Policies
Account Responsibility
Wake Forest Students are financially responsible for making payment to the University. Failure to receive a statement does not warrant exemption from the payment of tuition and fees or from penalties and restrictions.
Failure to pay balances due on a student account may result in a financial hold. This hold will prevent registration, change of registration and processing of official transcripts. This hold does not prevent transmission of grades.
Students who have not pre-registered for courses will be required to make payment for tuition, fees, required deposits and any past-due balance at the time of registration.
All Wake Forest students are assigned a WFU Google Mail account. That e-mail account is used by Student Financial Services to communicate financial information to the student such as hold notifications. It’s the student’s responsibility to forward those emails to the appropriate parties.
Credit Balances & Refunds
Financial Aid
Financial Aid awards are applied to student accounts as follows:
| Type of Financial Aid | How Applied |
| Outside Scholarships | Evenly between fall and spring semesters, unless otherwise instructed by benefactor. |
| Denmark, Hutchins, Wallace and DB Bryan | After a promissory note has been signed. |
| Federal Direct Loans | Upon receipt of the funds. |
Please click here for more information regarding financial aid.
Past Due Accounts
A student with past-due balances cannot:
- change a current semester registration
- register for future semesters
- receive an official transcript of academic record- Please contact SFS for assistance.
- have academic credits certified
- receive a diploma upon graduation
In addition, a student with a past-due balance may be subject to cancellation from classes. WFU reserves the right to place unpaid student accounts with an outside collection agency until the balance is satisfied.
Tuition Concession
University employees and their families who enroll as students and use the tuition concession benefit offered through Human Resources are required to meet Wake Forest payment deadlines and follow all policies and procedures.
Returned Checks/Rejected Payments
All returned checks and rejected eCheck payments will be assessed a $25 fee. Student Financial Services will notify students/authorized payers of returned or rejected payments as follows:
Returned Checks: A letter will be mailed to the student’s primary address on file or an email will be sent to the student’s Wake Forest email address.
Rejected eCheck Payments: An email will be sent to the student and authorized payer email addresses as specified in DEAC.
If an account indicates a history of returned checks, the University may require future payments by cash, money order or certified check.
* This policy is not applicable to the monthly payment plan. *
Refund of Charges Policy
A student who officially withdraws or is granted continuous enrollment status during a semester may be entitled to a refund of tuition, housing, and dining charges depending on the student’s date of withdrawal, date of continuous enrollment status, and/or the last day residing in University housing. A withdrawal, official or otherwise, or grant of continuous enrollment status also affects financial aid eligibility, as outlined in the Federal Return of Title IV Program Funds Policy and the Return of Non- Title IV Program Funds Policy. A student using scholarships, grants, or loans to pay educational expenses, whose account was paid-in-full prior to withdrawal or grant of continuous enrollment status, is likely to owe the University after withdrawal or grant of continuous enrollment status. Procedures for such changes of status are coordinated by the Office of Academic Advising.
Tuition and Fees
Tuition refunds are based on the date of official withdrawal or the
effective date of continuous enrollment status. Please refer to the official “Schedule of Refunds for Withdrawal or Continuous Enrollment” for the respective semester of enrollment. Refunds will be reduced by the amount of any outstanding charges on a student’s account. If refunded charges leave a credit balance on the student account, the student is responsible for completing an online student refund request or the credit balance will remain on the student account and will be applied for future semesters. If the credit is a direct result of Title IV aid, the credit is automatically refunded to the student.
There are no refunds for mandatory fees after the first class day in a semester as reflected in the academic calendar.
Vehicle registration fees will not be refunded unless the issued permit is returned to Transportation and Parking Services before the first day of class. Students graduating or studying abroad for spring semester may receive a prorated refund of the vehicle registration fee by returning the issued permits to the Transportation and Parking Services office.
For students studying abroad, the WFU Participation and Withdrawal Policy for Study Abroad/Away applies to both Wake Forest sponsored and Affiliate programs.
Schedule of Refunds for Withdrawal or Continuous Enrollment (Undergraduate, Divinity, Graduate, Law & School of Business)
Fall & Spring Semesters
| Official Date | Tuition Refunded |
|---|---|
| Before semester begins | 100% tuition, less deposit |
| First week of semester | 85% |
| Second week of semester | 75% |
| Third week of semester | 50% |
| Fourth week of semester | 30% |
| Fifth week of semester | 20% |
| After fifth week of semester | 0% |
Summer Sessions I & II (6 week sessions)
| Official Date | Tuition Refunded |
|---|---|
| First three days of session | 100% tuition, less deposit |
| Fourth day of session | 75% |
| Fifth day of session | 50% |
| Sixth day of session | 25% |
| After sixth day of session | 0% |
Full Summer Session (12 week session)
| Official Date | Tuition Refunded |
|---|---|
| First five days of session | 100% tuition, less deposit |
| Sixth – Ninth day of session | 75% |
| Tenth – Twelfth day of session | 50% |
| Thirteenth – Fifteenth day of session | 25% |
| After fifteenth day of session | 0% |
Students are responsible for officially dropping courses to be eligible for a refund. Nonpayment for classes for which a student is registered or non-attendance in a registered class does not release the student from financial obligations and will not drop the student from the class. Student Financial Services calculates the refund of charges and will apply the amount of tuition refunded in the applicable refund schedule listed above. Student Financial Services has available an example of the application of the University Refund of Charges Policy. If charges originally paid by financial aid funds are no longer covered after financial aid funds are returned to the respective programs, the student is responsible for the remaining balance.
