Payment Information

Withdrawal Refunds:

• A student who drops one or more courses will be granted a refund, if dropped during the refund period. The refund period is the first two weeks of the semester and refunds are made as shown below.
  
  

  Withdrawal Date	Percent of Tuition & Fees Refunded
  August 20th – August 27th	100%
  August 28th – September 2nd	50%

• For complete withdrawals, other fees paid are proportionately refunded also, except those listed as non-refundable. The actual dates for withdrawals are shown in the Academic Calendar.
• After the last day to withdraw from classes, students may withdraw from the University if medical reasons can be documented.
• Application fees and registration fees (including the late registration or late payment fees) are non-refundable.
• A student called for military service during the school term should consult the Office of Student Accounting regarding refunds of fees.
• Any tuition refunds originally paid by credit card will be refunded back to credit card.  PIN Debit card transactions processed at the point of sale in the Office of Student Accounting or Housing Office will be refunded via check or electronic direct deposit.
• Housing and meal plan refund policy:
  • Within the first forty-five (45) calendar days of the published residence hall opening date each semester, housing and meals – excluding bonus bucks – will be prorated based on the date the student properly checks-out. No adjustment will be made thereafter. Proper check-out procedures can be reviewed on the housing website.
  • The housing semester break rate will be charged for periods between semesters. Bonus buck usage will be charged through the third week of classes. Bonus Bucks will be charged in full after the third week of classes and will be available for use until the end of the spring semester. A contract cancellation fee will be charged when applicable.

In accordance with federal guidelines, when a student completely withdraws from school, a portion of Federal Financial aid grant or loan funds, except for Federal Work-Study earnings, may be required to be returned to the applicable federal program(s). If a federal aid recipient completely withdraws from school after beginning attendance, the amount of federal aid earned by the student must be determined based on the number of days the student attended in the given term. If the amount disbursed to the student is greater than the amount the student earned, the unearned federal aid funds must be returned. Federal aid funds will be returned in the following order:

• Unsubsidized Direct Stafford loans (other than PLUS loans)
• Subsidized Direct Stafford loans
• Federal Perkins loans
• Direct PLUS loans
• Federal Pell Grants
• Federal SEOG
• Federal TEACH Grants
• Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant

NOTE: If your Title IV Financial Aid required return is greater than the posted University refund at the time of your withdrawal, you will owe the difference to the University. The Office of Student Accounting will notify you of the amount due.

If a student completely withdraws after completing 60% of the term, then it is assumed that the student has earned 100% of their federal aid award, and no funds will be returned to the federal programs.

In accordance with the Department of Defense Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the University is required to return unearned funds to the program, if a student withdraws from a course paid for by Department of Defense funds (tuition assistance), based on the following schedules:

Students who have tuition checks returned from the bank may be administratively withdrawn from the University. These students will still be responsible for any charges deemed necessary by the University.

If a student’s University account has an outstanding balance due, of any nature, including departmental fines and the University has in its possession any funds payable to the student (from payments or credits applied to the student’s account, payroll checks, and/or any other source, except federal financial aid awards), the University reserves the right to withhold the funds necessary to clear the student’s outstanding balance and to cover any collection costs incurred. Once those amounts are paid, any remaining funds are paid to the student.

If a student’s University account has an outstanding balance due, of any nature, including departmental fines and the University has in its possession any funds payable to the student (from payments or credits applied to the student’s account, payroll checks, and/or any other source, except federal financial aid awards), the University reserves the right to withhold the funds necessary to clear the student’s outstanding balance and to cover any collection costs incurred. Once those amounts are paid, any remaining funds are paid to the student.

In the event of an unpaid balance of any nature on the student's account (including any unpaid check returned by a bank), the following services will be withheld until the balance is paid in full:

• Enrollment for subsequent terms
• Diploma

If it is necessary to refer an unpaid account to an outside collection agency, any costs and fees of collection (up to 34% of the debt) will be added to the student's account, and the account will be reported to credit bureaus. If legal action is required to collect the account, attorney fees will be added to the amount due.

Notification of any tuition assistance should be given to the Office of Student Accounting prior to registration. Tuition assistance includes State VA and State Rehabilitation benefits, and other third-party assistance. After notification, the total amount due for tuition and fees will reflect any tuition assistance.

Students taking both USAonline and on-campus courses are subject to additional on-campus fees including non-resident fees.

Students who are eligible to receive educational assistance must check with the Office of Veterans Affairs (located in the Academic Services Center, Suite 1345) no later than the day before the payment deadline. No student will be certified to receive educational benefits from the VA until the student's schedule is verified with the Office of Veteran Affairs. Any questions should be directed to the Office of Veterans Affairs at (251) 460-6230.

If you are paying your tuition with financial aid (loans, grants, scholarships), and you have met all financial aid eligibility requirements, your aid will be authorized toward your balance as 'Estimated Financial Aid' until it officially disburses (pays out) on the 8th day of the semester.

If you are due a financial aid refund and signed up for Electronic Direct Deposit in time, the refund will be electronically deposited to your checking account within 14 business days after being applied to your student account. Be sure to verify the deposit at your bank before writing any checks against the refund.

If you do not participate in Electronic Direct Deposit, a refund check will be mailed to your permanent home address within fourteen business days following the credit to your student account.

If you are a financial aid recipient and have a balance due to the University, the amount and payment deadline will appear on your electronic bill. Account information is available at https://paws.southalabama.edu or at the Office of Student Accounting (located in Meisler Hall, Suite 1300).

If a student has been awarded financial aid by the USA's Office of Financial Aid and has excess funds after all tuition, fees, meals, and housing charges have been paid, the student may charge up to $1,500 (or the available balance, whichever is less) of books at the USA Bookstore. The Bookstore will have the available amount at checkout. Bookstore charges will be placed on the student's account and covered by the financial aid disbursement. The bookstore charging period will run from July 22– August 27, 2024.