Refunding
Refunds can be requested if you have an overall credit balance on your account. Credit amounts are displayed within brackets.
You can submit a refund request each time a credit is available on your account. Refunds are student-driven and not automatic.
Refund Process Dates
Processing timelines of submitted requests are approximately 2-4 weeks, factoring additional time during high volume and peak periods.
Refunds for credits received in a particular term will not be processed until after the last day to add courses for that term:
- Sept. 20, 2023 (fall 2023 term)
- Jan. 19, 2024 (winter 2024 term)
- May 17, 2024 (spring/summer 2024 term)
Disclaimer: To avoid delays, prior to submitting a refund request, please ensure that you have reviewed and understand all information regarding refunds and steps as provided below. Refund delays resulting from errors due to missed information/steps as provided below will not result in expedited processing.
Request a Refund
Before you begin:
- Make sure you have access to your MyLaurier email account because all email money transfer (EMT) notifications are sent to this account only.
- Make sure you review and understand all information regarding refunds and steps as provided below. Refund delays resulting from errors due to missed information/steps will not result in expedited processing.
To submit a refund request:
- Log in to LORIS.
- Select the Student Services tab.
- Select Request a Refund.
Refund Request Eligibility
Requests can only be submitted for the full credit available on LORIS (Student Services > Student Account Summary > Account Summary by Term).
Your overall credit availability is determined at the time Laurier reviews the refund request.
- If your credit available is lower than what you originally asked for (due to new fees/charges being applied), only the remaining credit balance will be refunded to you.
- If your credit available is more than what you originally asked for (due to new payments/awards applied or recent adjustments, etc.), only the full amount you requested will be refunded to you. You must submit a new refund request for any new credit once your first request has been completed.
- If new fees have been applied at the time the refund is reviewed and there is no longer a credit available, the refund will be cancelled.
For questions regarding your refund request, please email studentrefunds@wlu.ca.
Refund Information Details
Outstanding Fines and Fees
Outstanding parking fines will be applied to available credit prior to the processing of a refund.
Other fees owing to campus area cannot be paid through available student account credit. You must make payment arrangements with the appropriate departments directly. For example: library fines, housing damages/cleaning fees, Wellness Centre fees, etc.
Overpayments
Payments submitted to student financial accounts are expected for the sole purpose of tuition and fees resulting from registration. While overpayments (payments submitted over and above what the student account is owing or over and above what the student has been invoiced for) can be made to the student account, they are expected to remain on the student financial account in order to be applied to current tuition and fees, and if additional overpayment exists, to be applied to future fees and/or future term fees.
Refunds for credits resulting from overpayments are not eligible for standard refunding unless the student is no longer returning for future terms.
Errors or Credits from Payments Made to Unbilled Accounts
Payment errors or credits from payments made to unbilled accounts where fees were not owing due to no course registrations cannot be returned via the refund process.
To fix this error:
- Have individual who submitted payment contact their bank directly to have a 'return of funds' request submitted due to the payment error.
- Return of funds request can be sent to Financial Resources Office via email to Julie Steckel (jsteckel@wlu.ca) or faxed to 519.884.7615.
If you are an OSAP recipient, we check first to see if your refund is due to a change in enrolment.
If so, your OSAP application will be updated, and there is potential that the change can lead to an overpayment, in which case, your refund (or a portion of it) must be returned to the National Student Loan Service Centre to be applied against your current loans.
EMT notifications will go to @mylaurier.ca addresses only and EMT is our default refund method.
EMT Refund Process
When a standard EMT refund has been processed for a student and their refund status is completed, you can expect to receive your Interac email notification within 24 hours.
- You can then accept the transfer and deposit your refund into their account.
If your refund status states "completed" in LORIS and you have not received your email notification within 24 hours, contact studentrefunds@wlu.ca.
Time Limit to Deposit Your EMT
You have 30 days to deposit your EMT refund before their interac transfer will expire.
You will receive five email reminders to complete their deposit: one email every six days.
If the Interac transfer expires, the funds will be returned to Laurier and the credit will be placed back onto the your student account and you must complete a new refund request.
Password Attempts
You will have three password attempts to complete your EMT deposit.
If you fail to complete your deposit due to too many failed password attempts:
- the funds will be returned to Laurier,
- the credit will be placed back onto your student account, and
- you must complete a new refund request.
Auto-Deposit
If you have Interac auto-deposit set up with your address for your financial institution, you will not need to enter your password. The funds will automatically be deposited into your default bank account.
EMT Maximum
EMT maximum per day limit is $10,000.- If your approved refund is more than $10,000, it will be sent to you in two separate e-transfers (For example: Refund approved for $15,000, you will recieve one EMT of $10,000 and a second EMT of $5,000).
- You can only accept an EMT refund of up to $10,000 within a 24 hour period. If you are receiving more than $10,000 you must wait 24 hours before accepting your second e-transfer.
If you are an international student and your tuition and fees were paid by international bank wire, CIBC student pay, or credit card, your credit is required to remain on your student financial account for the next term or be returned to either the credit card that was used for payment or the originating country that the bank wire payment was made.
Important Notice: International students making payments the university above the outstanding balance (or where no balance owing exists) may not be eligible for refunds. Credit balance will remain on the student account and contribute to future term fees.
If you do not have a MyLaurier account (e.g., staff or visiting scholars), email studentrefunds@wlu.ca and we can support you with your refund request.
If you are dropping from 2.5 credits to 2.0 credits (typically five down to four courses) within the 55% penalty range, you will not receive a tuition adjustment on your account.
This is because 55% of a course cost plus the cost of the courses you are still registered is greater than the amount that you were actually charged, due to the tuition cap.
Accounts with a credit balance on LORIS (displayed within parentheses), where fees have not been assessed for a minimum of two consecutive years, will be considered “inactive”, and subject to review by Student Accounts.
If you have recently received an email notification from studentrefunds@wlu.ca, please follow the instructions provided within that email to receive your credit.
Seeing a “Credit Recovery” on your student account summary on LORIS?
Students with zero credit, who have this adjustment, should reach out to studentrefunds@wlu.ca to discuss their questions or concerns.