Cancellation Policy

Participants who wish to cancel must log into their Education Abroad account online and submit a cancel request by selecting the "Cancel Application" button on the bottom of the checklist page. 

Participants will continue to accrue non-recoverable costs based on the chart below until official notification is received. 

Participants are responsible for all program fees until notification is received by the Academic Center for Enrichment. Institutions paying on behalf of the participant are responsible for all program fees until official notice of cancellation by the student is received by the Academic Center for Enrichment. It is the student’s responsibility to also notify the institution paying their program fees of their cancellation from the program.

Financial Obligation

The application fee and confirmation deposit for all programs are non-refundable. 

The Academic Center for Enrichment reserves space on the program for the participant upon receipt of the Confirmation and Payment Agreement. At this point, the Academic Center for Enrichment incurs certain non-recoverable costs on behalf of the student. Therefore, any participant who cancels at any time after the Confirmation and Payment Agreement has been received will be responsible for any non-recoverable costs incurred, including: 

Cancellation Period & Amount Due

If you have been awarded financial aid to study abroad, cancellation after the Academic Center for Enrichment has received your Confirmation and Payment agreement will impact that award amount. Your financial aid will not cover cancellation fees or non-recoverable costs. 

Failing grades or ‘W’s on your transcript may affect your future financial aid eligibility, in the same way it would have for coursework taken on campus. Read and be familiar with the Rights and Responsibilities of Financial Aid Recipients.

Appeal for Refund

Students on Morris Study Abroad programs have the option to appeal the Cancellation Policy when cancelling for extenuating circumstances. The Appeal for Refund Process details the process. The information contained in this Cancellation Policy supersedes any verbal or other written information that anyone may receive regarding this policy. This policy is subject to any applicable refund policies of non-University of Minnesota host institutions.

Appeal the Cancellation Policy

Students have the option to appeal the Academic Center for Enrichment’s Cancellation Policy when canceling from a program for extenuating circumstances. What are considered "extenuating circumstances" when canceling from a program?

Extenuating circumstances are defined as:

• Medical: Can be physical, mental, emotional, etc. and require documentation from attending physician and completion of the Medical Refund Form.
• Illness/Death in the Immediate Family: Family medical emergency (surgery, long-term illness diagnosed) which requires documentation from attending physician and completion of the Medical Refund Form. Death of an immediate family member—parents, guardians, siblings, children, spouses, registered domestic partners—does not include grandparents and requires appropriate documentation.
• Academic: Unforeseen academic change and requires appropriate documentation.
• Military Activation: Requires a copy of the military activation orders showing dates that conflict with the program dates.
• Unanticipated Change in Financial Situation: Financial emergency (does not include "did not understand what I was financially accountable for when paying the deposit" as the budget estimate sheet is available at the time of application, "not eligible for financial aid" as students can work with financial aid office prior to confirmation on a program to determine if eligible for financial aid, OR "did not receive a scholarship I was counting on" unless the scholarship was awarded but not received) which requires appropriate documentation.
• Other: Includes legal situations (delay or denial of issuance of visa which is out of control of individual etc.) which requires documentation of situation, process, and timeline.

Students sign a Release and Waiver when confirming to a program which includes a statement that they have read and understand the Cancellation & Refund Policy.

Procedure

Students (not the parents) must complete the Appeal for Refund Process and submit to the Learning Abroad Center Finance Director within a month of the cancellation date:

1. The Appeal for Refund Form
2. . A Personal Statement explaining the reason for the appeal
   1. medical—include details on the illness, when it started, treatment and support you received pre-departure (did you disclose on your LAC health form?), onsite and upon return
   2. Illness/Death in the family
   3. Academic
   4. Military Activation
3. Additional documentation to support the appeal
   1. medical—the Refund Appeal Medical Supplement
   2. Illness/Death in the immediate family—Letter from attending physician or documentation of death. etc.

The Appeal Committee meets monthly (usually at the end of the month) and reviews each case individually and makes every effort to be fair and equitable in determining the amount of non recoverable costs in addition to the $500 non-recoverable deposit the student is responsible for. Students are notified by email within one week after the committee meeting. 

Important Notes

The Academic Center for Enrichment’s Cancellation & Refund Policy as well as extenuating circumstances are exclusive of the University of Minnesota policy and also that of the program providers' (e.g. Exchange Partners, ISA, LAC, etc.). 

Program providers have the right not to accept the cancellation refund appeal request made by the student and will bill the U of M for any non-recoverable costs on behalf of the student. The Learning Abroad Center will in turn bill the student in the student finance system for the amount due and in most cases will not be able to reduce the non-recoverable costs to a lesser amount.