The University of Virginia cannot pay funds directly to your study abroad institution or program. It is your responsibility to pay all study abroad costs to your host institution.
Per federal regulations, financial aid funds cannot be disbursed to you any earlier than 10 days prior to the beginning of your study abroad program, and no earlier than 10 days prior to the beginning of each UVA term. This means that you may be required to pay all or a portion of your study abroad costs up front if your program requires advance payment. Some study abroad programs offer payment delay forms that allow the deferment of your program fees that will be covered by pending financial aid. Check with your host institution or program directly for these options. Summer Study Abroad and January Term disbursement dates are based upon the start date for your program.
Please note that students (especially students from out-of-state) who receive need-based financial aid may notice that their award is lower for their study abroad term than for terms they are on-Grounds. Many study abroad programs cost less than studying on-Grounds. As such, the student's cost of attendance--and therefore their financial need--is lower and their aid is adjusted accordingly. Any student who wants to understand what their financial aid for a specific study abroad program will look like is strongly encouraged to consult with Student Financial Services directly long in advance of the date by which they must commit to a program.
Once your financial aid for your study abroad term is disbursed to your student account, any credits will be refunded to you directly. If you have signed up for direct deposit with UVA’s Payroll Office, your refund will be electronically transferred to the designated checking or savings account. Please note that paper refund checks are made payable to the student and require the student’s endorsement.
On average, the timeline for direct deposit refunds is 3-5 business days. If you do not have direct deposit set up with UVA, your refund will be mailed as a paper check to the current address you have listed in SIS. On average, paper refunds take 7-10 business days to process. Your financial aid refund check is intended to be used to pay for educational costs related to your study abroad program.
To check on the status of your financial aid disbursement and refund, log in to your UVAPay account and select Account Activity for a real time view of your student account transactions.