Admissions & Aid

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If you have a credit on your student account, you may request to have it applied toward future term charges by emailing studentaccounts@drew.edu, or you may request a refund by visiting TreeHouse > Student tab > My Account > Request a Refund. Requests can be submitted anytime there is a credit on the account, and refunds are processed on a weekly basis beginning approximately one week after the close of add/drop each term.* Refunds are issued based on the actual credit available in your student account after any pending financial aid is disbursed, and will not be issued for accounts with an active payment plan(s).

Please review “How Will I Receive My Refund?” below for details regarding how funds are disbursed, and instructions to set-up your refund preference in the Nelnet Student Account Center. Additionally, detailed information regarding our refunding process can be found below, and please feel free to contact us with any additional questions.

*For exceptions related to the availability of refunds prior to the close of add/drop, please e-mail requests to StudentAccounts@drew.edu. Restrictions apply, and all exceptions are evaluated on a case by case basis. Feel free to contact us with any additional questions.

Note: Refunds of International Payments made via Flywire or PayMyTuition will be processed via the original payment platform.

Q&As

HOW WILL I RECEIVE MY REFUND?

Student refunds are processed either as Direct Deposit to the student’s bank account, or as a paper check sent via US Postal Service, and are processed by Nelnet Business Solutions on Drew’s behalf. To select a Refund Preference, students should visit the Nelnet Student Account Center and select the option to “Manage Refunds” from the dashboard (TreeHouse > Student tab > My Account > Nelnet Student Account Center).

No.  Student refunds are no longer provided by paper check.  Logging into the Refund Portal (drewchoice.afford.com) and selecting the Direct Deposit option will make your funds available to you the quickest.
Student refunds can only be paid to the student.
Settled credit account balance means that there are no more PENDING financial aid items or future credits expected that are creating the credit on the account balance.  No refunds are processed for a credit account balance that is created by pending financial aid (not yet received) or credits created by future payments on an active payment plan (potential credit).
During the add/drop period, students can make changes in their schedule which can also impact your eligibility for the financial aid awards you’ve been given (Scholarship, Grants, Loans).  Once add/drop closes, Financial Aid will conduct a reconciliation of awards during the week following add/drop.  This is when they will make any required changes to your aid awards based on your finalized enrollment.  Financial Aid may have to make changes even after the reconciliation as it depends on outside award sources (Federal/State verification processes), but add/drop closure is the first point at which we can make a reasonable determination of your account credit.
Students who need consideration for an early disbursement of their credit balance to pay for school related expenses outside of their Drew account can submit their request by sending an email to studentaccounts@drew.edu.  Please provide detailed information about those expenses and when they need to be paid.  Each request will be reviewed and every effort will be made to accommodate your request.  It is important to note that if changes occur to your account that create a balance due after an early refund disbursement has been issued, that balance is due immediately.
If/when Title IV Federal Funding is greater than institutional charges, a Title IV credit balance will occur in which the University is obligated to process a refund to the student for these excess funds. Students will be notified via email when this occurs. More information can be found on our Title IV FAQ Summary Sheet

Student Refund Standards

Drew University participates with Nelnet to provide students their credit refunds.  This was done to meet Federal Regulation as it relates to Student Refunding as required by the Federal Department of Education.

Additionally, as required, we are providing a copy of Drew’s Student Refund Contract with Nelnet for you to read.