Tuition Refund After Visa Refusal: Rules in 4 Countries

A tuition refund after visa refusal depends on the country and the institution. Australia is the only one of the four with a national rule: under the ESOS refund specification, a provider must refund your course fees minus the lesser of 5% or A$500 if a visa refusal stopped you starting. In Canada, the UK and the USA, the university’s own refund policy decides, and conditions such as deadlines and the date on the refusal letter matter. Read the refund policy before you pay, not after the refusal.

Last checked: 20 October 2026. NPR amounts use the NRB selling rate, 17 Oct 2026.

Tuition refund after visa refusal: rules at a glance

Australia: ESOS refund rules and the Tuition Protection Service

Australia protects overseas students through the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) framework. The ESOS Act requires providers to make a written agreement with you that covers what happens if you default, and it includes a refund rule for visa refusal.

Section 9 of the ESOS (Calculation of Refund) Specification 2014 applies when you were refused a student visa and the refusal was a reason you did not start the course, or withdrew on or before the agreed start day. The refund is your course fees minus the lesser of:

• 5% of the course fees the provider received for you before the default day, or
• A$500.

“Course fees” here means the tuition fees plus any non-tuition fees the provider received. In practice: if you paid A$8,000, 5% is A$400, so the provider may keep A$400. If you paid A$15,000, 5% is A$750, so the cap of A$500 applies.

Things to check in your written agreement before paying:

• The refund conditions and how to apply, including what evidence of refusal the provider wants.
• Whether OSHC (health cover) paid through the provider is included, or whether you must claim it from the insurer separately.
• Who the refund goes to. Usually it goes back to the person or account that paid.

If a provider will not pay a refund it owes you, the Australian Government’s ESOS framework page explains that the Tuition Protection Service (TPS) can help students who withdrew or did not start and are owed tuition fees the provider has not paid. Keep every receipt and email.

For the visa side of a refusal, see our student visa refused: what to do guide.

Canada: each institution sets its own refund policy

There is no single national refund rule for international students in Canada. Each designated learning institution (DLI) publishes its own policy, and they differ a lot. One official example is Algonquin College’s international refund policy:

• If the study permit is refused and you tell the college before Day 10 of the semester, it keeps a CAD 250 administrative fee (about Rs 26,888). After Day 10, the charge is a CAD 2,200 withdrawal penalty plus health insurance.
• You must provide an IRCC refusal letter dated after your latest letter of acceptance or deferral request. An older refusal letter means the CAD 2,200 penalty applies.
• Notices must be presented within 10 days of the date of the refusal letter.
• Refunds go only to the payer. Payments from outside Canada go back to the original source, such as Flywire.

That example shows why timing matters. If you sit on a refusal letter for weeks, or reapply after deferring without getting a new refusal letter, you can lose much more. Before you reapply, read our guides to GCMS notes after a refusal and writing a letter of explanation.

UK: university policies and consumer law

UK universities set their own deposit and refund terms. Here is one official example: the University of Hertfordshire’s international FAQ says full refunds are issued if your visa is refused or you do not meet the academic or financial conditions of your offer. Other circumstances may incur a non-refundable charge. Its usual minimum deposit is £5,000 (about Rs 10.15 lakh), and refunds go back to the account the money came from, within 28 days of processing. It asks for a copy of the full refusal notice.

Other universities may deduct fees, set deadlines or treat a refusal caused by false documents differently. Read the tuition fee terms and refund policy linked from your offer.

UK consumer law also applies. The Competition and Markets Authority’s consumer law advice for higher education providers says students have consumer rights. It expects providers to give clear information before you commit, including fees and, for international students, visa requirements. Where an application and offer are made at a distance, it expects providers to tell you about your 14-day right to cancel. If a term looks unfair, you can raise it with the university’s complaints process.

USA: deposits and university policies

Many US universities ask admitted students for an enrollment deposit. There is no federal rule on refunding these to international students after an F-1 refusal, so the university’s own policy applies. Some refund deposits when the visa is denied. Others treat deposits as non-refundable. Get the answer in writing, from the university’s own website or an official university email, before you pay.

If you were refused under 214(b) and plan to reapply, ask the university whether it can defer your admission and keep your deposit. Our 214(b) refusal and reapply guide explains the visa side.

What to check before you pay any tuition

1. Find the refund policy on the institution’s own website. Save a PDF or screenshot with the date.
2. Look for the visa refusal clause. What is deducted? What evidence is needed? Is there a deadline?
3. Check the payment route. Pay the institution directly or through its official portal (such as Flywire). Refunds normally go back to the payer, so money paid through an agent’s account may be hard to recover.
4. Pay only what is required. If the offer needs a deposit, do not pay a full year early unless the visa rules or the university require it.
5. Keep the paperwork. Offer, receipts, written agreement (Australia), refusal letter and all emails.
6. Act fast after a refusal. Tell the institution in writing the same week, with the refusal letter attached.

Nepal-specific tips

• Refunds come back through the bank. If you sent money by SWIFT from a Nepali bank, the refund usually returns to that account in foreign currency or rupees, depending on the bank. Ask your bank what documents it needs to credit an inward refund. Our guide to sending tuition fees from Nepal covers the outward side.
• Exchange rates move. A refund in AUD, CAD or GBP may be worth more or less in rupees than when you paid.
• Watch out for agents who “hold” your fees. Paying tuition into anyone’s personal or company account, instead of the institution’s, is a serious red flag. Run them through our consultancy red flag test.

Common mistakes

• Paying before reading the refund policy.
• Waiting weeks to send the refusal letter.
• Deferring, reapplying and losing the refund because the new refusal letter was not dated after the latest offer.
• Assuming the agent will handle it. The refund request is between you, the payer and the institution.
• Asking for the refund to go to a different account. Most institutions only refund the original payer.

Frequently asked questions

Will I get my tuition fee back if my Australian student visa is refused?
Yes, in most cases. Under the ESOS refund specification, the provider refunds the course fees it received, minus the lesser of 5% or A$500, when a visa refusal stopped you starting the course.

Is the tuition deposit refundable if my Canada study permit is refused?
Usually partly, but it depends on the college or university. For example, Algonquin College keeps a CAD 250 administrative fee if you present a valid refusal letter in time, and charges more after the deadline.

Do UK universities refund the deposit after a visa refusal?
Many do, but each university sets its own terms. The University of Hertfordshire, for example, gives a full refund when the visa is refused. Check your university’s refund policy and send the full refusal notice.

How long does a tuition refund take after visa refusal?
It depends on the institution and your bank. The University of Hertfordshire says funds are returned within 28 days once the request is processed. International transfers back to Nepal can add more days.

Can the refund be sent to a different bank account?
Usually not. Algonquin College and the University of Hertfordshire both say refunds go only to the original payer or source.

Related guides

• Return to Nepal After Study Abroad: Equivalence and Licences
• GRE or GMAT Requirement for US Master's: Fees, Test-Optional
• US University Selection: How Nepali Students Shortlist Schools
• SOP Writing Guide for Nepali Students: Format, Tips, AI Rules
• How to Explain a Study Gap for a Student Visa (Nepal Guide)

Sources

• Federal Register of Legislation: ESOS (Calculation of Refund) Specification 2014
• Federal Register of Legislation: Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000
• Australian Government Department of Education: ESOS framework and Tuition Protection Service
• Algonquin College: international student refund policy
• University of Hertfordshire: international students FAQ (refunds)
• GOV.UK / CMA: higher education consumer law advice for providers

Last checked 20 October 2026. This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Your institution’s current written policy is what applies to you.