Withdrawal Process

If a student chooses to individually withdraw from any study abroad program after committing to participate, the student must complete the Study Abroad Withdrawal Form. The completed form must be submitted to the Center for Global Engagement via electronic or hard copy; verbal notification of withdrawal plans will not be accepted. Withdrawals are effective the same day that the Center for Global Engagement receives official documentation. Students failing to officially withdraw from the program by submitting the form will be considered enrolled in the program and will continue to be responsible for all program fees. Refunds will be determined based on the policy for the specific program type; more information on the refund policy is outlined below. 

To submit in person or by mail: Center for Global Engagement, Holland Yates Hall, 2nd Floor

To submit via e-mail attachment: studyabroad@jmu.edu

 

Withdrawal Form

Refund Policy for Withdrawals

The refund policy is dependent upon the program type. It is the student’s responsibility to correctly identify the program type applicable to their situation. Types of programs include: JMU Short-term Programs, JMU Semester Programs, JMU Internship Programs, Study @ Programs, Exchange Programs, External Programs, and Graduate Programs

JMU Study Abroad Programs - Short-term Programs

This category includes: any of the short-term faculty-led programs during fall, winter, spring, or summer break.

All application fees and program deposits are non-refundable, in addition to any non-recoverable costs already expensed on behalf of the student.

If a student withdraws after the following dates, students are 100% responsible for the program fee, plus any non-recoverable costs already expensed on behalf of the student.

Winter Programs | December 1
Spring Break Programs | February 1
Summer Programs | March 1

If a student withdraws after the official start date of the program, the student will be responsible for paying 100% of the tuition charges, in addition to the program fee.

JMU Study Abroad Programs - Semester Programs

This category includes: Semester in Antwerp, Semester in Florence, Semester in London, Semester in Salamanca, and Semester in Scotland.

All application fees and program deposits are non-refundable, in addition to any non-recoverable costs already expensed on behalf of the student.

If a student withdraws from a JMU Semester Abroad Program after the following dates, students are 100% responsible for the program fee, plus any non-recoverable costs already expensed on behalf of the student.*

Fall Semester Programs | July 1
Spring Semester Programs | November 1
Summer Semester Programs | March 1 

If a student withdraws after the above dates, but prior to the official start date of the program, they will be refunded 100% of the tuition and room & board charges.**

If a student withdraws after the official start date of the program, the student will be responsible for paying 100% of the tuition charges and room & board charges** in addition to the program fee.

Transfer of the non-refundable deposit: In the case where a student absolutely cannot attend during the admitted term, the deposit can be transferred ONE TIME ONLY within the same program to a future term that has space available. Note that this only applies to the deposit and not to forfeited program fees or non-recoverable costs as subject to the timeline above.

*If a student is admitted to the Semester in Antwerp program but is later denied from the College of Business program, only the application fees and program deposit will be forfeited. Students will not woe the program fee and not be bound by the dates outlined above.

**A separate room & board fee (in addition to the program fee) is charged for fall and spring semesters only.

JMU Internship Programs

This category includes: JMU Internship in Australia, JMU Internship in Germany, JMU Internship in Ireland, JMU Internship in New Zealand, and JMU Internship in Spain .

All application fees and program deposits are non-refundable, in addition to any non-recoverable costs already expensed on behalf of the student.

Students are subject to the withdrawal, refund, and cancellation policies of the outside partners who assist in the coordination the JMU Internship Programs. Prior to committing to any program, students should carefully review the withdrawal, refund, and cancellation policies as outlined by the outside partner.

If a student withdraws from any JMU Internship Program after the official start date of the program, the student will be responsible for paying 100% of the tuition charges* in addition to charges as outlined by the outside partner.

Study @ Programs

This category includes direct enroll programs at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and St. Andrews. 

All application fees and program deposits are non-refundable, in addition to any non-recoverable costs already expensed on behalf of the student.

If a student withdraws from a Study @ program after the following dates, students are responsible for the total program fee, plus any non-recoverable costs already expensed on behalf of the student.

