All applicants are subject to the following withdrawal and refund policies upon applying to the program and fees may apply upon acceptance, regardless of commitment status. Please note that commitment to the program through your home institution is the same as committing to ISI Abroad programs directly. You may have a separate commitment, withdrawal, or refund process and timeline through your home or sending institution so it is important that you communicate any changes to them as well. Please note that not all universities communicate an application status change to ISI Abroad so it is your responsibility to contact an ISI Abroad admissions advisor in regard to any attempt to withdrawal or change programs. Changes in enrollment may also impact financial aid.
Program Fees & Financial Obligations
There are several ways fees are paid for the program. In all cases cancellation policies and fees apply.
- ISI Abroad partner schools have a special payment arrangement in which students pay the full cost to their home school.
- In some cases, ISI Abroad partner schools will require the student to pay the program fees, or a portion of the program fee directly to ISI Abroad. Students from these institutions may receive exclusive discounts or scholarships thereby reducing their program cost.
Payment Methods
Payments for program fees must be made by:
- Personal check, money order or cashier’s check made payable to Institute and mailed to the US address or submitted through the relevant online form. See invoice for name and address of the Institute. Be sure to note the student’s full name on the check.
- Bank wire transfer. See invoice for wiring instructions.
Confirmation Deposits (non-refundable unless otherwise noted)
Students whose home institution requires them to pay program fees directly to ISI Abroad must submit a deposit confirming their intention to enroll. Any delay in deposits may affect course and housing preferences. The student’s place in the program is not confirmed until this payment is submitted. The confirmation deposit amount is deducted from the final program cost. Failure to pay by the deadline will result in the application being canceled.
Special Program Costs
Students enrolled in a special program that incurs a supplementary fee (ex. the Scholars Program) are not eligible for a refund of that supplement after arrival to the program. This is applicable both in instances of withdrawal from the Institute or when switching programs/academic tracks (ex. Dropping the Scholars Program to join the General Studies Program).
Housing Supplements
Students choosing to upgrade housing (including private bedroom or homestay) will be subject to a housing supplement. Special housing requests are not guaranteed, and fees will only be applicable upon confirmation. Single Room supplement costs are charged on a case-by-case basis and single rooms can only be requested for verifiable medical reasons.
Returned Payments
Payments made via check or echeck that are returned due to inaccurate information or insufficient funds will be charged a $35 fee for processing.
Late Payments
ISI Abroad reserves the right to move an application to inactive or canceled status if payment deadlines are not met. Cancellation policies and fees apply.
Payment Plans
Students may request a payment plan from the Institute. However, the full program costs must be paid in full prior to the student’s arrival in Italy so payment plans must be requested and finalized at least 60 days prior to the start of the program.
Financial Aid
In some cases, students who are required to pay the Institute directly and utilize financial aid from their home school may need to defer payment until the financial aid is processed. Students must communicate with the Institute and their home university if they believe that financial aid payments will be disbursed after the payment deadline and may defer up to 50% total program fees.
Use of 529 Funds must be discussed with your 529 advisor. Typically, if your 529 is not disbursing to your home institution for payment, then it is your responsibility to provide them with proof of your upcoming enrollment (your visa letter or proof of enrollment letter) and a copy of the invoice. If you’ve not already received such documentation, you can contact admissions@isiabroad.org for assistance.
Cancellation and Withdrawal Policy
All applicants that are accepted into the program are subject to the following withdrawal and refund policies. If a student withdraws from a program before all fees are paid, they remain liable for any unrecoverable costs and penalties according to the following schedule. Students that withdraw more than 90 days before the arrival day will receive a full refund. Housing is secured in advance of each semester and summer session, and fees paid in full by the Institute to agents are non-refundable under any circumstances. There are no refunds after arrival for summer sessions, custom, and other non-semester programs.
| Time of Withdrawal | Summer Program Withdrawal Fees | Semester Programs Withdrawal Fees |
| Within 90 days of the arrival date. (75 days for applicants from Consortium Member Institutions): | 25% of the Program Fee | 25% of the Program Fee |
| Within 45 days of the arrival date: | 50% of the Program Fee | 40% of the Program Fee |
| Within 14 days of the arrival date: | No Refunds | 50% of the Program Fee |
| During the 1st week of arrival: | No Refunds | 65% of Program Fee |
| During the 2nd week of arrival: | No Refunds | 85% of Program Fee |
| After the 2nd week: | No Refunds | No Refunds |
Note: These policies are only relevant to fees charged by the Institute and may vary from your home institution. Students are encouraged to consult their university’s study abroad office regarding their refund policies for study abroad.
Failure to Meet the Payment Deadline
If payment for the program including course fees or any other applicable fees is not received by the payment deadline, the Institute may contact your home and/or sending institution to notify them that payment has not been received. This may negatively impact financial aid and enrollment status. If you perceive that your payment will be late, it is important to communicate early with the Institute.
Payment Default
The Institute may choose, at its discretion, to handle unpaid fees either by reporting them to collections and/or dismissing students from the program including forfeiture of all payments made and coursework. ISI Abroad reserves the right to withhold grade reports and transcripts until all unpaid balances are cleared. Payments referred to collections are subject to a Default Payment Fee of up to 25% of the balance to be paid.
Transcripts
All ISI Abroad programs include one official transcript, which is issued electronically a minimum of four weeks from program completion. The Institute reserves the right to withhold a transcript in the case of unpaid balances due to the Institute, partners, or agents.
Some ISI Abroad partners will not accept electronic copies and require hard copies of official transcripts be mailed. These take longer to ship and process and will cause a delay in the timeline students expect seeing their final grades reported on their home school transcript.
When a transcript is required from ISI Abroad’s underwriter, additional processing time needs to be considered as the submission of grades to the student’s home school will be delayed by one to three months.
Enrollment Deferral Policy
ISI Abroad recognizes that various circumstances may change your plan to study abroad. Students wishing to defer enrollment to another term after having been successfully admitted to the program and subject to non-refundable fees, may do so according to the following policies.
A student can defer their application for up to twelve months from the term in which their original program was scheduled to start, and upon approval by ISI Abroad. All requests must be made in writing to admissions@isiabroad.org and no later than one month before the designated arrival date.
The student will be responsible for payment of any unrecoverable costs (see withdrawal policy) at the time of withdrawal. No refunds will be given and all remaining funds will be applied to the future term’s fees. Unused funds will be forfeited to ISI Abroad after twelve months.
Upon successful approval of a student’s deferral, the Admissions Office will transfer the student’s application to the following application cycle. Deferred students will not be expected to apply again. However, deferred students may be requested to submit updated copies of their application materials (including but not limited to their Official Transcript). Deferred students must also sign all policies, terms, and conditions of the new program.