GWSB Short-term Study Away Withdrawal and Refund Policy
Once accepted into a short-term study away program, students must decide within 5 business days of their acceptance to either commit or decline acceptance to the program. Those who wish to commit to the program must submit a $500 non-refundable Program Deposit (within 5 business days of acceptance). If, however, a student has not both accepted admission and paid the Program Deposit within 5 business days of acceptance, the Global & Experiential Education (G&EE) office will assume that the student no longer wishes to participate and the student will be withdrawn from the program.
Students who withdraw after the 5 business day acceptance period must contact G&EE in writing by emailing sbintl@gwu.edu. Students who withdraw will be subject to the following withdrawal and refund policy:
Students who withdraw after the 5 business day acceptance period must contact G&EE in writing by emailing sbintl@gwu.edu. Students who withdraw will be subject to the following withdrawal and refund policy:
What Student Owes GW*
- Withdrawal within 5 business day acceptance period: Nothing is owed—student receives full refund, including his or her $500 Program Deposit if previously paid.
- Withdrawal 30 days or more prior to program start date: Student forfeits the $500 non-refundable Program Deposit and remains responsible for paying the unrecoverable program costs (“Unrecoverable costs”).
- Withdrawal 29 days or less prior to program start date: Student forfeits the $500 non-refundable Program Deposit and remains responsible for paying the full cost of the program (“Program Fee”).
*The Withdrawal & Refund Policy relates only to expenses billed to students by the university for participation in the study away program. The university does not in any instance reimburse for non-billable/out-of-pocket expenses.
Definition of terms
- Commitment to program: Students commit to a program by paying the program deposit and clicking "Commit" on their program application in GW Passport after they are accepted. Committing to a program indicates that the student is responsible for adhering to the refund schedule listed above.
- Program Deposit: The program deposit will appear in the student’s account as “Short Term Abroad Prog. Dep.”. When the student pays this deposit, it will appear as a credit on his/her student account.
- Program Fee: The Program Fee is used to pay for on-the-ground logistics, such as lodging, group meals, group transportation, cultural excursions and travel health insurance. Program fees will vary due to price parity, program logistics, and program length. Services included in a program fee for one program may not be included in another. The program fee will appear in the student’s account as “GWSB-Global & Experiential Fee”.
- Program start date: The day the program begins off-site.
- Non-Billable Costs/Out-of-Pocket Costs: These costs are paid directly by the student to a vendor, including, but not limited to: passport and visa fees, vaccination costs, and airfare. G&EE will not reimburse these costs. Students are advised to purchase refundable airline tickets and/or trip cancellation insurance covering all travel expenses not billed through the university, as they accept the risk associated with these items themselves.
- Unrecoverable costs: Unrecoverable costs are those non-refundable expenses that have been incurred by G&EE on behalf of the student to facilitate their participation in a study away program. While these costs vary across programs, they may include, but are not limited to: lodging, group transportation, and group meals. G&EE provides students interested in short-term study away programs an estimate of program costs on each program’s webpage. The unrecoverable costs will be shared with the student via email upon withdrawal.
Consular issues: It is on the onus of students to acquire the proper immigration documents to enter the destination country and/or secure transit visas. Global & Experiential Education may provide visa support letters if necessary. If a student’s visa application to travel to the program location is denied by that country’s embassy or consulate, G&EE may assist them with appealing the visa denial decision. However, if the decision to deny their visa stands, even after an appeal, the student is responsible for costs according to the refund schedule outlined above.