Request a Refund

Students

You do not need to submit a refund request for credit balances due to excess Title IV funds, which are processed automatically after the start of the semester, or due to excess GI Bill ® or Yellow Ribbon funds, which are automatically reviewed by the Office of Military and Veteran Student Services.

Students whose existing credit balance is the result of non-title IV funds can request a refund or they can transfer the credit to a future term. Both of these options can be completed in GWeb.

To request a refund in GWEB, select Student Records and Registration, then Student Accounts Menu and lastly, Request for Refund. You can also see our tutorial on Requesting a Refund in GWeb. Requests are typically processed 1-3 business days, but it can be up to 5 business days during the first week of the semester. You will typically receive an email notification once your request has been processed.

Refunds as a result of a payment via ACH or check other than private loans cannot be refunded until 10 days after being posted to your account to allow the payment to clear.

Refund Request Options

Refund to Me
Funds will be credited to the saved personal checking or savings account designated in the BankMobile portal. If you do not make a direct deposit selection during the designated period, you will receive your refund as a paper check. See our tutorial on Setting Up Your BankMobile Profile.

Wire Transfer to Originating Bank Account
Selecting this option indicates that your credit resulted from an overpayment by wire transfer and you are requesting the funds be returned via the method they were received. Per university policy, a credit that resulted from wire transfer overpayment cannot be refunded via direct deposit or paper check.

Credit Card to Originating Card
Selecting this option indicates that credit resulted from an overpayment by credit card and you are requesting the funds be returned to the originating credit card account. Per university policy, a credit that resulted from a credit card overpayment cannot be refunded via direct deposit or paper check.

Apply to Future Semester Selecting this option allows you to apply some or all of the credit balance on the account to a future term.

Please note: Refunds are not processed on the last business day of each month.

International Wire Refunds

All international wire refunds must be returned by wire transfer to the country from which the original payment was sent.

To begin the refund process, we require students to complete the International Wire Refund Request webform to provide the following two documents:

Bank Letter
- Provide a bank letter on official bank letterhead that is signed by a bank representative and includes:
  - Name of the bank account holder
  - Full SWIFT code (8 or 11 characters)
  - Full IBAN (if applicable) or full bank account number
  - Correspondent bank information (if required)
  - Account type (checking or savings)
- Bank letters vary from country to country. Please ensure that your country's bank letter includes all required information prior to submission.
Supplier Registration Form
- To avoid delays, ensure that:
  - All sections of the form are completed.
  - The address listed on the form is located in the same country where the refund wire will be sent.
  - The signature is placed in the designated signature field.
  - Signatures placed outside the designated signature field cannot be accepted.
  - The form is either:
    - Hand-signed (pen to paper), or
    - Signed using a digitally certified electronic signature with a date (such as DocuSign or Adobe Sign).
- Typed names/signatures are not accepted.
  - If Adobe Sign is used, the audit report verifying the signature must be included with the submission.
- See the example Supplier Registration Form.

Before submitting your request, please verify that:

All required fields are completed.
Banking information is accurate.
Banking information is consistent across all submitted documents.
The student's address is in the same country receiving the refund wire.
All required signatures are included.
All supporting documents are attached.

Refund processing may take up to 21 days after all required documentation has been received and approved. Incomplete, inaccurate, or improperly signed documents will delay the processing of your refund request.

Uncashed Refund Check or Unclaimed Credit Balance

If you received an email notification from refundsgwu [dot] edu regarding an uncashed refund check or unclaimed credit balance on your Student Account eBill, please complete the Uncashed Refund Check or Unclaimed Credit Balance Form so that a new check can be sent to you.

Didn't receive your refund?

If your refund check was issued via BankMobile after June 15, 2025 and it has been more than seven days, please log into the BankMobile portal, select Refunds, select Refund Status and History, and click on the “didn’t received this check” link for the refund in question.

Otherwise, If your refund check was issued mailed more than 2 weeks ago but you have not yet received it, please email refundsgwu [dot] edu (refunds[at]gwu[dot]edu) to determine the status of your refund. It may be necessary for you to complete a Stop Payment Request .

Please note: Refunds are not processed on the last business day of each month.

Parents

Parents who do not authorize GW to refund excess Parent PLUS loan funds to their students will automatically receive a refund of those funds via check to the mailing address on their loan application. Parents who want to receive their refund via direct deposit must authorize GW to issue Parent PLUS refunds to their student, and work with their student to establish the correct direct deposit selection in the BankMobile portal.

Parents cannot request a refund on behalf of a student without having power of attorney. Please review our Parent/Guardian Access page for more information.

Students Receiving Veteran Benefits

Students requesting a refund of Post 9/11 GI Bill ® and/or Yellow Ribbon funds can log into GWeb and complete the online request. Refund requests for Post 9/11 GI Bill ® and/or Yellow Ribbon funds must be approved by Military and Veteran Services before the Student Accounts Office can release the funds.

_{GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at}_{https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill}_.