Refunds

A refund is generated on an account when there is an excess of funds on the student account. This can happen from having more Financial Aid than charges or from a change in billing after the account has been paid in full.  Refunds are made payable to the student, except for parent PLUS loans (see below).

Paper refund checks will be mailed to the student's home address the Tuesday after refunds are run. Students with eRefunds will receive their refund on the Friday that refunds are run.

How does it work?

• The first refund process for each semester starts the Tuesday before classes start (this is an internal process and refund is not yet available).
• eRefund (direct deposit) will be available that following Friday. You will receive an email notification at your ilstu.edu email address that a refund in the form of an eRefund has been generated.
• *Paper refund checks - you will receive an email notification at your ilstu.edu email address that a refund has been generated.
• Refunds continue to be processed weekly on Tuesdays throughout the semester.
• Be sure all requirements in your To Do List are completed to ensure your financial aid disburses in a timely manner.

eRefunds

Be sure to sign up for eRefunds through your online student billing portal to have your refund direct deposited as soon as it’s available. It can take 7-10 days to verify and activate direct deposit once enrolled. eRefunds are only available for Authorized Users with a Parent PLUS loan.

For instructions on signing up, visit our How-To Sign up for eRefunds guide.

Students not enrolled in eRefunds will receive their refund as a paper check and it will be mailed to the student's home address the Tuesday after refunds are run.

Course or University Withdrawal

When you make any changes to your schedule, either changes in hours or withdrawing from the University, be sure to reference the University Registrar website and the Course and University Withdrawal page for dates and charges that may be assessed to you.

Refunds are based on the charges assessed at the time of withdrawal and the amount of the payments received to that date. If the payment amount is greater than the charges, you will be issued a refund.

Parent PLUS Loan Refunds

Parent PLUS loan refunds are made payable to the borrower and mailed to the address used on the loan application or they can be sent via an eRefund account that is set up in the Authorized User profile. You can also elect to have the refund sent to your student by requesting that in your application. If your address changes, you will need to log in to the federal loan website and update your address on the loan application form.