Bursar

Refunds

The University's official refund schedule provides support and consistency to the University's academic add/drop policy. Effective with the introduction of multi-term registration and wait listing, beginning with the Fall 2012 semester, a 100% refund will be granted ONLY through the first week of class for regular Fall and Spring semesters. Refunds for dropped or withdrawn classes during week two will be prorated at 75%. Refunds during week three are prorated at 50% and during week four are prorated at 25%. Exceptions to this published refund policy will not be considered. The refund schedule for the individual Summer sessions is prorated based on the session length. Click here for the full refund schedule. Students enrolled in alternatively scheduled classes (ALT) should note that the refund schedule for each ALT class is pro-rated individually based on the length of the individual course.  It is critical that students finalize their academic schedule during the 100% refund period.

Students who officially withdraw from courses may be eligible for a percentage refund of tuition and certain fees only during the first four weeks of the Fall and Spring terms.  Students can withdraw from their courses on-line through CampusNet during the period assigned for the specific course.  Please note that the University’s withdrawal period is much longer than the University's refund period.  Please note that any credit balance for dropped courses may be held for review.  Students who withdraw from a class after the official refund period is concluded are not eligible for a refund.  Also, be aware of the hours of availability of CampusNet routine maintenance is conducted from Saturday at 6pm to Sunday morning at 10am.  Failing to attend class will not relieve you of your financial obligation to the university, even if you have not yet paid your full tuition bill.  Completing your withdrawal in accordance with the refund schedule below may eliminate or reduce your financial obligation to the University.

Students are strongly encouraged to prepare for upcoming expenses and not rely on current semester refunds to meet other financial obligations.  Changes to your academic schedule may impact your anticipated amount of aid and therefore adjust your refund amount.

Students receiving grants, loans, or scholarships should be aware that these funds are credited directly to your university student account and applied toward your University expenses.  If your financial aid exceeds the total amount billed to your account, the residual aid will be refunded to you.  Refunds will be processed automatically for students registered in at least six credit hours. Financial aid recipients who are registered part time or taking a combination of regular on-campus and Continuing Education credits will receive a refund once final registration is confirmed.  Changes to your academic schedule (both adds and withdrawals) during the refund period will delay the disbursement of any financial aid overaward.  Federal regulations only allow for an overaward of financial aid to be used to pay down a balance within the same award year.  Up to $200 of a financial aid award may be used to pay down a balance from a previous award period.

Please note that an academic petition to withdraw late from a class does not impact the refund schedule.

Your financial aid for the semester is finalized based on your enrollment as of the 60% completion period for the semester.  Withdrawals occurring prior to the 60% completion date will result in the recalculation of aid eligibility and the return of ineligible aid to Federal or State agencies. This may result in a student owing a balance to the university.  It is the responsibility of the student to officially withdraw from classes during the appropriate refund periods to receive a refund or credit.

If a credit balance is refunded, and subsequent charges are posted to your student account, those charges must be paid immediately.

The following fees are non-refundable: registration fee, orientation fee, UPass fee, late fees, billing service fee(s), collection fee(s), returned check fees.

Please note the following:

  • The official date of withdrawal is the date the course change is presented to the Registrar's Office, not the date you inform an instructor. Your withdrawal must be submitted online. This will be the basis for computing your refund.
  • Withdrawing from a course does not automatically carry with it the right to a refund.
  • The failure to attend classes due to business or personal reasons does not change the University's official refund schedule.
  • Courses that are cancelled by Cleveland State will be refunded at 100%.
  • Refunds will be issued approximately three weeks from the department processing date.
  • Refunds for courses that do not fall into the regular session are prorated based on the course length and the official date of withdrawal. Click here for the PDF icon Refund Schedule for ALTERNATIVELY Scheduled Courses.pdf.
  • Failing to attend class will not relieve you of your financial obligation to the University, even if you have not yet paid your full tuition bill.
  • Cleveland State does not have a policy that supports "swapping" or "trading" classes that are of the same credit hours. There is no cost adjustment granted for adding and dropping courses of similar credits. This includes adding and dropping the same course with different sections.
  • Financial Aid awards are contingent upon continued funding from federal, state and institutional sources, and state legislative decisions regarding tuition.  Awards are subject to change and may be rescinded or reduced if funding is insufficient or discontinued, or if tuition amounts change.  Awards are also subject to change based on receipt of additional aid resources, changes in eligibility, error, or omissions.
  • The University's competitive tuition and course fee structure shall remain the same for academic courses, consistent with published University tuition and fee schedules, irrespective of the delivery format.  There will be no refund or reduction on tuition or course fees, since the University will be providing a full semester of instruction and awarding full academic credit to those who satisfactorily fulfill course requirements.

