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Withdrawal Process
If a student chooses to withdraw from any education abroad program after being conditionally approved or committing to participate, the student must fill out a withdrawal request form. Verbal notification of withdrawal plans will not be accepted. The process differs slightly depending on whether the student is withdrawing from a faculty-led program or a semester/year/summer program. Please see the details below.
Withdrawals are effective the same day that the OIP receives official documentation through the withdrawal request form.
Students failing to officially withdraw from the program by submitting the form will be considered enrolled in the program and will continue to be responsible for all program fees. Refunds will be determined based on the policy for the specific program type. More information on the refund policy is outlined below.
Students who want to withdraw from their semester/year/summer program
Students should log into their Via-TRM portal and go into the program details page. On the left side of the screen there will be a button with the words “withdraw” or “request to withdraw” (this wording differs according to the status of the application. Students must then complete the Education Abroad Withdrawal Request Form.
The Education Abroad team will respond to students to confirm receipt of request and to share any additional relevant information.
Students who want to withdraw from their faculty-led program
Students will email their program’s primary leader and fleap@appstate.edu to inform them of their intent to withdraw. The FLEAP team will provide a link to the FLEAP withdrawal form.
Refund Policy for Withdrawals
There is no guarantee of a refund as a result of withdrawing from education abroad. The OIP fee is non-refundable regardless of the official withdrawal date.
The refund policy is dependent upon the program type. It is the student’s responsibility to correctly identify the program type applicable to their situation. Types of programs include: Faculty-led programs, Exchange programs, and Affiliate programs. Please see details outlined below.
Semester Exchange
If the student cancels their participation in the program due to their withdrawal from the University or any other reason(s), after submission of their initial deposit but before the start of the program, the student's education abroad administrative fee is non-refundable. Any additional expenses paid out by the student (i.e., housing, flights, passports, visas, etc.) are the responsibility of the student and are not subject to refund by the university.
Affiliate Programs
Students should review all affiliate withdrawal policies before committing to the program. If the student cancels their participation in the program due to their withdrawal from the University or any other reason(s), after submission of the student's initial deposit but before the start date of the program, the student will be subject to the Appalachian withdrawal policies as well as the affiliate program policies. The education abroad administrative fee is non-refundable regardless of the official date of the student's cancellation. Any additional expenses paid out by the student (i.e., flights, passports, visas, etc.) are the responsibility of the student and are not subject to refund by the university.
Faculty-led Education Abroad Programs
***Fall 2026, Spring 2027 and all earlier programs follow the policy here. Summer 2027 and all later programs follow an updated policy (see below).***
The $300 OIP fee is non-refundable, as are any non-recoverable costs already expensed on behalf of the student.
If the student withdrawal does not affect the viability of the program and the withdrawal occurs prior to the spending of any program fees, then the student will be refunded all charges except for the OIP fee.
If the student withdrawal does not affect the viability of the program but spending has started on the program, then the student will be refunded for fees not yet spent OR allocated at the time of withdrawal.
If the student withdrawal affects the viability of the program (that is, the withdrawal would bring the program below minimum enrollment) OR if the student withdraws after the official start date of the program, the student will be responsible for paying the program costs as well as 100% of the tuition charges.
Things to keep in mind:
Failure to abide by the schedule of payments (making late payments or no payments) does not constitute an official cancellation on the student's part.
Any refunded fees will not be deposited until after the program has returned and all program expenses have been calculated and resolved so an accurate refund can be determined, which can take several weeks after the program has returned.
***Summer 2027 and all later programs follow the updated policy below. Fall 2026, Spring 2027 and all earlier programs follow the previous policy (see above).***
FLEAP Withdrawal Policy
When a student clicks COMMIT in Via-TRM, they indicate their agreement to participate in the program, take on the full program costs whether they participate in the end or not, and abide by all published program policies, including this Withdrawal Policy, the Refund Policy, and the Fee Appeal Policy.
A participant may withdraw at any time prior to Commitment by emailing the FLEAP Team and the Program Leader. Their status in Via TRM will be changed to Withdrawn.
To withdraw after Commitment, a participant must complete the Withdrawal Form. To get the link to the Form, please email the FLEAP Team. Indicating a desire to withdraw from a program, in person or in writing, does not constitute formal withdrawal from the program. Only the submission of the Form indicates formal withdrawal.
