Students who drop a class by the add/drop deadline posted on the Registrar’s website will be refunded the tuition and comprehensive fee for that class if the drop results in the student being enrolled in fewer than 12 credit hours. Course-specific fees (e.g., lab fees, etc.) are also refunded in full until this date. Students should consult the appropriate schedule of classes for specific dates. 

After the add/drop deadline, unenrolling from a course is referred to as withdrawing from the course (not to be confused with a full withdrawal from the university). Withdrawing from a class after the add/drop deadline will not reduce tuition and comprehensive fees or class-related fees. A student may appeal the class-related fees by submitting a Registration Deadline Appeal form to the Registrar’s office. Tuition and fee exceptions are only granted due to extenuating circumstances such as serious illness or injury, death in the immediate family, and military deployment. Approved exceptions result in a $100 late adjustment charge for each class for which an exception was granted.

Requests for refunds should be made to the University Business Office by emailing ubo@jmu.edu from your @dukes student email and should include the student ID number.

In order to withdrawal from the University, a student must submit the Non-Return/Leave of Absence Notice to the JMU Office of the Registrar. The effective date of the withdrawal will be determined by the JMU Office of the Registrar based on when the notice is received. Withdrawal dates and deadlines are posted on the Registrar’s website.

Withdrawing before the deadline: Students who officially withdraw from all university enrollment by the withdrawal deadline for the semester will be refunded all tuition and mandatory fees except the enrollment deposit. Meal plan fees will be prorated from the dining hall opening date. Room refunds will be made in accordance with the Residence Life refund schedule as stated in the current Residential Contract.

Withdrawing after the deadline: If a student officially withdraws after the withdrawal deadline, there will be no reductions to tuition, mandatory fees, or course-specific charges. Meal plan fees will be prorated from the dining hall opening date. Room refunds will be made in accordance with the Residence Life refund schedule as stated in the current Residential Contract.

After the withdrawal deadline, students who withdraw from the university due to physical or mental health reasons certified by an appropriate health care provider, or for unavoidable emergency or extenuating circumstances approved by the Office of the Registrar (or designee), will be refunded a prorated portion of tuition, mandatory fees and meal plan. Refunds for withdrawal from the university are calculated from last date of attendance as approved by the Office of the Registrar. Room refunds will be made in accordance with the Residence Life refund schedule as stated in the current Residential Contract.

Students should consult the University Catalog and the Registrar University withdrawal process for specific procedures.

Financial Aid adjustments are made by the Financial Aid office.

James Madison University uses BankMobile Disbursements to handle the distribution of refunds and reimbursements to students and parents. For more information, see how to set up your refund preference. Please note that once a refund preference is set, it will take 3-5 business days for the funds to show up in your bank account. BankMobile provides students with multiple refund options to receive their refund as quickly as possible. JMU recommends that students select the option to receive their refund through direct deposit into their preexisting bank account. If a student fails to select a refund preference, a check will be mailed to the student's home address. Checks typically take about a month to arrive in the mail.

If you are receiving a refund that resulted from a credit card payment, the refund can only be credited back to the card used to make the original payment. The service fee charged to make the original payment is non-refundable.

Parent PLUS loan refunds are refunded as specified by the parent in the PLUS application. Parents who are eligible to receive a refund on their federal Parent PLUS loan will receive a paper check at the home address of record.

BankMobile Disbursements is a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc. To view our contract, visit James Madison University: Client Contracts & Profile.

Grants, scholarships, and loans are credited to the student's account in the order received. 

Refunds will be issued after tuition, room, and board balances have been paid by aid. 

Expected installment payments, expected Commonwealth Savers (VA529) Prepaid, and other expected/pending credits are not deducted from the account when determining credit balances for refunds. These amounts must be paid on the account before the credit can be refunded. 

Excess federal financial aid funds are subject to federal law and regulations controlling timelines and use of funds. When federal financial aid funds overpay a student account, a refund must be initiated within 14 days but is generally initiated within two business days.” Other financial aid is also refunded using this schedule. Financial aid funds can only be used for semesters within the same aid year.

Parent PLUS loan refunds

When a parent completes the PLUS loan application, they can specify if the refund should go to the parent or the student. If the parent selects that the refund should go to the student, the refund will be processed through the student’s selected refund method. If the parent selects that the parent should receive the refund, BankMobile will mail a refund check to the parent as soon as they receive the refund information from JMU. Checks generally take 10-14 days to arrive in the mail.

If a parent needs to change their refund method (address or student/parent designation), they contact the Financial Aid Loans team from the email address that was used on the PLUS loan application.

When a student's account is overpaid by personal payments, the overage will be refunded to the student at the end of their time at JMU, or upon request. Personal overpayments will roll over to the next semester's charges if a refund is not requested.

Requests for refunds should be made to the University Business Office by emailing ubo@jmu.edu from your @dukes student email and should include the student ID number.

Personal payment refunds may be requested by the student 15 business days after the payment is posted to the student's account. The request must be made by letter, fax, or email to the University Business Office.

• What is the Book Voucher and am I eligible?
  

  The Donald E. Gardner Book Voucher is an advance of an anticipated refund on an account and was created specifically for students who have a financial hardship and cannot purchase books during the first week of classes. To be eligible for a book voucher you must be receiving Title IV funds as part of your financial aid award and have enough guaranteed financial aid to pay the charges on your student account. Additionally, the Title IV funds must have been eligible for posting to your account 10 days prior to the semester. This loan is available to students from 10 days prior to the semester until the end of the add drop (7 days into the semester) and must be repaid within 90 days. 

• What is the maximum book voucher I can get?
  

  The book voucher can be up to $500 or your expected refund amount, whichever is smaller. Grants and scholarships are automatically considered guaranteed, but student loans are only guaranteed once entrance counseling and the master promissory note are completed. 

• How do I apply for a book voucher?
  

  To apply for the book voucher please complete the Book Voucher Application and bring it to the University Business Office with a photo ID.

• How can I use the book voucher?
  

  Once your book voucher is approved, a charge will be placed on your student account and the book voucher funds will be put on your FLEX account. You can use your FLEX to pay for your books in-person. FLEX can be used at multiple locations to purchase textbooks (on and off-campus).  If you prefer to opt out of receiving the voucher funds via FLEX, then please contact our office to discuss alternatives.

• How will the book voucher impact my financial aid refund?
  

  Your financial aid refund will be reduced by the amount of the book voucher. The book voucher is a short term advance of your financial aid. When the aid comes in, the advance is repaid along with your normal charges and the remainder is refunded to you. The voucher will not impact the speed of your refund.

• What happens if my student account balance changes?
  

  If you add a meal plan, enroll in additional classes or your charges increase some other way, you will be responsible for making sure that difference is paid. If your financial aid refund has not come through yet, this may happen automatically. If it has already been sent to you (or your book voucher was for the entire amount) you will need to make payment arrangements with the University Business Office.

• I have other questions about the book voucher
  

  Any other questions about the book voucher can be answered by contacting the University Business Office - ubo@jmu.edu or 540-568-6505. See more at Financial Aid Refunds.