How to apply for a withdrawal and refund
George Brown College’s international student withdrawal/refund policy complies with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) directives and Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) regulations. All applicants and students who have paid for and accepted an offer and/or registered for a place in a GBC program are subject to this policy. The policy applies to all new and returning, full-time, part-time, and co-op students.
To be eligible or a partial refund, you must complete the ‘online’ request form for Withdrawal & Refund (or deferral/change program) on or before the deadline date.
Your reason(s) for withdrawal must be provided on the Withdrawal/Refund Form. You are required to notify Citizenship & Immigration Canada of a school transfer through MyCIC.
Note: Refund of fees paid by credit card will be returned only to the original credit card used. George Brown College is not liable for any disputes arising from use of another person’s credit card and must be resolved between the applicant and credit card holder.
Please fill out the overpayment refund request form if one of the following situations below applies to you:
- Completing/Completed my program at GBC, with remaining credit in my GBC account;
or - Duplicate payments made due to errors
More information about the Withdrawal/Refund policy
- Deadlines
- Minimum Withdrawal Fees by Session/Semester
- Postponing or Skipping a Session/Semester
- Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Study Permits
- Changing Fee Status From International To Domestic
Deadlines
| English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Program | Postsecondary Programs |
|---|---|
| Day 5 of the 8-week session | Day 10 of the semester |
If a refund request is made within the deadline date, you are entitled to a refund of a portion of the fees paid for the semester or program period, less a non-refundable withdrawal amount.
Minimum Withdrawal Fees by Session/Semester
| English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Program per 8 week session | Postsecondary (Diploma/Certificate/Degree Programs) per semester |
|---|---|
| $675 | $1000 |
Exceptional Withdrawal Policy
Related to the IRCC announcement on September 18, 2024 – In effect to December 31, 2024
On September 18, 2024, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced new requirements related to eligibility for a Post-graduation Work Permit. Applicants who apply for their study permit on or after November 1, 2024 must graduate from a program in specific fields of study that are linked to long-term labour shortages. View the list of George Brown programs that are still eligible for a PGWP.
The following exceptional withdrawal policy is in effect for postsecondary programs, valid up to December 31, 2024:
- Applicants who applied for their study permit on or after November 1, and their program is no longer eligible for PGWP, will be charged a reduced $100 administrative fee*.
*Applicants must submit the withdrawal and refund form by December 31, 2024, to receive the reduced administrative fee.
Note: Applicants who applied for their study permit prior to November 1, or whose program is still eligible for PGWP will be charged the regular withdrawal fee of $1,000. After December 31, all applicants will be charged the regular $1,000 fee (with regular exceptions in place).
Important: If you miss the deadline for withdrawal, you are not eligible to receive a refund.
If your withdrawal request is received after the deadline but is due to a serious medical or family emergency outside of your control, you may appeal to the Office of the Registrar for consideration. Official documentation, such as a doctor’s certificate, is required to substantiate any claim of this nature. Please contact the International Centre for more information.
- If you paid but did not accept your offer or offer expired, you are eligible for a refund, less a $100 non-refundable administrative fee.
- Subsequent semesters paid in advance: you are eligible for a refund, less a $100 non-refundable administrative fee if the request is made before the deadline date and you did not register for the program.
Application Fees
In all cases, the application fee of $110 is non-refundable.
Study Permit Refusal
If you were refused a Study Permit, and have requested a refund within the deadline date, you are eligible for a refund, less a non-refundable administrative fee of $100. You must submit the letter of visa refusal from the Canadian visa office at the same time that a refund is being requested.
Study Permit Processing Delay
If you are unable to come due to a delay in the processing of your study permit, you must withdraw from your program before the deadline date by going to this link: International Accepted Students to avoid being charged the full semester’s fees.
Health Insurance Fees
There are no refunds for Health Insurance fees after the withdrawal deadline date. Refunds may be issued on or before the deadline date if no claims have been made against the plan.
Program Material Fees
Material fees for program materials kits already received by students may not be refundable in some cases. This is determined by individual academic departments.
Postponing or Skipping a Session/Semester
If you are a returning student and decide to continue your program at a later date, please note that IRCC regulations have established new study permit conditions requiring all students to enroll in and actively pursue a course or program of study after arrival in Canada. However, if you have not paid/registered for an upcoming session, you may indicate that you are planning to postpone or skip a semester/session.
