Program withdrawal  

Prior to departure

If you wish to withdraw or transfer your application prior to departure, you must abide by the following Withdrawal and Transfer Policy.

Withdrawal and Transfer Policy

If you wish to withdraw or transfer your application, you must inform the Office of Study Abroad, not the program faculty leader, by completing a Decision Form. Otherwise, you will continue to receive and be responsible for payment of the program fee. 

The Office of Study Abroad will not accept verbal cancellations by phone or e-mail notification; withdrawal must be in writing by letter or by completing the form. 

At acceptance

Now that you have been accepted into a program you will be allowed two weeks after the date of the acceptance letter to withdraw or transfer your application to another program without financial obligation.  If, however, you have not returned your Decision Form before or within the two weeks of the date of the acceptance letter, the Office of Study Abroad will assume you no longer wish to participate and you will be withdrawn from the program.  The $100 application fee will remain on your account.  If you withdraw or transfer from a program, it is also your responsibility to withdraw from your study abroad courses.  The Office of Study Abroad will not do this for you, unless you are a non-MSU student.

After acceptance

If you choose to withdraw your application after accepting admission into a program, you will be financially responsible for the $100 application fee and the $200 deposit (if applicable).  If you choose to transfer your application after accepting admission into a program, you will be financially responsible for the $200 deposit (if applicable), and the $100 application fee will be applied to the new program.  This must be done more than eight (8) weeks before the program’s first day.

If you withdraw or transfer from a program for any reason after accepting admission, and your written withdrawal or transfer is received at the Office of Study Abroad less than eight (8) weeks before the program’s first day, you will be financially responsible for the $100 application fee and $200 deposit (if applicable), or any non-recoverable costs (such as housing payments and deposits, field trip pre-payments, fixed program costs, etc.) incurred and/or committed on your behalf by MSU at the time of your withdrawal (whichever is more). It is your responsibility to inquire as to the estimated non-recoverable costs incurred at the time of your withdrawal or transfer.  In most cases, the OSA staff will not be able to provide you with these costs until they can contact the on-site providers and determine what refunds will be available.  In extreme cases, it could mean that you will be financially responsible for almost the entire program fee. After the program’s first day, you will be financially responsible for the entire program fee.

Students who must withdraw from a study abroad program because they lack a passport and/or visa, are on State or Federal Probation and are not allowed to leave the U.S., or for any other legal reasons are held to the same withdrawal policies, procedures and penalties as for other reasons.
                                    
Notification of withdrawal or transfer must be made in writing to the Office of Study Abroad before the withdrawal or transfer will be officially recognized. The date the Decision Form or written notification is received is the date by which the financial calculation will be determined. If a balance is due to the Office of Study Abroad at the time of withdrawal, that amount must be paid to MSU to cover expenses incurred to that point.

Should MSU suspend or cancel a program prior to departure and you are forced to withdraw your application, you will not be financially responsible for any study abroad program fees or tuition.  Refunds for air transportation are subject to the rules and regulations of the appropriate airline or travel agency.

Summary

At the time of application:
$100 fee will be billed

Before acceptance or within a two-week period following acceptance:
$100 application fee is refundable/transferable

After accepting admission into a program:
$100 application fee is non-refundable, but can be transferred; $200 deposit (if applicable) is non-refundable; financial responsibility will be according to the above description.

If you withdraw your application, it is your responsibility to withdraw from your program courses. The Office of Study Abroad will not do this for you, unless you are a non-MSU student.

If it is prior to the program’s first day, you will receive a full refund of tuition and matriculation fees.  If you withdraw after the program’s first day, refunds for recoverable tuition and fees will be based on the University calendar, as stated as follows:

*If you are a non-MSU student, the Office of Study Abroad will cancel your course enrollment.