Withdrawal

Review the information below carefully to understand your financial obligations and the steps to take if you need to withdraw from a study abroad program.

Before deciding to withdraw

Before you make a decision to withdraw from a study abroad program that you have committed to, we encourage you to speak with the program manager of the program.

Withdrawal policy

• Refund and withdrawal: It is important to understand the withdrawal policy and your financial obligations as outlined in the Refund & Withdrawal clause of your payment contract. Once you sign the payment contract, you are bound by its terms.
• Withdrawal fee: The withdrawal fee is determined by the date you officially withdraw from the study abroad program you committed to and signed a payment contract for.
• Withdrawal date: The official date of withdrawal is the date on which you submit the Withdrawal Request.

Withdrawal fee schedule by program type

Where can I find fee information?

• A cost sheet (cost breakdown) is available within the following places:
  • Program brochure (under the Finances tab)
  • Online application (under the Resources tab)
• If you are already accepted into a program, the payment contract is available in your online application. The payment contract outlines the fees and withdrawal fee schedule. Please review it very carefully before signing.
• Study Abroad Fee and insurance fee information can be found on the Study Abroad Fees & billing page.
• Foster Study Abroad Fee information
• CHID Study Abroad Fee information (CHID Administrative Fee)

Important considerations

Understand financial consequences

Withdrawing may have financial implications. The Study Abroad Fee is non-refundable after signing the payment contract. You are bound by the terms of all signed payment contracts.

Partner & direct enrollment programs, departmental partner programs and Internships

Partner institutions and program providers have their own withdrawal and refund policies. You must comply with their policies as well as the UW Study Abroad withdrawal policy.

Withdrawal process

If you haven’t committed to the program, you can withdraw your application by clicking the Withdraw application button in MyGlobal. You don’t need to inform your program director or manager.

Note: If you applied to a partner program, direct enrollment program, departmental partner program or internship and have confirmed your participation with your program provider but haven’t committed to the UW side of the application, please inform the program provider of your decision.

If you have committed to the program, you must officially withdraw from the program by taking the steps below.

1. Inform your program manager (all programs), program director (only Facutly-led programs), and provider (only partner & direct enrollment programs, departmental partner programs and Internships) of your decision to withdraw.
2. Submit a Withdrawal Request. The official date of withdrawal is the date on which you submit the Withdrawal Request. Find the form in your program application in MyGlobal.

Processing and refund timeline

• Typical withdrawals are processed within 4-6 weeks from the receipt of the Withdrawal Request.
• If your fees haven’t been billed yet, the withdrawal fees, based on the withdrawal fee schedule, will be billed when your Withdrawal Request is processed.
• If the fees have already been billed, or are billed before your Withdrawal Request is processed, you are responsible for paying all study abroad-related charges—including any late fees—on your UW student account by the stated deadlines. Any potential refunds for program and/or exchange fees will be credited to your student account once the withdrawal is fully processed.

Find your program application to submit a withdrawal

Petition for Emergency Withdrawal

If you cannot participate in a study abroad program due to extenuating circumstances, you may submit an Emergency Withdrawal Petition. If granted, the Emergency Withdrawal may allow for partial relief from your financial obligations to the program. In all cases, the Study Abroad Fee is non-refundable once you have signed a payment contract.

Preparing for Emergency Withdrawal Petition

Review all of the information below before submitting your Emergency Withdrawal Petition for the best chances for approval. The link to the Emergency Withdrawal Petition can be found within the information.

Circumstances for Emergency Withdrawal Petition and required supporting documentation

Below are examples of extenuating circumstances and the supporting documentation required for each circumstance to be presented to the committee for review.

Petitions submitted without supporting documentation are not able to be approved by the committee.