The specific dates of the refund schedule are published each academic term and are available online. Failure to be aware of these dates is NOT grounds for a refund. An advisor's recommendation to change your course schedule is only a recommendation. It is a student's decision to add or drop a course. Students should be cognizant of the financial ramification of their decisions.

Cleveland State University's Refund Schedules

       
      FALL 2023 SEMESTER REFUND SCHEDULE

      For Undergraduate & Graduate Students

      • 100% through September 1, 2023
      • 75% September 2 - September 8, 2023
      • 50% September 9 - September 15, 2023
      • 25% September 16 - September 22, 2023
      • No refunds on/after September 23, 2023

      For Law Students

      • 100% through August 27, 2023
      • 75% August 28 - September 3, 2023
      • 50% September 4 - September 10, 2023
      • 25% September 11 - September 17, 2023
      • No refunds on/after September 18, 2022
      SPRING 2024 SEMESTER REFUND SCHEDULE

      For Undergraduate & Graduate Students

      • 100% through January 19, 2024
      • 75% January 20 - January 26, 2024
      • 50% January 27 - February 2, 2024
      • 25% February 3 - February 9, 2024
      • No refunds on/after February 10, 2024

      For Law Students

      • 100% through January 14, 2024
      • 75% January 15 - January 21, 2024
      • 50% January 22 - January 28, 2024
      • 25% January 29 - February 4, 2024
      • No refunds on/after February 5, 2024
      SUMMER 2024 SEMESTER REFUND SCHEDULE
      • Undergraduate and Graduate Students

        Six Week Session 1

      • 100% May 18 — May 21, 2024
      • 75% May 22 — May 25, 2024
      • 50% May 26 — May 28, 2024
      • 25% May 29 — May 31, 2024
      • No refunds on/after June 1, 2024
      • Six Week Session 2

      • 100% June 29 — July 2, 2024
      • 75% July 3 — July 6, 2024
      • 50% July 7 — July 9, 2024
      • 25% July 10 — July 12, 2024
      • No refunds on/after July 13, 2024
      • Eight Week Session

      • 100% May 18 — May 21, 2024
      • 75% May 22 — May 25, 2024
      • 50% May 26 — May 29, 2024
      • 25% May 30 — June 2, 2024
      • No refunds on/after June 3, 2024
      • Ten Week Session

      • 100% May 18 — May 22, 2024
      • 75% May 23 — May 27, 2024
      • 50% May 28 — June 1, 2024
      • 25% June 2 — June 5, 2024
      • No refunds on/after June 6, 2024
      • Twelve Week Session

      • 100% May 18 — May 23, 2024
      • 75% May 24 — May 28, 2024
      • 50% May 29 — June 2, 2024
      • 25% June 3 — June 7, 2024
      • No refunds on/after June 8, 2024
      • Summer 2023 Refund Schedule Law Students

      • 100% May 20 — May 23, 2024
      • 75% May 24 — May 27, 2024
      • 50% May 28 — May 31, 2024
      • 25% June 1 — June 4, 2024
      • No refunds on/after June 5, 2024
      • Refunds for dropped courses are made according to the University's refund schedule. Refunds (drop credits) are based upon the date you drop your class or classes. There are no exceptions to this published refund schedule.
      • Dropping classes may reduce your financial aid award.
      • An approved petition for a late withdrawal does not affect the refund policy of the University.
      • Refund schedules differ from academic drop/add dates.

      Stale Dated Refund Checks

      Refund checks should be cashed promptly. Checks not cashed or deposited within 180 days are considered stale dated. Cleveland State University is subject to regulations which require us to return stale dated refund checks to the program which generated the refund. A stale dated refund check originating from financial aid funds, including federal funds, will be voided and the funds returned to the originating program. Cleveland State will not reissue the check to a student.  Please contact our office before attempting to deposit or cash any refund check that is older than 180 days.