IES Abroad Refund Policy
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Refund Policy
We make significant financial commitments on students’ behalf well before the start of each IES Abroad program. Full refunds are not possible after the full payment date, which is due upon receipt of your bill. Any refund issued will always be less than the non-refundable IES Abroad Confirmation Deposit Fee. Students who withdraw after the full payment date are responsible for payment of unrecoverable costs incurred by IES Abroad. A refund is issued only on recoverable costs and only after written notice of withdrawal from the IES Abroad Program is received in the Chicago office.
On or after the student arrival date there will be no refunds. Appeals for partial refunds will be considered only in cases of serious illness or emergency requiring a student’s return to the United States and in consultation with the Chicago office. The amount of any possible refund will be determined individually on recoverable costs, and will be made at the sole discretion of IES Abroad at the time of withdrawal. Please note that these costs vary considerably and cannot be determined in advance.
Any student who is dismissed after beginning any IES Abroad program for any reason forfeits the possibility of any refund for used or unused expenses as well as the comprehensive fee.
Should you need to defer enrollment to a future successive term, the deferral must be approved by IES Abroad. The same refund policy applies to cases where a student withdraws rather than defers enrollment.
Spring 2022 Standard Programs Refund Policy
Cancellations and program start dates
If IES Abroad cancels a program prior to its official arrival date then IES Abroad will issue a full refund of monies then paid to IES Abroad to date for the program, including the Confirmation Deposit, to the paying party.
Student voluntary withdrawals
Students who voluntarily withdraw from an IES Abroad program more than 14 days before the program’s official published arrival date will receive a full refund of the program fees then paid to IES Abroad to date, including the Confirmation Deposit.
Students voluntarily withdrawing from a program less than 14 days before the program’s official arrival date will be eligible for a refund of recoverable costs as determined by IES Abroad at the time of their written withdrawal notice.
Students voluntarily withdrawing on or after the program’s official arrival date will receive no refund. IES Abroad will issue all refunds to the party who paid IES Abroad for those fees.
Students voluntarily withdrawing from a program due to the individual student or their family member having a serious illness or injury after the program’s arrival date are eligible to receive recoverable cost refunds. All emergency withdrawals must be documented in writing by a physician and approved in advance in consultation with the IES Abroad Dean of Students Office in Chicago.
The amount of any possible recoverable cost refund will be determined on a case-by-case basis in the sole discretion of IES Abroad.
Suspension of program after arrival date
If IES Abroad suspends a program after its official arrival date, IES Abroad will issue recoverable cost refunds to the paying party for housing and field trips, but only if and when IES Abroad has recovered actual refunds from its vendors.
Tuition is not refundable if students are provided an option to continue pursuing courses for credit, either in person or online. In cases where IES Abroad is not able to provide an option for students to continue pursuing credit online or in person, students will be eligible for a refund of recoverable tuition costs with respect to the courses they started but were unable to pursue either online or in person.
Refunds would be calculated on a student by student basis on what IES Abroad is able to recover from each student’s housing and field trip vendors, and any refunds will be payable in all cases to the party who paid IES Abroad in the first instance.
Dismissal of student
Any student who is dismissed from a program by IES Abroad after the arrival date for any reason forfeits the possibility of any refund, including without limitation a refund of used or unused expenses, as well as the comprehensive program fee.
Actions by government in host country
Should a host-country government’s action within 14 days of our program start date make it impossible for some students to travel to their study abroad destination, IES Abroad would offer impacted students three options:
- Participate in our program virtually, taking IES Abroad classes online, until it becomes possible to travel to the study abroad destination. Some partner university classes may not be available online.
- Withdraw from the program and receive a recoverable cost refund from IES Abroad.
- Defer to a subsequent term and apply the confirmation deposit to that term. Students who don’t enroll in the next term may be responsible for non-recoverable costs at IES Abroad’s discretion.