Emergency	Required Supporting Documentation
Unanticipated change in financial situation This includes but is not limited to: Unexpected significant loss of financial resources Unexpected significant increase in financial obligations	Submit bank statements, unexpected bills, unemployment paperwork, proof of bankruptcy, or approved tuition forfeiture petition. Documentation demonstrating the significant change in financial status after you submitted your study abroad payment contract is required in order for your petition to be considered.
Medical emergency	Submit the Healthcare Provider Verification Form and supply all required documentation.
Death	Submit a copy of the death certificate, obituary, or remembrance from the funeral. Your petition must include documentation clearly showing your relationship to the deceased is that of immediate family.
Active military duty	Submit a copy of the military activation orders showing dates that conflict with the program dates.
Delayed or denied visa application	Submit a copy of the visa application confirmation, appointment confirmation and a payment receipt for visa application fee with a timestamp. Communication records such as emails or letters from the consulate or embassy regarding your visa application status, including any denial notices or requests for additional information, are helpful. It is required to provide documentation that demonstrates you took all necessary actions to secure the visa in a timely manner, supporting the claim that the delay or denial was beyond your control. It is unlikely that your Emergency Withdrawal Petition will be granted if the reason for your withdrawal is due to not understanding the restrictions on periods of stay and the ability to do back-to-back programs or extended travel before or after your program in the Schengen area.
Significant unexpected legal or political events or changes	The Emergency Withdrawal Committee will consider petitions based on significant unexpected legal or political events or changes that occurred AFTER you submitted your Study Abroad Payment Contract. These significant unexpected legal or political events or changes: must be clearly shown to impact your personal situation must be clearly shown to affect your ability to participate in your study abroad program These changes might include practices, policies, or laws in your home country or your destination country that impact you based on your personal situation (including your citizenship, immigration status, or identity). These changes might affect your ability to travel safely to and from your study abroad program. If you are making a case for Emergency Withdrawal based on significant unexpected legal or political changes, you have to submit supporting documentation or evidence which creates a clear connection between these changes and your ability to participate in your study abroad program. Supporting documentation or evidence could include news stories, government advisories and other official notices (home country or host country government), or research publications by governmental or non-governmental sources. Please include a translation if you are including any documentation or evidence in languages other than English.

Emergency Withdrawal Petitions that are unlikely to be granted

An Emergency Withdrawal is unlikely to be granted if:

• the reason for your withdrawal is one of the followings:
  • You were not eligible for financial aid or did not receive the amount you expected
  • You did not receive a scholarship
  • You were selected for another opportunity (such as a study abroad program, job, internship, etc.)
  • Your academic plans changed
• you did not understand the financial obligations before signing your payment contract
• you do not have supporting documentation
• your petition did not include verifiable supporting documentation
• your petition includes ambiguous or unclear documentation
• you only owe the UW Study Abroad Fee

Tips for a robust Emergency Withdrawal Petition

• Use clear, descriptive language to explain your circumstances
• Be as specific as possible
• Include a timeline of events leading to your Withdrawal Request
• Provide verifiable facts that substantiate your claim
• Explain what happened/what changed, and why after signing the payment contract
• Provide official supporting documentation (e.g. on letterhead) that pertains to the situation

Process for Emergency Withdrawal Petition

Requirements

A complete Emergency Withdrawal Petition must include:

• Withdrawal Request
• Personal Statement
• Supporting Documentation
• Healthcare Provider Verification Form (if applicable)
• Emergency Withdrawal Signature (signed electronically)

Process and timeline

1. Complete and submit the Emergency Withdrwal Petition requirements in MyGlobal within one year from the date you signed the original program payment contract.
2. Petitions are reviewed by an Emergency Withdrawal Committee that meets on the first Thursday of every month. For a petition to be reviewed on this date, the petition must be received by Thursday of the prior week.
3. A member of the Emergency Withdrawal Committee will communicate the committee’s decision to you within several days of the committee meeting.
4. An appeal may be submitted to the Director of UW Study Abroad within 30 days of notification of the committee’s decision.

Important considerations

Supporting documentation

Without the necessary supporting documentation, the committee cannot approve the petition. Missing or incorrect documentation will delay the review process. In all cases, you must clearly show that the emergency circumstances, which prevented you from participating in the study abroad program, occurred unexpectedly after you signed the payment contract. Please include a translation if you are including any documentation or evidence in languages other than English.

Complete your Emergency Withdrawal Petition within one year

A complete Emergency Withdrawal Petition will be considered for up to one year from the date you signed the original program payment contract. An Emergency Withdrawal Petition must include verifiable supporting documentation to be considered complete. If your petition has been submitted, but does not include supporting documentation at the one year mark, your petition will be denied.

The UW Study Abroad Fee is non-refundable

If you only owe the UW Study Abroad Fee at the time of your withdrawal, it is unlikely that your petition will be granted because UW Study Abroad will not refund the fee, regardless of submitting an emergency withdrawal petition.

Start an Emergency Withdrawal Petition

Program cancellation policy

In the event that a study abroad program is cancelled due to low enrollment or any other unavoidable reasons, students will not be responsible for any fees billed by UW Study Abroad. However, UW Study Abroad is not responsible for any expenses already paid by the student to third parties (such as travel agencies, accommodation providers, etc.).