Fall and Full Year Programs | July 1
Spring Programs | November 1
Summer Programs | March 1

If a student withdraws after the program has started, the student will be responsible for paying 100% of the program fee. Additionally, fees paid by the student directly to the host institution will need to be negotiated directly with the host institution.

Exchange Programs

This category includes semester-long programs for JMU students hosted at our partner institutions. Students in these programs pay tuition* to JMU and room, board and other expenses to the partner institution.

All application fees and program deposits are non-refundable, in addition to any non-recoverable costs already expensed on behalf of the student.

Students are bound by the withdrawal, refund, and cancellation policies of their program or housing provider in their host country. Students will typically continue to be charged JMU tuition* unless they also withdraw from JMU. At that point, students are subject to the regular JMU withdrawal policy.

External Programs

This category includes programs that are hosted by another U.S university, or a national study abroad organization/provider

All application fees and program deposits are non-refundable, in addition to any non-recoverable costs already expensed on behalf of the student.

Tuition and program fees* for external programs are subject to the program provider’s refund policy in instances of withdrawal or cancellation. Prior to committing to any program, students should carefully review the withdrawal, refund, and cancellation policies as outlined by the outside partner.

Graduate Programs

This category includes the European Union Policy Studies Graduate and the Spanish Language and Culture graduate programs.

European Union Policy Studies Program Withdrawal

Spanish Language and Culture (SLC) Policy and Form

First-Year Programs

This category includes The Exploration of Migration and Culture in Germany, a program designed for incoming first-year students.

All application fees and program deposits are non-refundable, in addition to any non-recoverable costs already expensed on behalf of the student.

If a student withdraws after May 15th, the student is 100% responsible for the program fee, plus any non-recoverable costs already expensed on behalf of the student.

If a student withdraws after the program's official start date, the student will be responsible for paying 100% of the tuition charges, in addition to the program fee.

Appeal Process for Late Withdrawal

If students withdraw after the dates as outlined above, they will incur program-related charges on their UBO account. Any student can choose to appeal the withdrawal fees if they feel their withdrawal from a program is due to one of the following criteria: active military duty, life-threatening family illness or death, medical emergency, or unanticipated change in financial situation. Students who wish to appeal the withdrawal fees can email studyabroad@jmu.edu and request the Study Abroad Withdrawal Fee Appeal form.

Appeals are unlikely to be successful if the withdrawal is due to: a change in academic plans, not understanding the financial obligations of a program, not receiving a scholarship or aid amount expected, selection for another opportunity (different program, job, internship, etc.), issues related to securing necessary visas, anxiety related to travel or larger global concerns, or other reasons that do not meet the above criteria. 

The Withdrawal Fee Appeal Committee meets regularly and will review submissions on a rolling basis. All committee decisions are final and will be made within 30 days of submission, when possible. 

Financial Aid Refund and Scholarship Return Policy

Prior to withdrawing from any program, the Center for Global Engagement encourages all students receiving financial aid or university scholarships to consult with the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to see how a program withdrawal will affect the overall aid package and scholarship allocations.

For students receiving study abroad scholarships through the Center for Global Engagement, the scholarship allocation will be removed and returned to the CGE, and the student will be ineligible to apply for a study abroad scholarship in future terms.

Cancellation Policy

In some instances, the Center for Global Engagement may make the decision to cancel a program. If a program is cancelled due to insufficient enrollment, all program fees and tuition* will be refunded. If a program is cancelled due to deteriorating security and safety conditions, including but not limited to, political unrest, natural disaster, or other catastrophic events beyond control, the CGE will refund any program costs that have not yet been disbursed. The CGE will make every effort to recoup costs already expensed on students’ behalf, but may not be able to recover all funds. The CGE will not provide reimbursements for airline tickets since students purchase airfare on their own and are enrouraged to enroll in trip cancellation insurance. Prior to committing to a program, students must seek out any information related to safety, health, legal, environmental, political, cultural, and religious conditions in host countries to make the best-informed decision about participating on a program. For more information, please visit our Travel Considerations page.

Regardless of reason for cancellation, the application fee is non-refundable, but can be applied to a different program within the same term.

* Please go to the Cost of Attendance Calculator to see the estimated cost of attendance for your program of study.

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