Refund Policy
If circumstances require you to withdraw from enrollment during an academic quarter, you must file an official Leave of Absence request with the School of Medicine Registrar’s Office. For additional information, see Section 3.9: Leaves of Absence, Discontinuation and Reinstatement.
You may be able to receive a refund of tuition paid based on the number of days attended. For pre-clerkship students in required courses, the tuition refund is based on the day instruction begins for MS1 and MS2 students. Students who have their registrations canceled or are suspended from the University generally receive refunds on the same basis as those receiving leaves of absence unless otherwise specified. For additional information, see the University’s tuition refund policy.
Tuition Refund Schedule
Tuition is refunded on a per diem basis starting with the first day through the first 60 percent of the term each quarter. The per diem rates are available on the Stanford Student Services Tuition Refund Schedule. For pre-clerkship students in required courses, the tuition refund is based on the day instruction begins for MS1 and MS2 students.
The MED Financial Aid Office (MED FAO) will determine if a portion (if any) of your federal or institutional aid funds for the quarter you may be eligible to keep. For federal loan funds (Title IV), this determination is made using a standard calculation specified in the U.S. Department of Education’s regulations.
The portion of your Title IV aid you are entitled to receive is calculated on a percentage basis by comparing the total number of days in the quarter to the number of days you completed before you withdrew. For example, if you complete 30% of the quarter, you earn 30% of the assistance you were originally scheduled to receive. This means that 70% of your scheduled awards remain unearned and must be returned to the Department of Education. Once you have completed more than 60% of the quarter, you have earned all (100%) of your assistance. If you withdraw before completing 60% of the quarter, you may have to repay any unearned financial aid funds that were already disbursed to you. If you received excess funds based on this calculation, MED FAO must return a portion of the excess equal to the lesser of:
- The student’s institutional charges multiplied by the unearned percentage of funds, or
- The entire amount of the excess funds
If we determine that you must repay all or a portion of your federal aid funds, such funds will be due and payable immediately, and you will not be able to obtain future federal aid funds until your ineligible funds have been repaid.
For MD students receiving need-based institutional scholarship and loan (SU Grant and Loan), we use the R2T4 percentage to prorate the amount for the quarter. As an example, a student who withdraws after the 25th day of the quarter, assuming there are 50 days in the quarter, the following would apply:
|
100% of Aid Disbursed
|
Days Attended / Total Days in Term
|
Calculation
|
Amount Due
|
SU Grant
|
$30,000
|
25/50 = .50
|
.50 * $30,000 = $15,000
|
$15,000
|
SU Loan
|
$ 4,500
|
25/50 = .50
|
.50 * $4,500 = $2,250
|
$ 2,250
|
|
|
|
Total to be Repaid
|
$17,250
|
Room and Meal Plan Refunds:
Students assigned to a University residence are subject to the terms of the University Residence Agreement, and are required to live in University Housing for the full duration of their signed contract. The text of the University Residence Agreement is available at the Residence Agreement web site.
Room refunds are made only when students move out of the residence system and graduate from or cease to be enrolled at the University. Eligibility for refunds is listed in the Residence Agreement. Termination of Occupancy is filed in Axess. Filing a termination of occupancy form and moving out of Student Housing does not necessarily entitle a student to a refund. A meal plan refund is based on the date when a student moves out of University residence and is approved under conditions as specified in the Residence Agreement. If a student uses the meal plan after that date, an additional daily charge incurs.
Any decision to refund prepaid room and meal plan charges or to waive liability for deferred charges is made at the sole discretion of the University. Students with questions about refunds should contact Housing Assignments for room refunds or the central office of Stanford Dining for residential meal plan refunds.
Other Fees Refunds:
When a student withdraws all fees are still valid. Only a leave will remove the fees if the start of the leave is before the start of the term. However, some fees may be waived – see below and Tuition, Fees & Housing for further detail.
- ASSU: ASSU fees are assessed in Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters and can be waived subject to certain conditions*. Waivers can be requested during the first three weeks of each quarter. The window for requesting waivers begins on the first Monday of each quarter and remains open for three calendar weeks. Contact the ASSU for details. Waivers granted result in a credit to the student's University bill.
- Campus Health Services Fee: All students enrolled on the main Stanford campus are required to pay the Campus Health Service Fee. The Campus Health Service Fee covers most of the services provided by Vaden Health Center, including primary care medical visits, psychological evaluation and short-term therapy at Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), and health and wellness programs. The services provided by Vaden Health Center are not covered by Cardinal Care or a student's private health insurance. More information and answers to questions about the fee can be found at the Campus Health Service Fee web site.
- Cardinal Care Health Insurance Fee: The University requires all registered students to carry medical insurance to provide coverage for services not provided by Vaden Health Center. Those who carry medical insurance through an alternate carrier are generally eligible for a waiver of the Stanford Cardinal Care health insurance plan. Students are automatically enrolled in and charged for the Stanford student health insurance plan, Cardinal Care, unless they have completed waiver procedures by the waiver deadline. For complete information on health insurance, see the Vaden Health Center Insurance web site.
- Disability Insurance Fee: The School of Medicine assesses a $40 fee for Disability coverage; the fee is assessed in winter term and is not refundable.
- Document Fee: Stanford charges a one-time Document Fee to all students admitted to a new degree or non-degree program. The fee is paid once only, regardless of the number of degrees a student may ultimately pursue. It covers the cost of a variety of University administrative services such as enrollment and degree certification, course drops, and adds done in Axess before published deadlines, diplomas, and official transcripts and their production. The document fee for students admitted to a new degree or non-degree programs is $250 and is not refundable.
- Late Study List Fee: Charges are imposed for late submission of study lists. The amount is $200 and is not refundable.
- Account Balance Late Fees: Late fees as a result of past due account balances are generally not waived but may be considered under special circumstances.
