current term Title IV federal funds. The Federal Financial Aid Release form must be submitted to allow our office to apply aid to these charges. Failure to submit this form to the Bursar's Office may result in a restrictive hold on the student's account if these charges are past due. Download the FFA Release Form (pdf).
Refund Replacement Checks
A stop payment and reissue request form must be submitted to the Bursar's office to initiate the replacement of a refund check. Requests for replacement refund checks will not be forwarded to the College's Disbursement Office for processing until 14 calendar days after the date the check was issued. All replacement checks will be mailed to the student's CSU box, GSH box, or the local mailing address. Download the Stop Payment Request form.
