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Refunds

If your financial aid and/or payments are more than your institutional charges, you will be refunded the difference. We strive to process refunds as quickly as possible. The fastest way to receive your refund is through ACH (direct deposit) to a U.S. bank account.

Access the Nelnet Refund Portal


Refund Availability & Options

Troubleshooting

Reducing Charges

Refund Availability & Options

When Should I Expect My Refund for the Summer 2023 Semester?

Disbursement of financial aid will occur on the first day of your first course(s) for the summer. Initial disbursement will be based on your overall enrollment at the time of disbursement.

So, if you have the Federal Pell Grant and federal loans:

Be sure to monitor your summer schedule carefully. Adjustments to your schedule at any point during the summer can impact your aid eligibility, which could result in the removal of financial aid – such as the Federal Pell Grant or loans – even if it’s already been disbursed to you. This may require you to pay for courses out of pocket or return money you received as a refund. Summer Pell Grant recipients should also review the information on disbursement and summer enrollment changes on our Summer Federal Pell Grant webpage.

Students whose financial aid and payments are more than their institutional charges will have a refund processed after all payments are applied and all aid disburses to generate the refund. For more information on refunds, please visit our Refunds webpage.

It also depends on where you are in the refund cycle, which includes:

  1. Aid disbursement
  2. Negative "balance due" on your student account after aid or payments
  3. Refund processed (Student Refund showing on your WVU MyAccount via your WVU Portal)
  4. Refund deposited in your bank account or check printed and mailed

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When Should I Expect My Refund for the Fall 2023 Semester?

For those who were signed up for direct deposit, refunds may be available in bank accounts on or around August 15, 2023.

It also depends on where you are in the refund cycle, which includes:

  1. Aid disbursement
  2. Negative "balance due" on your student account after aid or payments
  3. Refund processed (Student Refund showing on your WVU MyAccount via your WVU Portal)
  4. Refund deposited in your bank account or check printed and mailed

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What Are My Refund Options?

Your refund method may depend on the payment method generating the refund as well as what refund option you have chosen.

Most Payment Methods

If your refund is being created by payments from financial aid, credit card, eCheck, or paper check, you can choose either direct deposit or paper check for your refund. If direct deposit is not set up, it will default to a paper check refund. Please note that there is a 14-day waiting period after an eCheck or paper check payment posts to guarantee clearance of the funds before we begin the refund process.

Third-Party Payments

If your refund is generated by an official contract on your account with a third-party sponsor, those refunds may take a little longer. They must be manually processed since the funds have not actually been received from the sponsor. The manual process usually begins the week before classes start, which means you probably will not see your refund in your bank account until the second week of classes (if you set up direct deposit). These refunds continue to be manually processed twice a week throughout the semester as new sponsorship contracts are received.

You may still choose direct deposit or paper check for these refunds.

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How Do I Sign Up for Direct Deposit or Change My Refund Preference?

When students are issued a refund, they will receive an email with instructions on how to establish an account through the Nelnet Refund Portal. If you do not receive an email or you lose your email, go to the Nelnet Refund Portal. Once your account is set up, Nelnet allows you to check the status of your refund, view refund history, update your profile or change your refund method.

To sign up for direct deposit, update your refund method, or update your bank account for direct deposit use the steps below.

  1. Log in to the Nelnet Refund Portal with your WVU username and password
  2. On the following screen, select “Student and Parent Refunds”
  3. Then click the button for “Student Login”
  4. Once in the Nelnet Refund Portal, click on the “Edit Refund Method” link under the Refund Method section
  5. From the following screen you can edit or select the refund method you would prefer and input the appropriate information for each method

If a refund is already in process, it will go to the previously selected method. Once the method is changed, then any new refunds will be the new preference selected.

For information on how parents can sign up to receive their refund via direct deposit, please see the I'm a Parent Who Is Due a Refund from a Parent PLUS Loan. How Do I Set Up My Refund Preference? section.

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What Happens if I Do Not Choose a Refund Option?

If a student’s refund option has not been chosen at least a week prior to their refund date, the system automatically defaults to a paper check that will be mailed to the student’s mailing/local address in the STAR system (which you can access and update via your WVU Portal). If a parent’s refund option has not been chosen at least a week prior to their refund date, the system automatically defaults to a paper check that will be mailed to the address the parent listed on the Parent PLUS loan application.

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How Do I Change the Address That the Paper Check Refund Will Be Sent to?

