Refund and withdrawal policy
A non-refundable application fee of $100 and a program deposit of $200 are required to submit an application for off-campus study, whether it's a domestic or international program. The fee and deposit, totaling $300, are collected in the online application through one payment transaction and can be made using credit or debit.
To pay the $300 via cash or check, students will need to hand deliver the money to the business office, located on the second floor of Sorensen Hall. Once the payment has been processed students will receive a notification that their application has been received.
A refund of the $200 deposit will be given to any student accepted into a program who then withdraws prior to the refund guarantee deadline.
Application and refund guarantee dates
Programs running July 2023-June 2024
- Fall semester and January term programs: Refund guarantee Sept. 30, 2023
- Spring semester and June programs: Refund guarantee Nov. 30, 2023
- Summer language programs: Refund guarantee March 31, 2024
Programs running July 2024-June 2025
- Fall semester and January term programs: Refund guarantee Sept. 30, 2024
- Spring semester and June programs: Refund guarantee Nov. 30, 2024
- Summer language programs: Refund guarantee March 31, 2025
After the refund guarantee date, any payments that are made on behalf of students, like airfare or other program expenses, will not be refundable. This is especially relevant to group programs led by Augustana faculty.
If a student withdraws after the refund guarantee date, a refund of prepaid monies MAY be allowed if another student from the alternate list for the said program takes the withdrawing student's spot in the program. This applies to Faculty-Led programs only.
In the event that a student withdraws from the program after the refund guarantee date (and the nonrefundable charges are greater than the initial $200 deposit or any subsequent payments), the student will be billed for the total of nonrefundable charges and shared costs. Failure to make these payments after a program withdrawal can lead to an administrative block on college functions such as registration until such time as the debt is paid to Augustana College. There is no change to this policy as a program nears its departure date or as later payment dates pass, except that the charges deemed to be nonrefundable are likely to increase as a program nears its departure date.
Students who are removed from a program prior to departure by Augustana College due either to a change in their academic eligibility or in response to a disciplinary concern are treated as any other withdrawal and these students are responsible for all program fees or charges as outlined above. This includes any student whose cumulative GPA drops below minimum program requirements, students who are placed on probation or suspension due to honor code violations or who are deemed unfit to travel by the dean of students office due to drug, alcohol, Title IX, or other disciplinary violations of the Code of Conduct.
Students who are forced to withdraw from a program prior to departure but after the refund guarantee deadline due to a medical or mental health emergency or at the recommendation of a physician or mental health professional may obtain a full refund of all charges, minus the initial $300 deposit, but are required to provide an affidavit or letter of endorsement from their physician or mental care professional, attesting to their professional recommendation that the student not travel. Failure to provide this statement of support for the withdrawal on medical or mental health grounds at the time of withdrawal will result in students being charged all nonrefundable and shared costs.
In the event that a student must end participation in the program due to medical or mental health concerns at some time during the program itself, the college would retain an amount to cover the non-refundable costs already expended on behalf of that student as well as the student’s portion of the fixed costs. Students who elect to terminate their participation in a program for reasons other than mental or physical health concerns, as well as those who are removed from a program for disciplinary reasons, will receive no refund of charged program expenses and will be charged any additional costs associated with their adjusted itinerary and early return to the United States.
How to withdraw
If a student chooses to withdraw from this program, the student must send an email message to the International and Off-Campus Programs office (IOP) at internationalprograms@augustana.edu. A copy of this withdrawal notification should be provided to the faculty director of the program in those cases when the program is a faculty-led January, June, or summer program. The withdrawal date will be considered the date when this email withdrawal request is received. Upon receipt of the withdrawal notice, the director of IOP will contact the business office to authorize the appropriate refund.