Exchange and Study Away Program Withdrawal, Dismissal or Cancellation and Refund Policy

Should a student decide to cancel enrollment in any study away program for which he or she applied and was accepted, the student must immediately notify in writing the College’s Exchange and Study Away office. ArtCenter is not responsible for costs paid directly by the student, including, but not limited to, passport and visa fees, vaccinations, insurance, housing, and transportation costs.

It is the student’s responsibility to complete a Leave of Absence form (if all courses are being dropped) or a Course Drop form (if only the study away course(s) is being dropped) to submit to Enrollment Services as necessary for the term. The date of withdrawal shall be the date of receipt of the appropriate forms by Enrollment Services. The student is required to follow existing ArtCenter policies for Leave of Absence and Course Drop.

Withdrawal Prior to the Start of the Program

The $300 (undergraduate) and $400 (graduate) program down payment / deposit required for commitment to most programs is non-refundable.

Prior to the start of the program, the student is eligible for a full refund of tuition. However, any non-recoverable expenses that have been incurred by ArtCenter on behalf of the student once the student has made a commitment to the program (in writing and/or by submitting a program deposit) will be the responsibility of the student, including but limited to housing, excursions, and program provider fees, and charged to the student account. If any student stipends were received, the stipend check must be returned to ArtCenter. If the stipend check had already been deposited or cashed by the student, then the student’s account will be charged for the stipend amount.

Withdrawal After the Start of the Program

If a student withdraws from a study away program during the first five weeks of the program, he or she is eligible for a refund of ArtCenter tuition payments based on the College’s Tuition Forgiveness Policy below.

Withdrawal Tuition Forgiveness

• Prior to start of program 100%
• Week 1—100% (with a $500 late withdrawal fee)
• Week 2—80%
• Week 3— 60%
• Week 4— 40%
• Week 5— 20%
• Week 6— 0%

If an on-site or study away course is scheduled in its entirety during the break period, the course is considered to be completed and credit units are granted towards the total scheduled load of the following term. If during the time of the course, a student chooses to withdraw for any reason, tuition forgiveness for the remainder of the course will be prorated accordingly. To align with the above Tuition Forgiveness Policy for a full 14-week term, students will not be eligible for tuition forgiveness after 43 percent of the course has been completed.

Withdrawal Due to Medical Reasons

Students who experience a medical emergency may be granted an immediate withdrawal from the study away course following consultation among the faculty team leader, the Director of Exchange and Study Away, and the Associate Provost for Student Affairs (or designee). Immediate arrangements will be made for care of the student with the assistance of the College’s international medical insurance program as necessary. Any refund of tuition and expenses will be subject to the College’s Medical and Psychological Leave Policy as follows:

Students who encounter unplanned medical issues once the term (or study abroad experience) has begun may request a Leave of Absence (“LOA”) due to a medical condition (medical leave). Although any student may take an LOA from ArtCenter at any time, a medical leave indicates a sudden and unexpected medical condition that prohibits the student from completing all classes in a term and from taking Incompletes. In these cases, some adjustments may be made to the student's billing and financial aid based on the date that the Leave of Absence form was received by Enrollment Services and the additional completed documentation was received. Medical leaves are not granted routinely. They are granted only after careful evaluation of each individual's situation and documentation.

Documentation for the medical condition must meet the following standards:

• Communication from a treating physician on letterhead (not a prescription form) with the full name of the patient/student, a description of the illness and treatment, and an indication of the limitations in function due to the illness or the treatment.
• The treating physician must be a medical doctor (MD), clinical psychologist (PhD) or licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). The treating provider may not be a relative of the student, nor can he or she be employed by ArtCenter.

The student requesting a medical leave must also give permission for the Associate Provost for Student Affairs (or designee) to contact the treating provider to discuss the case, or to verify the diagnosis or treatment.

To qualify for medical leave, students must show that their condition or course of treatment renders them incapable of attending any and all classes, and completing assignments. Examples may include but are not limited to: catastrophic accidents or severe illnesses in which the student must be confined to bed rest for several weeks, admission into an inpatient treatment facility for several weeks, daily medical or psychological therapy for several weeks, or a temporary disability that renders the student physically unable to work on projects in a substantive manner. Missing a few days of classes, generally falling behind due to other issues, and other such reasons do not constitute grounds for a medical leave.

Before a student can return to class, he or she must provide the Associate Provost for Student Affairs (or designee) with a letter on letterhead from the treating provider certifying that the student is well enough to return to the rigors of the ArtCenter curriculum. The Associate Provost for Student Affairs (or designee) may request that the student check in once or twice during the course of the term as a condition of enrollment.

Students may be on medical leave for three consecutive terms and return without seeking re-entry or readmission; those on leave for more than three terms will need to go through the re-entry process. Students who have not attended for two or more years must go through the readmission process. Unless otherwise specified, students returning from medical leave are subject to the same deadlines, standards and requirements as other ArtCenter students.

Program Dismissal

A student who is suspended, dismissed, or withdraws while under investigation for violation of the Student Code of Conduct will not have tuition payments refunded.

General Program Cancellation

Student safety is of critical importance. The College reserves the right to cancel any exchange or study away program in a location that is considered unsafe by the Study Away Emergency Response Team (“SAERT”) or for which the U.S. Department of State has issued a Travel Alert. SAERT regularly reviews information provided by the U.S. Department of State and monitors other sources, such as announcements from the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) for information about the locations where ArtCenter students are or will be studying.

Should a program cancellation become necessary for safety reasons, an emergency, the continued COVID-19 pandemic, or for other reasons beyond the College’s control prior to student departure, every effort will be made to refund all recoverable costs to participants. The time of program cancellation will determine the actual recoverable costs. The closer the program is to the start date, the less recoverable costs will be available. The Exchange and Study Away office will make its best efforts to notify students of a potential program cancellation as soon as it is known so that other academic options may be considered as a back-up.

Should a program cancellation become necessary for safety reasons, an emergency, the continued COVID-19 pandemic, or for other reasons beyond the College’s control, after students have arrived overseas, our refund policy is that every effort will be made to refund recoverable costs to the participants. Additionally, the Exchange and Study Away office and academic departments will make every effort to help students complete the academic work from the program and, depending on the circumstances, possibly earn the intended academic credit from the program. Whether or not this is possible depends largely on the particular program, the circumstances of the academic work of the program, and the length of time remaining in the program after the official cancellation date.

Unrecoverable program expenses including, but not limited to, passport and visa fees, vaccinations, housing fees, or airline costs, paid for directly by the student cannot be refunded. In addition, payments made either by ArtCenter or the student directly to a partner institution or any third party provider are often unrecoverable and cannot be refunded or reimbursed.

Because full refunds are often not possible, students should consider purchasing trip cancellation insurance. This is at an additional cost and is not a program inclusion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, travelers can purchase additional "Cancel/Interrupt For Any Reason" (CFAR/IFAR) coverage through Cultural Insurance Services International’s (CISI) partner, Travel Insured International, to supplement the existing CISI coverage provided through ArtCenter. This coverage will help protect students’ financial investment should they need to cancel the program. Students are encouraged to compare policies.

The Financial Aid office will review program cancellations on a case-by-case basis for students who are receiving financial aid.