Withdrawal Refunds
Students who withdraw from a course or from the School within the first two weeks of a semester-long course will receive a full tuition refund. Students who withdraw after that but within four weeks from the beginning of the semester-long course will be refunded one-half of their tuition. No tuition will be refunded to the student after the fourth week of classes, except under the following circumstances:
- the Dean approves a written appeal from the student that explains why the withdrawal was due to extenuating circumstances;
- the student has not attended ESR before the semester in which he or she withdraws from the school, and the withdrawal occurs on or before the seventh week of classes. For these students only, a “pro-rata” refund will be given, meaning a refund in proportion to the number of weeks attended by the student during the semester he or she withdrew, in accordance with federal regulations.
Students who borrowed a Federal Stafford Student Loan, or other federal loans, must note that the School may be required to return all or part of the refund to the lender. Students who were given federal loan proceeds for living expenses may be required to refund some or all of the funds to the lender, if the semester is not completed.
ESR is required to follow a complex formula to calculate the amount of the refund that is to be returned to the lender and to the school, if the student received a federal loan and/or an ESR grant. The order of funds returned is first to the lender, second to the school grant program, and third, to the student.