The following table highlights categories of fees which qualify for refunds and those that do not qualify for refunds per the written policy above:
|
Tuition |
See policy above for details |
|
Housing |
See policy above for details |
|
Supplemental Tuition |
Not refundable if student is provided an option to continue pursuing credit |
|
Health Insurance |
Not refundable |
|
Supplemental Housing |
Only recoverable costs actually recovered by IES Abroad will be refunded |
|
Visa ACCeSS fee ($125) |
Refundable up to 14 days before the program start date |
| Visa ACCeSS consular fee | Not refundable after visa application is submitted to consulate as part of ACCeSS process |
| Visa fees for independently submitted visa applications | Not Refundable |
|
Optional Field Trips and Excursions |
Only recoverable costs actually recovered by IES Abroad will be refunded |
|
Books |
Not refundable if the student received them |
|
Transportation Passes |
Not refundable |
|
Loans to Students |
Not refundable |
|
Student charges for outstanding items (keys, cleaning fees, damage to housing) |
Not refundable |
If IES Abroad cancels a program prior to its official arrival date then IES Abroad will issue a full refund of monies then paid to IES Abroad to date for the program, including the Confirmation Deposit, to the paying party.
Students who voluntarily withdraw from an IES Abroad program more than 14 days before the program’s official published arrival date will receive a full refund of the program fees then paid to IES Abroad to date, including the Confirmation Deposit. Students voluntarily withdrawing from a program less than 14 days before the program’s official arrival date will be eligible for a refund of recoverable costs as determined by IES Abroad at the time of their written withdrawal notice. Students voluntarily withdrawing on or after the program’s official arrival date will receive no refund. IES Abroad will issue all refunds to the party that paid IES Abroad for those fees.
Students voluntarily withdrawing from a program due to the individual student or their family member having a serious illness or injury after the program’s arrival date are eligible to receive recoverable cost refunds. All emergency withdrawals must be documented in writing by a physician and approved in advance in consultation with the IES Abroad Dean of Students Office in Chicago. The amount of any possible recoverable cost refund will be determined on a case-by-case basis in the sole discretion of IES Abroad.
If IES Abroad suspends a program after its official arrival date, IES Abroad will issue recoverable cost refunds to the paying party for housing and field trips, but only if and when IES Abroad has recovered actual refunds from its vendors. Tuition is not refundable if students are provided an option to continue pursuing courses for credit, either in person or online. In cases where IES Abroad is not able to provide an option for students to continue pursuing credit online or in person, students may be eligible for a refund of recoverable tuition costs.
Any student who is dismissed by IES Abroad after the arrival date for any program for any reason forfeits the possibility of any refund, including without limitation a refund of used or unused expenses, as well as the comprehensive program fee.
The following table highlights categories of fees which qualify for refunds and those that do not qualify for refunds per the written policy above:
|
Tuition |
See policy above for details |
|
Housing |
See policy above for details |
|
Supplemental Tuition |
Not refundable if student is provided an option to continue pursuing credit |
|
Health Insurance |
Not refundable |
|
Supplemental Housing |
Only recoverable costs actually recovered by IES Abroad will be refunded |
|
Visa/Residence Fees |
Not refundable |
|
Optional Field Trips and Excursions |
Only recoverable costs actually recovered by IES Abroad will be refunded |
|
Books |
Not refundable if the student received them |
|
Transportation Passes |
Not refundable |
|
Loans to Students |
Not refundable |
|
Student charges for outstanding items (keys, cleaning fees, damage to housing) |
Not refundable |
Students who voluntarily withdraw from an IES Abroad program more than 14 days before the program’s official published arrival date will receive a full refund of the program fees, including the non-refundable Confirmation Deposit. Students voluntarily withdrawing from a program less than 14 days before the program’s official arrival date will be eligible for a refund of recoverable costs as determined by IES Abroad at the time of their written withdrawal notice. Students voluntarily withdrawing on or after the program’s official arrival date will receive no refund. IES Abroad will issue all refunds to the party that paid IES Abroad for those fees.
| Supplemental Tuition | Not refundable if student is provided an option to continue pursuing credit |
| Health Insurance | Not refundable |
| Supplemental Housing | Only recoverable costs actually recovered by IES will be refunded |
| Visa/Residence Fees | Not refundable |
| Optional Field Trips and Excursions | Only recoverable costs actually recovered by IES will be refunded |
| Books | Not refundable if the student received them |
| Transportation Passes | Not refundable |
| Loans to Students | Not refundable |
| Student charges for outstanding items (keys, cleaning fees, damage to housing) | Not refundable |
IES Abroad will issue full refund of our program fees (including the $500 Confirmation Deposit) for any payment submitted directly to IES Abroad for students who decide to withdraw up to the day before the program’s official published arrival date. See more details on our Summer 2020 & Fall 2020 Refund Policy.
