Refunds

In the Fall and Spring semesters, financial aid disbursements are processed automatically by the Financial Aid Office - typically 5-7 days before the first day of classes for those students who qualify. Qualified refunds will be processed within 14 days after the financial aid funds are disbursed to your account. Refunds are processed daily for the first 2 weeks of the term, and then generally on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the remainder of the term.
Summer disbursements will be processed manually by the Financial Aid Office - typically 3-4 business days after the first day of the session for those students who qualify. Refunds will be processed within 14 days after financial aid is disbursed to your account. Read how student aid is awarded and disbursed in the summer.

Refunds are processed as a Direct Deposit to the student's bank account within 2-3 business days. Students are encouraged to sign up for Direct Deposit. If the student does not sign up for Direct Deposit, then a paper check will be mailed to the student's permanent address which can take up to 7-10 business days. Students may not pick up checks in person.

Instructions are available under student refunds. Find more detailed information in our Direct Deposit FAQ.

Please do not call our office to find out when your refund will be processed as each phone call results in a delay in refund processing.

We recommend watching your student account in the Account Summary and Payment Gateway in Wingspan. Click on "View Account Activity" and when you see "Refund" you will know we began processing your refund.

Please allow at least 3 business days for the funds to be in your account if you have signed up for Direct Deposit, and 7-10 days for a paper check (mailed to your permanent address).

No. You may check your refund status by accessing your student account summary via Wingspan. When you see a refund transaction, the funds should be in your checking account within 5 business days. It is very important that you contact your financial institution to verify the deposit prior to writing any checks or attempting to withdraw the funds.

Many things can delay or prevent your refund from being processed. Before calling our office, please confirm that:

• You have completed all requirements for your financial aid (including your enrollment status of full/part-time, signed promissory notes, and completed verification). You may check your Financial Aid status on Wingspan. 
• You have an active permanent address on file (even if you have direct deposit, our system requires all students to have an active permanent address). 
• Any past due balances are paid in full. 

If you still think your refund should have been processed, you may e-mail us at sfs@winthrop.edu to inquire.  Please be sure to include your name, student ID number, and e-mail us from your Winthrop e-mail address.

We must wait 2 weeks from the date the check was mailed before we can issue a new one. If two weeks have passed and the check has not been delivered to you or returned to us, you may request a Stop Payment on the check and be issued a new one. Please make sure we have the correct permanent address on file before completing a Stop Payment Form.

If the funds are rejected by the bank for any reason, please contact Student Financial Services. Once we have received notice from the banks that the funds have been returned, we can begin to process a replacement refund. The process generally takes 10-14 days.

If funds are not returned to Winthrop, we cannot re-issue a refund. You should contact your banking institution to find out why the funds have not been returned. The bank will not share information about your personal account with us.