Refunds

Federal, state, and institutional financial aid funds are awarded to a student based on the assumption that the student will attend the University for the entire quarter for which the aid is awarded. In accordance with federal law, the Financial Aid Office must recalculate Title IV financial aid eligibility for a student who withdraws from all classes, drops below half-time registration, is withdrawn from their program, or takes a leave of absence prior to completing more than 60% of a quarter. The Financial Aid Office will calculate the amounts of “earned” (can keep) and “unearned” (must return) aid. Any credit balance on a student’s account resulting from a tuition refund will be refunded to the student by direct deposit. Otherwise, the tuition refund will be applied to any unpaid balance on the student's account. If a refund is due to the student and the student had paid by credit card, the refund amount may be credited back to the student’s credit card that had been used for the fees at the time. Funds are returned to the appropriate aid programs, which may result in a bill to the student for any tuition and fees still owed after the required return of financial aid funds.

Notification

Students taking a Leave of Absence or withdrawing from Meridian are eligible for a tuition refund after submitting written notification to: Student Services Team, Meridian University, 2450 Colorado Avenue, Suite 100E Santa Monica, California 90404 or academicrecords@MeridianUniversity.edu. The date of the Leave of Absence or withdrawal will be determined by the date written notification is received by the Student Services Team, the last date of confirmed academic engagement, or other metrics per Meridian policy, as applicable. If a student withdraws or requests a Leave of Absence from Meridian after classes have begun, they will receive a prorated refund of the tuition charges as stated below. If the student is administratively withdrawn, the effective date of administrative withdrawal is used for refund calculation purposes.

Tuition Refund Calculation

Tuition Refunds Day 2 to Day 29 of Class

Refund calculations from day 2 to day 29 of class are calculated as follows: The number of days of class in which the student was enrolled is divided by the total number of scheduled days of class for the entire quarter, in accordance with Meridian academic policy. This calculation produces the percentage of tuition that the student owes, and therefore their refund amount is the complementary percentage.

Residential Accommodations Fee Refund Policy

Students who plan to miss a week-long residency who have signed up for the Residential Accommodations Plan for the quarter (for residencies which provide meals and/or lodging) will be eligible for a partial refund of the Residential Accommodations Fee if written notification is submitted to academicrecords@meridianuniversity.edu by the deadline established for refunds for the specific residency in the Residential Accommodations Plan for the quarter. The prorated refund will not include the non-refundable portion of the fee. If a student attends any portion of a residency and then withdraws, takes a Leave of Absence, or misses a portion of the residency, any potential refund will only apply to future residencies and not the residency during which the student withdrew, missed classes, or took a Leave of Absence.

Continuation Fee Refund Policy

Continuation students who graduate or withdraw from Meridian University will receive a refund of the Continuation Fee, prorated on a quarterly basis, based on their date of degree conferral or effective date of withdrawal. Continuation students who complete their program or withdraw on or after June 1 of an academic year will not receive a prorated Continuation Fee refund. The proration calculation will include charges for the current quarter as of the effective date.

Doctoral Project Fees Refund Policy

Students who withdraw while inside a doctoral project clock must submit a written request to: Student Services Team, Meridian University, 2450 Colorado Avenue, Suite 100E Santa Monica, California 90404 or academicrecords@meridianuniversity.edu. The date of withdrawal will be determined by the date written notification is received by the Student Services Team. If a student withdraws after the first day of a quarter, the student will be charged based on the quarterly breakdown of their doctoral project fee, including charges applicable to the current quarter. Any excess payment will be refunded within forty-five (45) days of notification of withdrawal, or as required by state and federal regulations. Students are not approved to take a leave of absence during the doctoral clock enrollment period. However, the student does have the option to withdraw from their degree program. For example, if a student withdraws in the middle of their second quarter of their eight-quarter dissertation clock, they would be refunded all but two-quarters worth of their dissertation fee, which covers eight-quarters. Any financial aid would be canceled, and a Return of Title IV Aid calculation would be completed.