Requesting a refund

On this page:
Direct deposit bank account information  | Refund procedure  |  Important Considerations  |   Credit Balances Due to US Loans

You may request a refund if you have a credit balance over $2 or you may leave the funds on your account for a future term at which point they will be automatically applied against any new charges.  Refund requests can only be submitted by students, even if guests or parents are making the payments.

We strongly encourage you to enter your banking information via the Student Accounts menu of Minerva in order to facilitate direct deposit of any refunds due to you. Refunds can be issued by cheque, however the cost of this process requires the University to charge $10 for refunds under $100, and $20 for refunds  $100 and over. In the event that the refund is due to a US government loan, which must be accepted via Minerva and endorsed by the borrower and the University, the charge for a refund cheque is waived. If you have already set up direct deposit, then this precludes a refund by cheque, unless there are specific circumstances to warrant it.

Direct deposit bank account information

Note that if a refund by direct deposit is returned to McGill by our bank, due to incorrect bank account information being entered, then the refund will be re-credited to the student fee account and a fine of $45.00 will be charged.  You will be informed by email that you need to update your bank account information and request another refund.  To help avoid the $45.00 bank error fee, please speak with your bank or enter your bank account number as shown on your cheque - refer to this sample image below to find your bank account number:

Please double check your bank account information before submitting it, and avoid these common errors (as any information provided by a bank representative may differ from what is required in the Minerva system):

• Don't "add a zero" to the end of your bank account number.  The bank account number must remain in tact.
• Don't omit the last digit of your bank account number.  The bank account number must remain in tact.
• Don't assume that your bank account number is only 6 digits, as bank account numbers may vary from one institution to an other.
• Don't enter your debit card number instead of your bank account number.
• Don't include your transit number in the account number (this is valid for some banks, invalid for others).
• Don't simply copy the bank account information as shown in your online banking page. Some banks (e.g. Caisse populaire) do not include the full account number in your online banking.

Refund procedure

The Refund Request Form is available via Minerva. You can access the on-line form as follows:

1. Select Student Accounts Menu
2. Select Refund Request Menu
3. Create a new Refund Request

Once your form is submitted, you will receive an email notification containing the key elements of your request and a reference number. You will have the opportunity to print and/or save a copy for your records. Refunds will be processed on a first-come-first-served basis, except when the refund is due to a US loan being cashed, as these refunds typically have a priority status.

To facilitate the refund process, we recommend that you supply direct deposit banking information via Minerva (Canadian banks only). You can view/update bank information for direct deposits in Minerva under the Student Accounts Menu Direct Deposit Bank Account option. Please see the notes above about direct deposit bank account information.

Important Considerations

• Overpayments will automatically be applied against the following term, or can be refunded on request after the course withdrawal deadlines. Interest will not be paid on credit balances.
• Students who have a credit balance on their fee account but also have outstanding library fines will have the amount of the library fine deducted from their fee account. Should there be any question regarding the amount of the fine to be transferred, this should be discussed with the library where the fine was incurred.
• Students who have a credit balance on their fee account and have an overdue loan with the University will have the credit balance automatically applied towards the overdue loan.
• Your request for a refund will be processed as soon as possible. Verification of your account may take some time, especially during peak refund request periods. You should expect that a refund will normally be issued within two weeks of your request. Students with awards may be subject to a waiting period for their refund until the end of course add/drop, as most awards require full-time registration. When refunds are necessary due to balances from previous terms, or scholarships and loans, efforts will be made to expedite the request.
• When an amount remains unclaimed for 10 years from when a student’s fee account had a credit balance, the University will have no obligation to refund the amount.
• Credit amounts less than $30 that remain unclaimed on a student’s account will be written off when there has been no activity for more than two consecutive terms. Students who wish to donate their credits to McGill University can do so by submitting the Refund Request Form in Minerva and selecting that option.
• If a student has paid their account by wire transfer and then cancels their registration, the credit may be refunded to the originating bank account by wire transfer. In the case where the payment was made through Convera or CIBC International Student Pay, we may return the credit back through those services to the account that sent the original funds. If that is not possible, we will ask you for banking information for the return by wire to the originating country. In these cases the cost of this process requires the University to charge $10 for refunds under $100, and $20 for refunds $100 and over; the student will assume this cost.
• Funds transferred to McGill should be for tuition, fees and other charges in the student fee account, not exceeding the annual amount.
• Funds should not be sent to McGill for living expenses for the student.
• McGill reserves the right to hold funds for a subsequent term, if what was sent is more than what is owed.
• Your student fee account is not a bank account, and should not be used as a way for someone to transfer money to you. Money sent to McGill is strictly for charges billed through your student fee account.
• Credit balances can result from overpayments, awards, and dropped courses. Credit balances will automatically be applied against future charges or may be refunded upon request after the course withdrawal deadlines. If the payment on the account was originally received from outside of Canada we may ask you for your bank account information so that the credit may be returned by wire to the originating country. Wire transfer costs will be deducted from your credit balance.
• Interest will not be paid on credit balances. Students are encouraged to verify their balance in Minerva.

Credit Balances Due to US Loans

If the disbursement of a US Direct Loans, Parent Plus Loan, or Grad Plus Loan into your student fee account results in a credit (negative balance), refunds of these credit balances will be processed within 14 days after the Withdrawal with Full Refund deadline. The refunds will be processed as follows:

• If a student has entered his/her banking information via the Student Accounts menu of Minerva, the refund will be completed by Direct Deposit. Otherwise, the refund will be a cheque in Canadian funds mailed to the mailing address on file with the University.
• For the refund of a credit balance to the Parent Plus borrower: a cheque in Canadian funds will be mailed to the borrower at the address on the PLUS Loan Master Promissory Note.

You may also request a refund of the excess funds prior to the Withdrawal with Full Refund deadline. Refund requests for credits due to these types of loans will be considered a high priority. However, due to the time delay of when the University disburses the loans into your student fee account and when the University is reimbursed from the US Treasury, your refund will be delayed up to 5 business days from the date of your request. Refunds can only be issued in Canadian dollars.

Alternative US loans will continue to be received in cheque format and will require dual endorsement by the borrower and the University. You will receive a notification when the cheques are available for you to go to Service Point to endorse them. Once they are in your student fee account, if they create a credit balance you can request a refund on Minerva.

A credit in your fee account may be the result if you drop a course during the University official course add/drop period, see Important dates for students. Students who drop all courses or withdraw from the University should consult University Withdrawal page for more information.