Update your mailing/local address in the STAR system (which you can access via your WVU Portal) and this information will be transmitted to Nelnet the next business day (cutoff time for changes is 2:30 p.m.).

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I'm a Parent Who Is Due a Refund from a Parent PLUS Loan. How Do I Set Up My Refund Preference?

Parents due a refund from Federal Parent PLUS Loan funds remaining after institutional charges have been paid can choose to sign up for direct deposit on the Nelnet Refund Portal.

Before a parent borrower can sign up:

To sign up, the parent borrower should follow the instructions below.

  1. In the email account submitted on the Parent PLUS Loan Application, the parent will receive a registration email. In that email the parent will need to click the link to the WVU Guest Invitation webpage.
  2. On that screen, they will select the "Parent Login" button
  3. On the following page, they will create their refund profile
  4. If their account setup was successful, they should receive a confirmation email

Please note that the link in the registration email will expire after 30 days.

Depending on various factors – such as your student’s other financial aid – a refund may be generated to your student based on remaining funds from their other financial aid and/or you based on remaining PLUS loan funds after institutional charges have been paid. If there are PLUS loan funds remaining after the balance due is paid, you may receive a refund. This applies specifically to situations where there are PLUS loan funds remaining after the balance is paid. It is possible that a refund could be generated to your student instead because the refund is caused by other financial aid – such as institutional or state scholarships or grants – instead of the PLUS Loan.

Also, please remember that as part of your loan application, you affirmed that your PLUS funds would be used for your student’s educational expenses. Educational expenses may include tuition and fees; on-campus housing and food (or a reasonable housing and food allowance for off-campus students); and books, supplies, transportation (excluding car payments), loan fees, and, if applicable, dependent care. It can also include other expenses like an allowance for the rental or one-time purchase of a personal computer, costs related to a disability not covered by other funds, or costs for eligible study-abroad programs.

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Who Does WVU Partner with for Refunding Services?

WVU partners with Nelnet to provide refund services to WVU students.

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Troubleshooting

I Have Not Received My Paper Refund Check. How Can I Get This Money?

Please be aware that it can take more than 14 business days after payment/aid disburses to your student account for you to receive a paper check refund, depending on mailing times.

If your refund is being created due to an eCheck or paper check payment, there is a 14-day waiting period after a check payment posts to guarantee clearance of the funds before we can even begin the refund process. Also, there are additional considerations to be aware of for tuition payment plans and third-party sponsorships.

If the time frames above have passed and you still have not received your paper check refund, please notify the WVU Hub. The check will have to be voided – which can take 2 to 3 days – then a new refund check can be reissued.

Before contacting us, we recommend:

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What Do I Do If My Paper Refund Check Went to an Old Address?

If you forgot to update your mailing/local address in STAR before your paper check refund was sent, the fastest thing to do is to contact the U.S. Postal Service to request that your mail be forwarded from your old address. As of our most recent check with USPS, there is a $1 charge for them to do this. However, it is the fastest way to get the paper check.

If you would like your refund reissued instead, see the answer to I Have Not Received My Paper Refund Check. How Can I Get This Money? on how to have the funds reissued to you as either direct deposit or a paper check.

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What if I Am Having Issues Logging into My Nelnet Refund Portal?

You may encounter an issue logging in from work computers or other public computers. Try logging in from your personal computer. If it still does not let you in, call the ITS Help Desk at 304-293-4444 for assistance.

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My Direct Deposit Was Returned to the University, so I Updated My Information. What Do I Do Now?

If your refund disbursed to your bank account through your direct deposit but was returned because the bank account information was incorrect, the refund will be reissued after you update your direct deposit information. Once it has been updated, your refund request will be resubmitted within 24-48 business hours.

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Reducing Charges

Is My Tuition Reduced if I Drop Classes?

It depends. Students who withdraw from classes during certain time frames may be entitled to a reduction of all or a portion of their tuition, depending on the length of the class, date of withdrawal, and how many credit hours the student is enrolled in. See the Withdrawal webpage for more information. We recommend students consult their academic advisor as well as the WVU Hub before withdrawing from classes to ensure they're aware of any financial effects the changes might have.

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Are My Charges Reduced If I Change My Dining Plan or On-Campus Housing or Withdraw?

If you change your dining plan or on-campus housing or withdraw, you should contact WVU Dining Services for dining plans and WVU Housing for on-campus housing to find out if your charges will be reduced. There may be a reduction based on when you change/withdraw. Please note that there also may be limitations or deadlines to when dining plans or housing can be adjusted for the year or semester.

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