Refunds

Refund Methods

Your refund method may depend on the payment method generating the refund as well as what refund option you have chosen.

• If a student’s refund option has not been chosen at least a week prior to their refund date, the system automatically defaults to a paper check that will be mailed to the student’s mailing/local address in the STAR system (which you can access and update via your WVU Portal).
• If a parent’s refund option has not been chosen at least a week prior to their refund date, the system automatically defaults to a paper check that will be mailed to the address the parent listed on the Parent PLUS loan application.

Direct Deposit: This is the fastest way to get your refund! Your funds can be transferred to any U.S. bank of your choice by signing up for direct deposit. Students may sign up using the direct deposit setup instructions below. If you are a parent receiving a refund for a Parent PLUS loan, review the instructions for parents to set up direct deposit for their PLUS loans.

Paper Check: those who have not signed up for direct deposit will receive a paper check which will be mailed to the mailing/local address on file in the STAR system (which you can access and update via your WVU Portal). This process can take more than 14 business days after payment/aid disburses to your student account, depending on mailing times.

• Updating Mailing Address for Paper Checks: If the address for the paper check refund requires updating, follow these steps to update the information:

1. Log into your WVU Portal and click on the "STAR" button.
2. Select “Personal Information” tab or select “Personal Information” from the main menu.
3. Under the “Address” section, click on the pencil icon under “Mailing/Local Address” option.
4. Fill in your mailing/local address and select “update” to save your changes.

Refunds Based on Payment Type

Most Payment Methods

If your refund is being created by payments from financial aid, credit card, eCheck, or paper check, you can choose either direct deposit or paper check for your refund. If direct deposit is not set up, a paper check will be sent. There is a 14-day waiting period after an eCheck or paper check payment posts to guarantee clearance of the funds before we begin the refund process.

Third-Party Payments

If your refund is generated by an official contract on your account with a third-party sponsor, those refunds may take a little longer and must be manually processed since the funds have not actually been received from the sponsor. You may still choose direct deposit or paper check for these refunds.

For fall and spring semesters, the manual process usually begins the week before classes start, which means you probably will not see your refund in your bank account until the second week of classes (if you have set up direct deposit).

For the summer semester, the manual process begins on the first day of classes. These refunds continue to be manually processed twice a week throughout the semester as new sponsorship contracts are received.

Parent PLUS Loans

Parents due a refund from Federal Parent PLUS Loan funds remaining after institutional charges have been paid can choose to sign up for direct deposit on the Nelnet Refund Portal.

Before a parent borrower can sign up:

• The parent PLUS loan must have been approved.
• The Parent PLUS Loan Application must have been received and processed by WVU (i.e. showing as accepted on the student's financial aid).
• The parent borrower must have indicated they wanted the refund to go to the parent - not the student - when they submitted their PLUS application.

To sign up, the parent borrower should follow the instructions below.

1. In the email account submitted on the Parent PLUS Loan Application, the parent will receive a registration email. In that email, the parent will need to click the link to the WVU Guest Invitation website. Please note that the link in the registration email will expire after 30 days.
2. On that screen, they will select the "Parent Login" button.
3. Set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) using an authenticator app or an email address.
4. On the following page, they will create their refund profile.
5. If their account setup was successful, they should receive a confirmation email.

Depending on various factors – such as your student’s other financial aid – a refund may be generated to your student based on remaining funds from their other financial aid and/or you based on remaining PLUS loan funds after institutional charges have been paid. If there are PLUS loan funds remaining after the balance due is paid, you may receive a refund. This applies specifically to situations where there are PLUS loan funds remaining after the balance is paid. It is possible that a refund could be generated to your student instead because the refund is caused by other financial aid – such as institutional or state scholarships or grants – instead of the PLUS Loan.

Also, please remember that as part of your loan application, you affirmed that your PLUS funds would be used for your student’s educational expenses. Educational expenses may include tuition and fees; on-campus housing and food (or a reasonable housing and food allowance for off-campus students); books, supplies, transportation (excluding car payments), loan fees, and, if applicable, dependent care. It can also include other expenses like an allowance for the rental or one-time purchase of a personal computer, costs related to a disability not covered by other funds, or costs for eligible study-abroad programs.