Office of Student Financial Services

Tuition

• Before the academic period start date: 100% of semester tuition.
• On or before the 10th calendar day after the academic period start date: 75% of semester tuition.
• On or before the 30th calendar day after the academic period start date: 50% of semester tuition.
• After the 30th calendar day after the academic period start date: No refund.

Fees

• Before the academic period start date: 100%
• After the academic period start date: 0%

There is no refund for dropped courses for tuition and fees charged at a flat rate.

There is no refund of any other fee on or after the first day of instruction of either semester.

Refund of housing and food contract charges are determined in accordance with the terms outlined in the contract. On campus housing costs and refunds are determined by the Department of Community Living (DCL). Meal plan costs and refunds are determined by the Campus Card Office.

Federal regulations require that we refund to you all federal aid in excess of allowable charges. However, we recommend that you sign your Title IV authorization, included in each semester’s online Financial Responsibility Agreement, for us to apply your federal aid (PELL Grants, SEOG, Perkins Loans, Federal Direct Loans, Parent PLUS Loans, Graduate PLUS loans) to all of your charges. Granting this authorization will help prevent outstanding balances from remaining on your account after a refund is processed.

Allowable charges include: tuition, mandatory fees, and housing and food that is contracted through Brandeis University.

Charges requiring your authorization include: medical insurance, parking fines, library fines and other miscellaneous charges.

To complete your Title IV authorization, simply sign your online Financial Responsibility Agreement available via the registration process and/or in your Workday account.

Please note that Title IV authorization is not mandatory, but once granted, it will last throughout your time at Brandeis University. This authorization can be revoked at any time by written request via sfs@brandeis.edu.

Title IV Example:

You are billed $15,000 in tuition and mandatory fees as well as a health insurance charge for $2,000. Your total charges are $17,000.

You receive federal aid in the amount of $17,000.

If you have NOT given Title IV authorization, you will be issued a refund of $2,000. However, you will now owe Brandeis $2,000 to pay for your health insurance. With Title IV authorization, we will apply the funds to your insurance charge automatically and our account balance would be $0.

When a student withdraws during a period in which they receive federal financial aid, the amount of Title IV funds (other than FWS) that must be returned to the Title IV programs is based solely on the length of time the student was enrolled prior to withdrawing.

A student's withdrawal date is defined as the date that the student began the withdrawal process prescribed by the school; the student otherwise provided the school with official notification of the intent to withdraw; or, for the student who does not begin the school's withdrawal process or notify the school of the intent to withdraw, the midpoint of the payment period of enrollment for which Title IV assistance was disbursed (unless the university can document a later date).

The university has additional latitude to determine the withdrawal date of a student who dropped out without notifying the university due to circumstances beyond the student's control, such as illness, accident or grievous personal loss.

The amount of funds earned by the student is directly proportional to time enrolled, through 60% of the period of enrollment. After 60%, the student is considered to have earned all federal aid. Unearned federal Title IV aid must be returned to the programs.

The university bears the responsibility of returning funds up to the lesser of the unearned amount or an amount determined by multiplying institutional costs by the unearned percentage. The student must return any unearned amount that is not the responsibility of the university to return. Unearned funds are returned first to Stafford Loans, then to Perkins Loans, and then to PLUS Loans.

Once loans are satisfied, remaining unearned funds are distributed to Pell Grant, then to FSEOG, then to other Title IV funds that require a refund.

The student repays unearned funds owed to a loan program under the terms of the promissory note. Repayments to grant programs are made according to grant overpayment regulations. If a student received aid from other (private, state) sources, refunds to them will be made in accordance with the policy of the donor(s).

The refund remaining after any funds are returned to federal and outside programs will be divided between the student and university financial aid programs in the same ratio as these sources were credited to the student's account (for example, if a student paid one-half of the bill, one-half of the remaining refund will be returned to the student and one-half will be returned to the university financial aid programs from which the student received assistance).

For students whose financial aid awards exceed the university's charges (for example, students who live off campus), funds that were disbursed to support educationally related expenses (for example, housing, meals, books, etc.) must be repaid on a prorated basis determined by the university.

Further information on the refund policy for aided students and the calculation for any specific case is available from the Office of Student Financial Services.

When a student withdraws during a period in which they receive Tuition Assistance funds, the amount of funds that must be returned to the program is based solely on the length of time the student was enrolled prior to withdrawing.

The amount of funds earned by the student is directly proportional to time enrolled, through 60% of the period of enrollment. After 60%, the student is considered to have earned all aid. Unearned Tuition Assistance aid must be returned to the program.

A student who drops courses on the per-course tuition charge basis is allowed a refund following this schedule:

Full semester-long courses

• On or before the 15th day after the course section start date (see the Academic Calendar): 100% of the dropped course's tuition fee.

• On or before the 30th day after the course section start date: 50% of the dropped course's tuition fee.

• After 30th day of the course section start date: No refund.

Module courses

• On or before the 10th day of instruction for the module session: 100% of the dropped course's tuition fee. See the Academic Calendar page on the Registrar's website for a link to the list of class meeting dates for a module session.

• After the 10th day of instruction for the module session: No refund.

Summer Courses

Summer School: Effective Summer 2022 Tuition Adjustments for dropped courses

• Before the session start date: 100%
• On the first day of the session: 75%
• On the second day of the session: 50% 
• On the third day of the session: 25% 

Non Summer School Undergraduate Summer programs and all Graduate Summer Tuition Refund Policy: Effective Summer 2022

• Prior to the program start date/first day of the course: 100%
• On or after the program start date/first day of the course: 0% 

There will be no refund of tuition or other fees in the event that Brandeis determines that all courses must move to a virtual format.