Housing and Dining
Housing and dining refunds for the fall and spring semesters are based on the student’s official check-out date from University housing and are calculated based on the official “Schedule of Refunds for Withdrawal or Continuous Enrollment” for the applicable semester. Students with dining plans who do not reside in University housing will receive a refund of dining charges based on the date of official withdrawal or the effective date of the continuous enrollment status. Dining refunds are only applicable to dining charges billed to the student account. If a student’s dining plan balance is less than the eligible calculated refund then the lesser of the two amounts will be refunded. For the summer sessions, refunds of charges under the Housing and Dining Agreements will only be available if a request for cancellation is received by Residence Life & Housing prior to the first day of classes. Once classes begin, no refunds will be made for housing and dining charges.
Conduct or Honor Code Violations
Tuition, fees, housing, dining and all other charges will not be refunded when a student is suspended or expelled from the University as a result of a conduct or honor code violation. Similarly, housing charges will not be refunded when a student is suspended or expelled from University housing. Return of Title IV funds are handled in accordance with federal law.
*Refunds will be reduced by the amount of any outstanding charges on a student’s account.
IMPORTANT: A withdrawal/course drop may affect financial aid eligibility.
A student using scholarships, grants, or loans to help pay educational expenses, whose account was paid-in-full prior to withdrawal, is likely to owe the University after withdrawal. Return of Title IV funds are handled in accordance with federal law.
Students should consult Student Financial Aid for more information.
Course Drop/Withdrawal Procedures
Undergraduate students should contact the Registrar for course drop information or the Office of Academic Advising at 336.758.3320 for withdrawal procedures. An undergraduate student may not register for part-time status (fewer than 12 hours in a semester) without specific permission of the appropriate dean prior to the last day to add a course and is subject to the tuition refund schedule.
Graduate and professional students should refer to their school’s bulletin or website.
Online Counseling Programs
Online Counseling Programs are refunded according to the Online Counseling Program Refund Schedule.
University Disruption Refund Policy
Circumstances may arise during a semester that cause significant
disruptions to University operations and result in the University closing the campus. These circumstances include, without limitation, extreme weather, fire, natural disaster, war, labor disturbances, loss of utilities, riots or civil commotions, epidemic, pandemic, public health crisis, power of government, or any other circumstance like or unlike any circumstance mentioned above, which is beyond the reasonable control or authority of the University.
In the event of a significant disruption to University operations either:
- During a semester that results in the University closing campus for
the remainder of the semester; - At the beginning of a semester that delays or prevents the University
opening campus; or - During a semester that results in the University closing campus
temporarily during the semester
The University will issue refunds for housing and dining charges and wellness and parking fees to students where applicable and according to the refund schedule below. There will be no refunds for tuition or Deacon Health, Student Activity, or any other fees paid by or on behalf of students. Refunds (if applicable) will be calculated at the end of the semester.
This policy applies to significant disruptions where the University closes campus. It does not apply where students officially withdraw from the University or are officially granted continuous enrollment status during a semester. Refunds, if any, in those circumstances are governed by the University’s Refund of Charges Policy.
Circumstances may arise during a semester/term that cause significant disruptions to study abroad/away program operations. The Study Abroad/Away Disruption Refund Policy outlines the applicable refunds and the associated refund schedule.
| Number of Whole or Partial (Sunday-Saturday) Weeks When Campus is Open | Refund Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 | 100% |
| 1 | 85% |
| 2 | 78% |
| 3 | 71% |
| 4 | 64% |
| 5 | 57% |
| 6 | 50% |
| 7 | 43% |
| 8 | 36% |
| 9 | 29% |
| 10 | 22% |
| 11 | 15% |
| 12 | 10% |
| 13 | No Refund |
| 14 | No Refund |
| 15 | No Refund |
| 16 | No Refund |
| Number of Whole or Partial (Sunday-Saturday) Weeks When Campus is Open | Refund Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 | 100% |
| 1 | 75% |
| 2 | 50% |
| 3 | 25% |
| 4 | No Refund |
| 5 | No Refund |
| 6 | No Refund |
| Number of Whole or Partial (Sunday-Saturday) Weeks When Campus is Open | Refund Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 | 100% |
| 1 | 85% |
| 2 | 75% |
| 3 | 65% |
| 4 | 55% |
| 5 | 45% |
| 6 | 35% |
| 7 | 25% |
| 8 | 15% |
| 9 | No Refund |
| 10 | No Refund |
| 11 | No Refund |
| 12 | No Refund |
Prepaid Health Care Debit Cards
Wake Forest does not accept prepaid health care debit cards as a method of payment for Deacon Health charges. Students/parents should request that their medical prepaid plan provider issue a check made payable to Wake Forest University for the charges. The check should include the Student ID Number.
Employer and Company Tuition Payments and Reimbursements
Students attending professional or graduate programs offered by the Wake Forest School of Business or the Graduate Schools must abide by the official Wake Forest University tuition due dates schedule listed below. If a student’s employer is reimbursing or paying for their educational expenses and that reimbursement falls after the due date, the student must contact their school’s Office of Financial Aid for information regarding a student loan or other means to cover expenses for the first semester of enrollment until they can receive reimbursement from their employer. Failure to have balances paid by the tuition due date may result in an account hold or class cancellation.