If you have paid/registered for the upcoming session or semester, you must withdraw from your program before the deadline period and pay the withdrawal fee. If you fail to withdraw before the deadline, you may be charged full semester fees.
If you decide to return to the College at a later date, you must re-apply by completing a Re-Admission Form, providing your current GBC ID, and submitting to your academic department
R115 English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students
R115 students who pass the GBC Admissions test, providing entry into a post-secondary program, and who withdraw from R115 before the deadline date, will not be charged a withdrawal fee.
R115 students register per 8-week session. Students who are away from the program for:
- 1 to 6 consecutive sessions can register to continue in the program without having to re-apply or re-test
- More than 6 consecutive sessions must re-apply and re-test or submit a valid IELTS/TOEFL/Duolingo score in order to be placed back into the program.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Study Permits
- A postsecondary (not high school) level Study Permit is required before beginning studies at the college level.
- International students are responsible for ensuring that their Study Permit is valid or they have “implied status” while studying at George Brown College. Students whose Study Permits expire after the withdrawal deadline, but before the completion of their academic program - and who have not applied for a permit extension before the expiry date - may not use an expired Study Permit, lack of a Study Permit, lost implied status, or requirement for Study Permit restoration as a basis for a refund request after the refund deadline date has passed.
- Because students holding Study Permits received their permit based on a Letter of Acceptance issued by George Brown College, the College is required to submit to the federal and provincial governments information related to enrolment and/or proof of progress in a program for all international students. Such information sharing will comply with applicable privacy legislation requirements. Any change in study status (e.g., you are no longer studying at the College) will be updated with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) as per the requirements of the International Student Program.
Changing Fee Status From International To Domestic
In certain very specific circumstances (e.g., a student on a parental work permit or submission of specific Permanent Residency documents), students can request a change from international student fee status to domestic. For fee changes to be approved and take effect all required documentation must be submitted prior to the start of term/program. If documents are received part way through a semester, changes can only be made to future terms and not retroactively.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
I started my program in January or May, do I need to study for the 2nd semester? Can I take a break?
From an academic standpoint, you may be able to take a break, but you would have to confirm with your academic department to enquire when the second semester is offered again.
However, this may not be considered a scheduled break and, therefore, as per Canadian immigration regulations, you would not be eligible to work off-campus during the break. It may also cause issues from a study permit perspective; under the “must actively pursue” clause all study permit holders in Canada must actively pursue studies. This means that:
- if you hold a study permit, you must remain enrolled and make reasonable and timely progress towards completing your program; and
- failing to do so could lead to your removal from Canada
George Brown College is required to report on a biannual basis to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on your continued enrolment status. You may also be asked by an immigration officer to provide evidence of your continued enrolment status. Please check with the International Centre to confirm your individual status. Visit https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada.html for more information
Scheduled breaks are points in the year when you are not required to be in class, such as May-August for most September start programs (exception three-semester post-graduate certificates and some co-op programs). If your program requires you to be registered and in-class for that semester, taking it off would not be considered a scheduled break.
I would like to drop one course because of an exemption or because I want to take it in another semester, will I get a refund for that one course?
If a student drops one course but maintains full-time status, they do not receive a refund for the course that they dropped or are exempted from. Full-time status is defined as students who are enrolled full-time taking 66 and 2/3% of the required courses for their program/block, or 70% of the program contact hours (defined as instructional or classroom time) in any given semester. It is always a good idea to meet with your academic department before you drop a course, to make sure that there won’t be any impacts on future semesters or if you get an exemption to see if you may be able to pick up another course to take in its place. You can confirm with the Registration Office regarding your full-time status.
How soon can I receive my refund?
During peak periods, we receive a high volume of refund requests, and, therefore, unfortunately, the processing time is about 6 weeks. Refunds are issued by the GBC Finance Department and not the International Centre. We try our best to get refunds out as quickly as possible. It is important for students to provide us with complete information so that we can ensure that there are no delays in processing refunds.
Can I pick up the refund cheque in person?
Due to the high volume of refund requests, all cheques are mailed out to students directly. Please make sure that your address is updated in Stu-View to ensure that it is mailed to the correct address. You must notify the International Centre immediately of any changes to your mailing address.
Last Revised: February 27, 2019
