Student Refund Policy

Refund Policy

See our frequently asked questions about the timing and process for refunds. 

If there is an overpayment on your account, we will process the refund as quickly as possible, provided the funds have cleared. Because a final assessment of your account balance cannot be determined until your schedule is finalized at the end of add/drop, we cannot issue any refunds during the first two weeks of classes unless upon request after fully withdrawing from the semester.

We will begin issuing refunds for a credit balance two weeks after the add/drop period has ended for students. It is therefore in your best interest to pay only the exact amount due on your account. In addition, we will only be able to process your refund if the credit balance is the result of actual (not anticipated) funds and all checks have had 10 days to clear. We will then continue to issue refunds one day per week for those students who have become eligible. You may confirm whether you qualify for a refund check by visiting my.berklee.edu and clicking “View My Statement” under the “Financial Information” section.

Depending on the circumstances of your overpayment, you should be aware of the following details affecting your refund:

We encourage all students to fill out direct deposit information by going to my.berklee.edu and clicking on “Direct Deposit Account” under “Financial Information.” For all students that do not elect the direct deposit option, checks will be mailed to the preferred address on file, whether it is a domestic or international address. Refunds will be issued beginning two weeks after the add/drop period for students has ended.

• If the payment causing a credit balance was made by check, cash, or Flywire transfer, the refund will be in issued in the student’s name. 
• If the last payment on your student account was made by credit card, your refund will be issued back to the card used if the refund is processed within 90 days of the initial payment. After 90 days, please expect the refund in the form of a check issued in the student’s name. 
• If your statement includes anticipated Federal PELL Grants, Federal SEOG, Federal Perkins Loans, or other Federal Direct Loans, and this results in a credit balance on your account, your refund cannot be processed until you formally check-in and sign the required documents in accordance with federal regulations, and the funds represented by these awards are obtained by Berklee from the federal government.
• Refunds from Plus Loans will be issued to the initial borrower or student depending on what is stated on the Plus Loan application. If the Plus Loan application states that any overage should go to the borrower, a check will be issued to the borrower. If the Plus Loan application states any overage should go to the student, a check or direct deposit will be issued to the student. Please note we do not have the ability for Plus Loan borrowers to receive direct deposit refunds at this time.
• If you are receiving a private loan or financial aid from any state, local, or private agency, any resulting refund will be made only after Berklee receives the funds. Theses refunds will not be released any earlier than two weeks after the add/drop period ends, regardless of whether funds are received before this date. It is important to remember that students should plan to arrive on campus with sufficient funds to cover indirect costs such as off-campus housing, books, supplies, etc.
• If you are receiving financial aid and attending at less than full-time status, your refund may take an additional week to process.
• If you are fully withdrawing before the start of the semester, have been de-registered, and paid out of pocket, you may contact One Stop Student Services at onestop@berklee.edu to request your refund be issued before our automatic process begins two weeks after the add/drop period has ended for students. If you later wish to re-enroll, you would have to re-pay any balance owed to the school.

Please realize that the first money received by Berklee is the money that is applied toward your tuition and fees. If there is any balance on your account, whether for the past, current, or future term, your credit may be applied to resolve this. Therefore, if you have taken out a loan for living expenses and it arrives at Berklee before other financial aid funds are received, the loan will be applied to your tuition expenses. Overpayments or refunds only occur after your tuition and fees have been paid. If you are enrolled in Nelnet and overbudgeted on your Nelnet account, we may adjust your budget down or end your plan early to prevent overpayment after the departmental add/drop week of the semester ends.

Reissued Refunds

Any student who does not receive a check due to an incorrect or foreign address will be required to wait at least two weeks (possibly longer depending on the address state) before another check will be issued. Due to the volume of lost checks, we highly recommend that students fill out the direct deposit form or verify that the preferred address on file in the Registrar’s Office is correct.

If your direct deposit information on file at the time we issue your refund is incorrect, you will receive an email notification indicating this. You must update your direct deposit information on my.berklee.edu, or a paper check will be sent to your preferred mailing address.

If the paper check is due to a Parent PLUS loan going back to the parent borrower, please contact the Office of Student Financial Services at financialaid@berklee.edu or 617-747-2274 to verify the correct address is on file.