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Our Refund Policy

The British American University makes every effort to ensure that the information provided to applicants about courses of study at the University is correct, complete and adequate.  However, the University reserves the right, at its discretion, and for any reason deemed fitting or necessary, to make changes or cancellations, without notice, for the courses mentioned therein. The British American University cannot accept liability for loss resulting from such changes or cancellations.

An admission place is offered to a student subject to the students contract condition, which will be incorporated by reference in all contracts between the University and its students, for a course of study or program of research. These terms and conditions contain obligations binding upon the student and the University and which restrict the University’s liability.The British American University has just amended its refund policy for new students planning to join during the ongoing academic session, reflecting the various circumstances under which students may find themselves.  However, the most important aspects of the repackaged refund policy are as follows:

  1. Provisional admission offer holders are eligible for a full tuition fee deposit refund at any point of the admissions process if they have not received a lectureroom from the University and have not yet enrolled for either online or in-person studies,
  2. Students who are granted a student visa, and who travel to any campus of the University and enrol on their program during the normal arrival window for their program, will adhere to the University’s standard policy relating to payments and refunds, which can be collected at the office of the Bursar, 
  3. Students who begin their formal teaching and learning online will receive a full refund of any tuition fee payments made to the University (less a US$250 administration charge) if they are unable to transition to the University campus to continue their studies, but only in the circumstanceswhere a student’s visa application was unsuccessful on any grounds, except where fraudulent documentation was given as a reason for the refusal by the home office; orwhere a student is unable to physically travel to theUniversity campus for reasons outside their control; for example, as a result of travelling restrictions in place either at the place where the University campus is located or in their home countries,
  4. For students who are granted a student visa but subsequently do not travel to the University to enrol, no deposit shall be refunded,

Meanwhile, the following deposit refund policy applies to all  applicants (herein referred to as applicants) irrespective of the type of visa used to request or gain leave to enter the Universitytown or city for the purposes of applying for admission to a program of study at the British American University:

  1. The British American University reserves the right to amend this refund policy, at its discretion, and for any reason deemed fitting or necessary, without notice,
  2. Any refund made will be at the sole discretion of the British American University and will be subject to a us$250 administrative charge, and
  3. The university shall consider all requests for refund of deposit payments on an individual basis.  

However, it is part of the British American University policy that deposit payment refunds shall only be issued in the following instances:

  1. Where an applicant has withdrawn his/her application for study prior to being issued with ascholarship, or;
  2. Where an applicant has applied for leave to enter/remain which has subsequently been refused by the necessary authority, and;
  3. The applicant has provided the University with copies of documents received from the visa office in relation to the refusal, including a transcript of any interview undertaken with the visa office as part of the application for leave to enter/remain,  as requested by the University and as detailed in the refund policy, and;
  4. The applicant can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the University, that he/she has not contributed in any way to the refusal, and
  5. The applicant has followed instructions, issued by the University, in relation to the application for leave to enter/remain, and;
  6. The applicant has submitted a request to the authority for an administrative review, appeal or similar as requested by the University, which has subsequently been rejected, and;
  7. Following the rejection of the request for an administrative review, appeal or similar, the University has deemed that it no longer wishes to sponsor or support a further application for leave to enter/remain, and;
  8. Either no alternative legitimate routes, within the immigration rules, for the applicant to obtain leave to enter or remain in the University campus environment exist to the extent that it would not be possible for the applicants to undertake their chosen programs of study or an alternative, or;
  9. The applicant having satisfied all of the criteria as detailed above wishes to withdraw their application for study.

However, refunds can only be issued to applicants through the original payment method. A panel comprising of staff from the international office within the University and legal services will meet, after each intake has been completed, to review each refund request received from any student whose visa application was refused by the visa office.  It is the responsibility of the studentsto ensure that the panel receive any documentation or evidence they wish to be considered relating to their request for a refund.  The panel may request additional information from third parties, including the home office.  If in the reasonable opinion of the panel, the student has not fulfilled the refund criteria or the circumstances in which a deposit would not normally be refunded have been met, the deposit will not be refundable.For instance, deposit payments will not be refunded in the following circumstances:

  1. Where a visa application is approved by the home office,
  2. Where an applicant successfully gains leave to remain in the University environment,
  3. Where a visa application is refused on the grounds of any fraudulent activity, irrespective of whether or not the applicant contributed to the fraudulent activity,
  4. Where applicants are granted scholarship by the British American University and they do not commence their studies and/or complete the University’s enrolment process,
  5. Where a visa application is refused for any reason and the University deems the applicant contributed towards the refusal. To be considered for a refund, the applicants must follow any instructions given to them by the University, and
  6. Where a visa application is refused and the applicant fails to submit a request to the visa office for an administrative review, appeal or similar, having been advised by the University to do so.

In summary, students who withdraw from the program before enrollment or wthin the first 7 days after enrollment will receive a 100% refund of any paid tuition and fees. If student withdraws after the first class session or after 7 business days from enrollment date, a prorated refund shall not be less than the total amount owed by the student for the portion of the educational program provided subtracted from the amount paid by the student, calculated as follows: The amount owed equals the daily charge for the program (total institutional charge, divided by the number of days or hours in the program), multiplied by the number of days student attended, or was scheduled to attend, prior to withdrawal. 

All refundable amounts paid by the student in excess of what is owed as calculated above shall be refunded. Except as provided herein, all amounts that the student has paid shall be subject to refund unless the enrollment agreement and the refund policy outlined in the catalog specify amounts paid for an application fee or deposit not more than $250.00, books, supplies, or equipment, and specify whether and under what circumstances those amounts are non-refundable. In addition to BAU’s commitment to apply low cost tuition which is usually about 30% of what regularly applied at most of the for-profit postsecondary educational facilities, BAU develops customized financial-aid packages based on student’s level of financial need, and the availability of allocated funds. 

Every student package may include any or a combination of the following major financial aid programs including Gift aid that does not require repayment and is divided into three categories which are Grants that recognize financial need, Scholarship in recognition of academic merit and Awards, Loans, that must be repaid to lender (usually after graduation) and can come from private lenders and university sources when allocated funds are available, and Work-study allows students to earn money for University expenses while gaining valuable skills – often in their intended field. All accepted students are eligible for interest free payment plans without any banking process or credit reviews, 10% immediate discount if tuition is paid in full, and 5% if paid in full within three months from enrollment date and 10% special discount if student is a first relative of a BAU current or graduated student. Textbook recycling program manages used textbooks’ collection and redistribution free of charge. This service helps a wide range of students who may face financial strains purchasing educational materials.