Refund Policy for Tuition Accounts

Nelnet Campus Commerce is the processor for student and parent refunds. Students must activate their refund account on the Nelnet system by following these steps:

• Log into Leopardweb - https://leopardweb.wit.edu
• Click on the "Student" tab
• Click on "Manage Your Refund Preferences"
• You will be directed to the Nelnet site where you can complete your profile and sign up for direct deposit

The Student Accounts Office recommends students update their refund preference to direct deposit to avoid lost or stolen checks. We also encourage students to add a second personal email address in addition to the Wentworth email address when setting up their refund accounts. This will enable students to access refunds after graduating or withdrawing from the institute.

Issuing and Reissuing Credit Balance Refunds

Due to costs associated with producing paper refund checks, we strongly encourage students to enroll in direct deposit.  Direct deposit ensures students receive their refund of a credit balance in a safe, and timely manner.  Paper refund checks can be lost in the mail, misplaced and/or stale dated if not cashed in a timely manner.  

Credit balances from uncashed paper refund checks will be returned to the appropriate federal financial aid program fund if the refund is from federal aid and required to be returned or sent to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Unclaimed Property.  

Financial Aid Disbursement and Refunding Timeline

Please note that financial aid will be calculated based on your enrollment as of the Financial Aid Census Date. To ensure your aid is processed as you expect, it is important to finalize your course schedule before the financial aid census date.  If you have dropped or withdrawn from a course and need to swap in another course, that must be processed prior to the financial aid census date for it to be included in your enrollment.  More information is available at Financial Aid Eligibility.

For most students, credit balances occur after all federal, state and/or institutional financial aid has disbursed, approximately fifteen business days after the end of add/drop for each semester.  If a student plans to use financial aid to pay for book, supplies or living expenses, they should budget appropriately to cover those costs out of pocket before being reimbursed by a refund of their financial aid.

Refunds are processed within fourteen days from the date the credit balance appears on a student's E-Bill after the add/drop period ends for each semester if all necessary financial aid requirements have been completed. The dates below are approximate and subject to change.

Student EBill credit balances are processed in the following order:

• If a credit balance is a result of a credit card payment made within the past 90 days, the refund will be issued back to the card on file. If the credit card cannot be refunded, a refund will be issued to the student based on the payment method they select for their refund account
• If a credit balance is a result of federal Stafford loans, alternative loans and/or grants, the refund will be issued to the student based on the payment method they select for their refund account
• If a credit balance is the result of a federal Direct Parent PLUS loan, the refund will typically be issued to the student based on the payment method they select for their refund account
• If a credit balance is a result of payment plan payments, the refund will be issued to the student based on the payment method they select for their refund account. Any credit balances that result from over-payment of a payment plan may not be refunded until the plan is completed and/or withdrawn
• If a credit balance is a result of 529 College Savings plan over payments, the refund will be issued to the student based on the payment method they select for their refund account
• If a credit balance is a result of payments made by, or loans in the name of parents who are separated or divorced, Wentworth will refund to the student based on the payment method they select for their refund account

Wire Payments and Credit Balances

Wentworth accepts wire payments via Flywire as one of the E-Bill payment methods . Please wire the exact amount due on the student's E-Bill. Wire payments that exceed the amount owed on the student's E-Bill will be refunded via Flywire.

PLUS Loans

Federal Parent PLUS loans will be applied to students' tuition and fees first, followed by other financial aid funds. For most Parent PLUS loan borrowers, this change will result in excess funds being refunded to students rather than to borrowers.

If the student has a Parent PLUS Loan applied to their account as payment and the parent borrower elects to receive a refund to themselves and not to the student, the parent PLUS loan (regardless of the date of disbursement) will be used to cover all eligible institutional charges (tuition, technology fee, housing and dining) per 34 CFR 668.164. Any remaining credit will then be refunded to the borrower.  

Please see the examples below:

Example #1

Ruggles has $5,000.00 of institutional charges posted on their student account.  Ruggles’s receives $3,000.00 of financial aid funds including loans, scholarships and grants. Ruggles’s aid is applied towards the $5,000 in charges leaving a $2,000 balance.  Ruggles’s Parent applies for and is approved for $5,500.00 in PLUS loan funds and elects for any refund from this loan to be sent directly to themselves.  

In this scenario, assuming no other charges exist, Ruggles’s $5,500.00 would be applied to the $5,000.00 in charges and would result in a $500.00 refund to Ruggles’s Parent. Ruggles’s aid of $3,000.00 (assuming no other charges exist) would then be refunded to Ruggles.      

Example #2

Leopard has $4,500.00 of institutional charges posted on their student account. Leopard receives $3,000 of aid including loans, scholarships, and grants. Leopard’s aid is applied towards the $4,500.00 of institutional charges leaving a $1,500.00 student account balance.

Leopard’s Parent applies for and is approved for a $1,000.00 Parent PLUS loan. The $1,000.00 Parent PLUS loan would be applied to the $4,500.00 of institutional charges first, then the $3,000.00 of student aid would be applied towards the remaining institutional charges, leaving a $500.00 balance owed on the student account.

Example #3

Williston has $6,000.00 of institutional charges posted on their student account.  Williston is awarded $5,000.00 in scholarships, grants, and/or student loans credited to Williston’s student account, leaving a $1,000.00 balance.  

Williston’s Parent then completes the Parent PLUS application and/or loan requirements for a Parent PLUS Loan of $5,000.00 and requests the refund be sent to them.   The Parent PLUS loan is approved and disbursed to Williston’s student account. The Student Accounts Office then processes refunds of credit balances.  Williston’s Parent’s loan will cover the $5,000.00 of institutional charges and results in no refund for the Parent PLUS loan.   The Student Accounts Office then refunds $4,000.00 to Williston.