Upon submission of the Withdrawal Form, participants are entitled to a refund of a variable portion of the total costs according to the number of days from the date of their Withdrawal to the date of the Program’s departure, as set out in the Refund Policy.
FLEAP Refund Policy
When a student Commits in Via-TRM, they are agreeing to pay the OIP Fee. This $300 OIP fee is non-refundable.
If a student who has Committed to a program withdraws 71 or more days before the program’s departure date, they will be refunded 100% of the Program Fee. If the charge has posted to the student’s account, a refund will be applied within 2 weeks of withdrawal.
If a committed student withdraws 41 to 70 days in advance of the program’s departure date, they will be refunded 50% of the Program Fee. A pro-rated charge will be posted to the student’s account, or if the full amount has already posted, the appropriate refund will be applied to the student’s account within 2 weeks of withdrawal.
If a committed student withdraws 40 or fewer days in advance of the program’s departure date, they will not be refunded any amount of the program fee.
FLEAP Fee Appeal Policy
(1) For Military Service, submit the relevant deployment orders.
(2) Issues of Serious Medical Debilitation will be considered on the basis of a letter from a student’s medical professional, which must conform to the Health Documentation Guide for Health-Related Late or Retroactive Withdrawal Requests as published by the App State Registrar.
(3) For Extraordinary Hardship, submit documentation to demonstrate an event in accordance with the following definition:
"An uncontrollable, unavoidable and unforeseen personal event that is over and above the course of everyday experiences that is considered beyond a student’s control and impairs a student’s ability to complete the specified program. This includes but is not limited to the following examples:
Death of an immediate family member or person of significance.
Guidance: When the student does have the same last name as the deceased person or are listed as a family member in the obituary, generally, the committee does not need additional documentation from the requester. However, if the last name is not the same or the student is not listed as a family member in the obituary, please provide documentation of the relationship.
Documentation: A death certificate is the preferable form or an obituary
Request to care for a seriously ill individual.
Documentation: A health care provider corroborating student is caretaker
Flood and/or fire of a residence.
Documentation: Insurance claim, fire department report, landlord letter, or other relevant documentation
Homelessness.
Documentation: Evidence of eviction notice, letter from a social service provider, or other evidence as appropriate, demonstrating that the cause was beyond the student’s control.
Other events that are uncontrollable, unavoidable, and unforeseen.
Withdrawal Fee Appeal Process
Any withdrawn student may appeal the OIP fee in hopes of receiving a refund. Students can request the OIP Fee Appeal form by email.
Affiliate Programs and Exchanges (Semester Exchange, Academic Year, Affiliate, Summer or Internship) email studyabroad@appstate.edu.
Faculty-led education abroad programs, email fleap@appstate.edu.
Appeals are unlikely to be successful if the withdrawal is due to: a change in academic plans, not understanding the financial obligations of a program, not receiving a scholarship or aid amount expected, selection for another opportunity (different program, job, internship, etc.), issues related to securing necessary visas, or anxiety related to travel or larger global concerns.
The Education Abroad team meets regularly and will review appeal submissions on a rolling basis. All committee decisions are final and will be made within 30 days of submission, when possible.
Withdrawal After Program Start Date
Students who leave a program after the official start date for any reason will not receive a refund of fees paid or expenses incurred. Withdrawal after the program start date may also result in a reduction or return of Financial Aid.
For FLEAPS, students must contact the Registrar's Office at registrar@appstate.edu or 828-262-2050 for the required withdrawal process.
Program Cancellation
All Appalachian State programs are subject to modification or cancellation due to natural disaster, political instability, insufficient participation or other causes. In the event of a program cancellation it may not be possible to refund any fees or expenses that have already been paid out. Any additional expenses paid out by the student (i.e., flights, passports, visas, etc.) are the responsibility of the student and are not subject to refund by the university.
Cancellation Insurance
If the student withdraws from the program, the cancellation policy above will apply and the student will be responsible for the amount owed regardless of the student's financial aid eligibility. Because a withdrawal for any reason may put the student at risk of financial loss, the student may wish to consider purchasing trip cancellation insurance. There are several companies out there with multiple packages. We strongly advise the student to read the policy carefully to see exactly what circumstances are covered before purchasing.