Your  Account:

Student Account Policies

Refund of Fees, Including Non-Resident Tuition

​It is the student's responsibility to become familiar with all deadlines, policies and procedures. Only the student dropping their own classes, online, prior to the first day of the term will eliminate owing a debt to the university.

​Refunds can be processed and received in the fastest manner by the student signing up for direct deposit (online, via Student Center).  Direct deposit refunds typically take 2-3 business days to appear in your bank account. 

In the absence of direct deposit, refund checks will be mailed to the address on file with the Office of Registration and Records. Mailed refund checks typically take 7-10 business days to arrive. Be sure your address is up-to-date in your Student Center to avoid delays. If payment was made by credit card, the refund will be applied to the credit card from which payment was made.

Refund for Withdrawal or Cancellation of Registration

Full refund: To receive a full refund of mandatory fees, including nonresident tuition, you must officially withdraw or otherwise cancel your registration or drop all courses prior to the first day of instruction for the term.  Students are not required to file a refund application. Refer to the course withdrawal policy and procedures for information about how to officially withdraw and/or cancel registration.

Students will also receive a full refund of mandatory fees, including nonresident tuition (no administrative refund fee is withheld) under the following circumstances:

  • The tuition and mandatory fees were assessed or collected in error
  • The course for which the tuition and mandatory fees were assessed or collected was canceled by the University
  • The University makes a delayed decision that the student was not eligible to enroll in the term for which the mandatory fees were assessed and collected and the delayed decision was not due to incomplete or inaccurate information provided by the student
  • The student was activated for compulsory military service

IMPORTANT: To receive a full refund you must drop all courses, online, prior to the first day of the term, or you will owe a debt to the University.

​Add/Drop deadline and tuition rates

Students who drop below the full-time tuition rate (6.1 units or greater) after the add/drop period do not have their tuition rate adjusted for the term, and therefore, not eligible for a refund. Students who receive permission to add classes after the add/drop period, and the added classes change the tuition rate from part-time to full-time, will be charged the full-time rate and be responsible for the difference. 

​Prorated Refund

Starting with the first day of the term, refunds for complete withdrawal or cancellation of registration will be prorated, based on the date of withdrawal and the percentage of the period of enrollment completed. It is not necessary to file an application for refund. Refunds typically commence after the add/drop period.

​If it is your intent to withdraw for the semester, it is important that you do so early. Failure to withdraw for an academic term prior to the first day of the term obligates the student to pay a portion of the mandatory fees including any tuition for the reservation of space in the course. You will receive a full refund only if you officially withdraw prior to the first day of the term.

​Prorated refunds will be processed for a student's complete withdrawal up to the 60% point of the term. A student who withdraws from the University after the 60% point in the academic period, or fails to officially withdraw from the campus shall not be entitled to any refund of tuition or mandatory fees.

​Fee Appeals

An appeals process exists for students who believe that individual circumstances warrant exceptions from published policy. Students should file a University Fee Appeal or at the Student Financial Services (Cashiers) Office in Cougar Central located at Administrative Building 3800.

​Petitions for refunds outside the scope of published policy are approved only when applicants can demonstrate exceptional circumstances, and the chief financial officer or designee determines that the fees and tuition were not earned by the University.

​Dishonored Payments

California Civil Code, Chapter 522, Section 1719, allows recipients of bad checks to sue in Small Claims Court for up to three times the amount of the check or $100.00, whichever is more, plus the face value of the check and all court costs. Placing a stop payment, closing the account, or disputing a credit card charge does not release students from their financial obligation, nor does it automatically withdraw them from enrollment.

​A dishonored check/disputed credit card charge:

  • Will result in the University no longer accepting payment for any services by personal check
  • Will result in the student being required to make payment in the form of cash, money order, or Cashier's check
  • Will result in a financial hold of the student's records and denial of services until full payment is made
  • Will result in a $20.00 dishonored check/disputed credit card fee, plus a $15.00 administrative late fee; and may result in the cancellation of class registration
  • May result in a $15 administrative late fee if dishonored item is not repaid on time
  • May result in cancellation of all registered classes

​Non-Payment of Fees

Failure to pay fees by the published deadline may result in immediate cancellation from all reserved courses, unless you are exempt. Only on-time payment or dropping all classes online prior to the first day of the term, may exempt students from owing a debt to the University.

​Should a student, or former student, fail to pay a debt owed to the institution, the institution may "withhold permission to register, to use facilities for which a fee is authorized to be charged, to receive services, materials, food or merchandise or any combination of the above from any person owing a debt" until that debt is paid (see Title 5, California Code of Regulations, Sections 42380 and 42381). For example, the institution may withhold permission to receive a diploma until all fees are paid.

If a student believes that he or she does not owe all or part of an unpaid obligation, the student should contact Student Financial Services either by phone (760) 750-4490, email sfs@csusm.edu, or in person at the Student Financial Services (Cashier's Office) in Cougar Central, located in Administrative Building 3800. Student Financial Services will review the pertinent information, including information the student may wish to present, and will advise the student of its conclusions with respect to the debt.​

Note: For Extended Learning (EL) refund schedules please go to the Extended Learning Website. Please note that Extended Learning (EL) classes may have a different fee structure and drop/refund policies.