Find out about types of refunds and whether you’re eligible for one.
How to request a refund
See our guidance on:
- tuition fee refunds
- Masters tuition fee deposit refunds
- accommodation refunds
- other credits
- where you cannot continue your course.
Important: If there is an aspect of your student experience that you want to give feedback on, you should follow our complaints and appeals process. You can also view our refunds policy.
Tuition fee refunds
You may receive a refund on your tuition fees if you have made an overpayment. Overpayments can happen if tuition fees are reduced because:
- of a late sponsor notification
- there is fee waiver
- you intermit or permanently withdraw from your studies.
If you withdraw from your studies
If you intermit or withdraw from your studies, we can only apply fee adjustments once the right paperwork has been completed and processed.
If you have not yet completed this paperwork, contact:
- the Student Centre if you are an undergraduate or Masters student
- the Research Student Administration Office if you are studying a PhD.
Find out more about fee adjustments if you are withdrawing from Sussex.
Masters tuition fee deposit refunds
If you’re an international student who paid a deposit for a postgraduate course, we only offer refunds in limited circumstances.
We do not give refunds if you change your mind and decide you no longer want to take up your place.
We only issue a refund if:
- you request a refund within 14 days of the deposit being paid; or
- we cancel the course in the year for which you have accepted an offer and paid the tuition fee deposit; or
- we are unable, for reasons outside of our control, to issue a CAS; or
- you have been refused a visa by the UK government (unless the reason was for a clear error or omission you made in your application, such as supplying false documents). Any refund request must include the visa refusal letter issued by the Home Office as evidence.
Find out more about Masters tuition fee deposits for international applicants.
Accommodation refunds
You may be able to request a refund if you have made an accommodation overpayment. Accommodation overpayments can happen when you move out of University-managed accommodation early or move into a room with a lower rate.
Once you have arranged this with the Housing Office your account will be updated. When you see a credit on your student account you can email studentaccounts@sussex.ac.uk to request a refund.
Other credits
You may occasionally find you have a credit on your student account. These credits may relate to housing compensation or reimbursements, or the overpayment of ancillary charges (for example, if a key charge or library charge is cancelled).
Credits from compensation reimbursements will be refunded by bank transfer to a UK bank account.
Make sure your UK bank account number and sort code are up-to-date in Sussex Direct (within the Personal and Financial sections) before you contact studentaccounts@sussex.ac.uk to request the payment.
Printer credits
To request a printer credit refund, email support@its.sussex.ac.uk.
Graduation tickets
Check the graduation website for details about graduation ticket refunds and what to do if you cannot attend your ceremony.
Where we cannot continue your course
In exceptional circumstances a course may get cancelled by the University or it may not be possible to continue delivering a course if there is a loss of accreditation. In these circumstances, and where all other options have been exhausted (such as a transfer to an alternative course), we will refund tuition fees paid. If you have expenses which would otherwise not have been incurred (such as travel to the UK) we will consider applications for compensation so you’re not financially disadvantaged by the inability to complete your studies.
How you get your refund
How you receive your refund depends on how you originally paid.
Credit or debit cards
If you paid by card, your refund goes back to the card used to make the original payment. You do not need to provide your card details in this instance.
Make sure you provide a valid contact email address when you request your refund, so we can contact you if necessary.
UK bank account transfers
Refunds of payments originally made by UK bank transfer, or in cash, will be refunded by bank transfer to a UK bank account.
If the payment was made by you, make sure your UK bank account number and sort code are entered onto your Sussex Direct account. To enter your bank details sign into your Sussex Direct account:
- choose the ‘Personal’ tab
- select ‘Financial’ from the drop down menu
- on the Financial page, click ‘Bank Account’ button
- choose ‘Add’
- enter your eight digit UK account number and six digit sort code
- click save.
If you’re an international student, you can find out how to open a UK bank account.
If the payment was made by a third party, ask them to email studentaccounts@sussex.ac.uk with their UK account number and sort code. These details must come directly from the person who made the payment or from an appropriate person within the organisation responsible for payment. We may more information to authenticate identification, so make sure you provide a valid contact email address when you request your refund.
Overseas bank account transfers
If you paid by international bank transfer, refunds will be returned to the same overseas account.
We will need the following details:
- bank account and/or IBAN number
- the bank’s BIC or Swift code
- name of the bank
- address of the bank
- currency of the account
- home or correspondence address of the account holder, as held by the bank.
If the payment was made by a third party, they will need to email these details to studentaccounts@sussex.ac.uk. This information must come directly from the person who made the payment, or from an appropriate person within the organisation responsible for the payment. We may need to request more information to authenticate identification, so please provide a valid contact email address when you request your refund.
Refunds to banks outside the UK may incur a charge.
Our refund policy
Refunds made by the University are governed by a strict set of policies and procedures, to ensure that financial and Money Laundering Regulations are adhered to.
Where possible, all refunds will be returned to the person or organisation that made the original payment. Refunds will be made using the same method as the original payment. Any cash payments made up to the value of £500 will be refunded by bank transfer and you will be asked to provide bank details.
The University is not a banking institution and cannot transfer or refund maintenance payments to a student. Any payments made to the University for the purpose of maintenance will be transferred back to the original payee, who will then need to make a payment directly to the student. The only exception to this is for students in receipt of US Federal Aid.
We will make all efforts to process refunds within seven days of receipt of all required information. However, please allow up to four weeks for any refund payment to arrive in your bank account.
In some cases we will need to contact you to obtain further information or payment details before we can complete a refund. For larger refunds we may require additional information, including bank statements and photographic ID. Please ensure you provide a valid email address when you request your refund to enable us to contact you if necessary.
When a payment has been made by a third party we may need to speak to them directly to confirm details and obtain payment information. Please provide an appropriate email address for the third party, as the information must come directly from the person who made the original payment.
Where refunds are being returned to an overseas bank card or bank account, the University is unable to refund any shortfalls due to exchange rate fluctuations, or offer compensation for any bank or other charges incurred.
Refunds may be withheld if you are in debt to the University.