Vehicle Registration Refunds

Students graduating or leaving the university might be entitled to a refund of the virtual permit price. The amount of refund varies based on semester and week into classes. Requests for refunds should be made to Parking Services.

Please visit the Parking Services website for more information on vehicle registration refunds.

Enrollment Reservation Deposit Refunds

The $175.00 Enrollment Reservation Deposit is refundable by submitting a written request to the Admissions Office for students who cancel their admission prior to the established deadline dates as indicated in admission correspondence for the specific semester or session, and who have not attended an orientation session. Note: CMU Online students are not charged for completing online orientation

Cancellation of Housing Agreement

The residence hall agreement is for the entire academic year, or remainder of the year, provided the student is enrolled at the university. The residency and financial conditions of the agreement shall not be terminated to move to a private home, fraternity or sorority house, or other housing or to commute during the period covered by the agreement. Students who break the residence hall agreement without approval from Residence Life officials will owe full room and board charges for the entire academic year.

Students who are approved for release from the residence hall agreement for any reason are subject to the following schedule of cancellation charges:

New Applicants Only:

• Cancellation of this agreement after May 1 but by August 1 will result in a $300 cancellation fee.
• Cancellation of this agreement after August 1, but prior to the first day the halls open in the fall shall result in a $500 cancellation fee.

Returning Students Only (Prior to the halls opening):

• Students signing an agreement have a 30-day cancellation period without penalty. Students who sign an agreement can cancel without penalty, but ONLY IF they provide a thirty-day written notice of said cancellation, from the day they apply, and the expiration of the thirty-day notice period occurs prior to May 1.
• Students cancelling after the 30-day cancellation period and by August 1 (December 1 for spring semester) will be charged a $300 cancellation fee.
• Students cancelling after August 1 (December 1 for spring semester) but before the first day the halls open will be charged a $500 cancellation fee.

All Students (during the Academic Year):

• All Cancellation Requests must be in writing.
• Cancellation of this agreement from the first day halls open in the fall but prior to November 1 shall result in up to a $900 cancellation fee.
• Cancellation of this agreement after November 1, but prior to the end of the fall semester shall result in up to a $600 cancellation fee.
• Cancellation of this agreement from the end of the fall semester but before April 1 shall result in a $300 cancellation fee.
• Cancellation of this agreement after April 1 shall result in a $100 cancellation fee.

Other charges and damages may apply under the provision of the agreement such as damage to room. If a student is not approved for release from their residence hall agreement and they choose to move anyway, they are still financially responsible for the entire contract.

Apartments. Residents are charged for actual days up to the termination of their Housing Agreement. Family housing residents may terminate by giving the University Apartments Office 45 days written advance notice. Single student resident contracts are for the entire academic year.

Refunds for Student-Initiated Complete Withdrawals from All Classes

Students withdrawing from the university must complete a withdrawal online through CentralLink to initiate the refund process. Further information regarding the complete withdrawal policy appears in the section on Academic Policies and Procedures. Students who have credit balances in excess of $1.00 on their student accounts after all university obligations have been met will receive a refund unless the student received financial aid.

Refunds upon Withdrawal for Students Receiving Financial Aid

Financial aid disbursed through the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid is applied to student accounts to pay for university charges. Credits for the unused portion of tuition, special course fees, housing and other university charges resulting from a student’s withdrawal from the university are used to repay the financial aid sources in full prior to refunding the student. Withdrawing students who have received refunds for financial aid to cover non-institutional, educational costs may be required to repay financial aid sources. The university is required by law to perform a Return to Tile IV Funds (R2T4) calculation to determine the percentage and amount of aid that a student earned when they have not completed more than 60% of the length of their semester enrolled and do not meet one of the official withdrawal exceptions for students enrolled in module courses. Students will receive electronic notification of when a Return to Title IV Funds adjustment has been made.

Refunds for students who receive Title IV financial aid are allocated to the financial aid source in the following order:

• to outstanding balances on Federal Direct Loans (Unsubsidized and Subsidized)
• to outstanding balance on Federal Plus Loans
• to Federal Pell Grant awards
• to Federal SEOG awards
• to TEACH Grant awards
• to other Title IV student assistance
• to other federal, state, private or institutional student assistance
• to the student.

Tuition Credits for Dropped and Withdrawn Courses

The Student Account Services and University Billing Office will automatically process tuition credits or charges due to changes in class registration. Any credit resulting from such changes will first be applied to any outstanding university balances before a refund is issued. 

The percentage of the tuition credit amount is determined by the timeframe in which the drop/withdrawal is completed.  Fees are equal to the percentage of the tuition credit received.

Important Drop or Withdrawal Information:

• Drops and withdrawals are initiated by the student through the Course Search and Registration System within CentralLink. Each course identifies the drop and withdrawal deadlines.
• A Drop occurs prior to the course start or during the first week of class.
• A Withdrawal occurs during or after the second week of class.
• Drops and withdrawals can and do affect financial aid eligibility.
• Financial aid recipients that withdraw from or drop classes, resulting in your enrollment being less than half-time for the semester after financial aid has been disbursed and a refund check has been issued, may be required to repay the full amount of the disbursement.
• Active participation in courses is required. Students reported as having not participated by the second Friday of class may be administratively dropped from the course and have their financial aid award re-evaluated. See https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/office-scholarships-financial-aid/applying-for-financial-aid/enrollment-status.
• Students who stop attending (either virtually or in person) and do not formally withdraw from a course will receive a grade of "E." Additionally, they may be required to repay any financial aid received, based on their last day of attendance.
• Application fees, main campus enrollment fees, prior learning assessment credit fees, and graduation fees are not refundable.
• Telephone requests to drop or withdraw will not be accepted.
• The start time for online courses is 12:01 a.m. on the first day of class. Each new week for an online class begins on Monday at 12:01 a.m. and ends on the following Sunday at 12:00 midnight. Holidays do not have any effect on this definition of a week. Online classes follow the Eastern Standard Time (EST) zone.