Student Accounts :: Request Refund Information

Request Refund Information

Any student with an actual credit balance on their account is eligible to request a refund. First, check your current account balance on eCommon. To request a refund, please e-mail bills@emerson.edu once you verify you have a credit balance on your student account. All emails MUST come from your Emerson e-mail account and include your Emerson ID number. Emails from e-mail accounts other than your Emerson e-mail account will not be processed.

Please note: students have the ability to request refunds without the consent of the primary bill payer.

Refunds for all Boston campus students are available for pick-up only at the Student Service Center. No refund checks will be mailed.
If you are studying in LA, Kasteel Well or other non-Boston campus, please indicate in your request where you want the check mailed.

Click on a question to be directed to the answer below:

When am I eligible to request a refund for my overpayment?

Students who overpay their accounts may apply to have the overpayment amount refunded to them. Refunds are granted to students only when a credit balance exists on the account. Refunds are not granted for anticipated payments, i.e. financial aid not yet disbursed.

In general, students must actually request a refund check in order to receive their funds. The exception to this rule applies to students who receive Federal Financial Aid and/or Federal Loans. Per Federal regulations, Emerson will automatically refund credit balances caused specifically by Federal financial aid payments after the add/drop period ends, or as the funds are disbursed, whichever is later.

Student Financial Services is aware many students rely on loan money to pay for off-campus living expenses, such as food and rent. Students should understand, however, that loan money is not usually available at the very beginning of the semester. Loan funds may be available after the first day of classes; students may then apply for a refund check from these disbursements, keeping in mind that normal processing time is two weeks (see below). In general, you should not rely on refunds for living expenses until first week of October at the earliest for Fall semester, and February 13 at the earliest for Spring semester.

How will I be notified I'm eligible to request a refund?

Emerson will not notify you when you are eligible for a refund. You can determine if you're eligible by reviewing your account on ECommon.

When a refund check has been processed for you, you will receive an email to notify you the check is ready for pickup at the Student Service Center.

When and how do I receive my refund check?

If you are making a refund request, checks are typically available for pick-up at the Student Service Center two Fridays after your request is received. The first refund process of each semester begins after the first day of classes. Therefore you can not receive a refund until the semester begins and then the two Friday rule is in effect.

If you are a student who receives Federal financial aid and that aid causes a credit balance that exceeds the minimum amount as defined by the College, an automatic refund check will be processed for you. Federal financial fid refunds are processed a week after the add/drop period ends or a week after your aid is disbursed, whichever is later. You will receive an e-mail to your Emerson e-mail account informing you that an automatic refund has been processed.

All checks are processed in the student’s name and held at the Student Service Center for pickup unless:

the overpayment is due to a credit card payment (see item #5 below); or
the overpayment is due to a Federal Parent PLUS Loan (see item #7 below); or
the student is studying at a campus other than Boston. If you are at a campus other than Boston, you must indicate in your request where you would like the check mailed.

What if I can't pick up my refund check at the Student Service Center?

Your check is mailed to you if you're in the Kasteel Well program, the LA program, or another non-Boston campus program. Please allow additional time for mailing to Europe and Los Angeles. All other students should make arrangements to pick up their checks at the Center during normal business hours.

Any unclaimed refund checks after 21 days are mailed to local addresses students have listed on eCommon. It is the students' responsibility to keep information on eCommon up to date.

Why are some refunds credited back to a credit card and not given to the student as a check?

A credit balance resulting from a credit card payment is refunded directly to the credit card used. Emerson does not issue refund checks to students for overpayments resulting from a credit card payment. The Accounts Management staff reviews each credit balance to determine if a refund to a credit card is warranted. The type of refund issued (credit card refund or check refund) is determined by Emerson policy and in some cases, Federal regulations. Two examples to illustrate the policies:

A student without Federal financial aid has a $5,000 credit balance on their account resulting from a $2,000 credit card payment on Monday and a $4,000 private educational loan disbursement on Tuesday. $4,000 is refunded by check to the student for the private educational loan disbursement since that is the most recent transaction on the account. The remaining $1,000 overpayment is refunded to the credit card used in the Monday transaction.

A student with Federal financial aid owes $10,000 for the semester. A credit card payment was made at the beginning of September for $7000. The student received $5,000 federal aid at the end of September. Since federal regulations state that federal aid must be used to pay tuition, fees and on campus room/board charges, the aid is applied to the $10,000 balance before the credit card payment is considered. Thus a refund of the $2,000 overpayment would be made to the credit card even though it technically arrived on campus before the federal aid.

No exceptions are made to this policy, even if the credit card holder has already paid off the credit card used in the transaction.

What happens if there are charges that don't appear on my bill at the time of the refund?

There are times when not all charges appear on the bill at the time a student refund is issued. For example, students who use the taxi voucher system through Public Safety don't see the charges for taxi rides until the following month. Please be aware that you are responsible for paying the balance due on your bill.

Are there special rules for students with Federal Aid/Loans or parent who borrowed Federal PLUS Loans?

Yes, in compliance with federal regulations, all Federal financial aid recipients whose federal funds exceed total tuition, room and board, and fees are automatically issued a federal refund within 14 days after the credit balance occurs or after the add/drop period ends, whichever is latest.

If a dependent student’s parent borrows through the Federal Parent PLUS Loan program, and the PLUS Loan creates the overpayment on the student account, federal regulations require the school to send the refund directly to the parent borrower of the PLUS Loan.

What happens if the college determines a refund was issued in error?

The College has the right to reclaim refunds issued in error. Should this occur, a stop payment order is placed on the check and the student is notified of the reason. If the check has been cashed a written request for return of funds is provided for the student. Normal collection procedures apply.