Student Account Refunds
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If your total amount of financial aid funding (from any combination of grant and loan funds) exceeds the charges on your student account, Penn will generate a student account refund that you can use to spend on indirect education expenses, such as textbooks/supplies, personal expenses, travel, or rent and food costs if you live off campus. Students receiving refunds should carefully budget this funding to ensure they are staying within the allowances in their cost of attendance.
Payments received toward an account that has a $0.00 balance will be reviewed for accuracy and may be returned to the original payer. The University cannot accept excess payment where the intent is to be refunded to the student for personal use. Funds received in this manner will be sent back to the original payer, not the student
Student refunds are produced automatically twice a week during the fall and spring semesters. All other requests for student account refunds will be reviewed and processed by SRFS staff.
You can establish or re-establish your refund profile in Penn.Pay beginning November 3, 2026.
Please do not attempt to establish a new refund profile before November 3rd. Previously saved direct deposit information will be deleted as part of the platform transition, and the new profile setup will not be available until November 3rd.
Yes. Previously saved direct deposit information will not be transferred to the new refund platform.
If you previously enrolled in direct deposit and wish to continue receiving refunds this way, you must establish a new refund profile and re-enter your banking information in Penn.Pay beginning November 3, 2026.
- Log in to Penn.Pay.
- Select Refunds or Refund Account Setup from the top menu. You may also be prompted automatically to complete your refund profile.
- Enter your banking information to establish your direct deposit profile.
Please verify that your refund profile is complete so that your information is available for future refunds.
If you do not establish a refund profile and a student account refund is issued to you, your refund will be delivered through the University's digital check process rather than direct deposit.
You will receive a separate email with instructions for accessing your digital check and choosing how to receive your funds.
You can establish a refund profile in Penn.Pay beginning November 3, 2026, if you prefer direct deposit for future refunds.
A digital check is an electronic method of delivering your student account refund. If you do not have a refund profile established when your refund is issued, you will receive an email with instructions for accessing your refund.
Through the digital check process, you can choose from the following options:
- Direct to Debit Card: Enter your valid U.S Debit Card number.
- Print your check: Print the check and deposit it using mobile deposit or at a bank branch.
Follow the instructions in the digital check email to select your preferred option
Yes. The University uses the digital check process to deliver student account refunds to students who do not have a refund profile established when their refund is issued.
If you are unsure whether a message is legitimate, contact a Mondre Family Student Service Center Counselor at 215-898-1988 or sfsmail@pobox.upenn.edu
International Student Refunds
International students who use our vendor partner FlyWire to make payments will receive their refunds via Flywire.
Other international students without a U.S. bank account will receive their refunds via our vendor partner PayMyTuition. You will receive an email directly from PayMyTuition with instructions on how to receive your funds via wire transfer.
Read more about Penn's vendor relationships with FlyWire and PayMyTuition on our wire transfer page.
Managing Your Refund
Your refund, along with your expected family contribution (EFC) and work-study earnings, are meant to cover your unbilled educational expenses. It can be overwhelming to receive a large lump sum of money at the beginning of the semester. Please remember that this student account refund, in combination with any other sources of funding, should last you the duration of the semester.
