Financial Aid Credit Balances
When financial aid is disbursed to a student’s account, it is applied to the student’s account balance. If there is a credit remaining after all tuition and fees are paid, the student’s account is reviewed to determine if the credit should be refunded to the student. If it is determined that the credit should be refunded, the refund process will begin and “Student Refund” will show on the account, making the balance $0. This usually occurs 3-5 business days after the aid is placed on the student’s account.
IMPORTANT: As refunds are often the result of overpayment due to financial aid, in the event that a student withdraws or reduces their enrolled hours, their financial aid award may also be reduced, creating a balance owed to the University.
Student refunds are issued beginning the first week of classes each semester.
Students with financial aid expecting to receive a refund must complete the Financial Aid Disbursement Authorization Form in OnePort. Financial Aid Authorizations is listed under the menu on the left under Financial Aid and Payments. If the form cannot be located in OnePort, you may download the paper form here and submit it to our office.
Refunds can be delivered two different ways:
- Enroll in Direct Deposit eRefunds in OnePort. View the eRefund Direct Deposit Instructions here. This is the preferred, faster method.
- If you don’t enroll in direct deposit, your refund check will be sent to your mailing address on file. Ensure your mailing address is correct in OnePort.
- If you would like your refund check sent to a different mailing address, please complete the Refund Request Form online.
Credit Balances Due to Overpayment
If a student account has a credit balance that is not the result of financial aid, the student must request a refund if one is desired. Otherwise, the credit balance will remain on the student’s account and be applied to future charges. Students may request a refund by completing the Refund Request Form online.
Payments made by credit/debit cards will be refunded back to the applicable card.
Parent PLUS Loan Refunds
All credit balances due to a Parent PLUS Loan will be refunded to the PLUS Loan borrower unless they indicate on the PLUS loan application that the funds should be issued to the student. Any credit to a student’s account with a Parent Plus Loan will be viewed as resulting from the Parent Plus Loan and refunded as indicated on the PLUS loan application. Please be advised that if the credit is to be refunded to the PLUS Loan borrower, it typically takes two weeks from the first day of classes (or disbursement date if funds posted after classes start) for the check to be mailed.
If the PLUS Loan borrower would prefer that we issue the refund to the student, they can send an email to studentaccounts@unca.edu from the email on the PLUS application indicating they would like us to make that change.