Getting your refund

Refunds are usually processed within five business days after the credit is posted to your student account. When you receive it will vary, depending on whether you’ve set up direct deposit or are having a college refund check mailed to you. (Credit card payments that result in a credit balance will be refunded to the credit card and should appear within 10 business days.)

If you haven’t signed up for direct deposit, we’ll mail your check to your local address—so make sure you keep your address current. Mailed checks will usually arrive within 7–10 business days after the processing date shown on your account. If you don’t receive your refund check within 10 business days, you should issue a stop payment request so your refund can be re-sent to you.

Stop payment and ask for a check to be re-sent

IU Online Students

If you’re taking online courses and currently reside in a state other than Indiana, email iuonline@iu.edu for state-specific online course refund policies.

Financial aid is normally credited to your account 10 days before the first day of classes, and we’ll process those refunds the same day. After this initial process is complete, refunds will be processed every Friday.

If dropping a course results in a financial aid refund, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships may need to determine whether the refund is appropriate or if your aid must be adjusted for compliance reasons.

The basics of financial aid refunds

After your financial aid is used to pay eligible IU charges such as tuition and fees, you’ll get a refund of any money remaining in your student account. (Refunds on Parent PLUS loans will be sent to your parent unless he or she chose the option to send refunds to you when applying for the loan.) You don’t need to request a refund—they’re processed automatically.

Note that if you get a refund but later drop classes or withdraw from IU East, you may be required to repay the refund amount.

You may owe money even if you get a refund

Remember to sign your Title IV authorization. If you don’t, your financial aid may not pay off your entire bursar bill. You may get a refund but also have an outstanding balance on your student account. You must pay the balance by the due date to avoid late payment fees and holds on your account.