UGC Fee Refund Policy: How Much a University Must Refund When You Cancel Admission

Paid a university and changed your mind? UGC rules decide how much you get back and how fast. Most students never read them, and some universities count on that.

Short answer: UGC requires every university to refund fees when a student cancels or withdraws admission. The current rule is the UGC Fee Refund Policy 2024-25, which UGC confirmed on 27 October 2025 stays in force for later sessions until it issues a new one. It gives a full refund up to a cut-off date, a small processing deduction for a short period after, and then the 2018 UGC refund table, which ties your refund to how close you withdraw to the last date of admission. The university must pay within 15 days of your written application.

What does the UGC fee refund policy say?

The Commission adopted the 2024-25 policy at its 580th meeting on 15 May 2024 and sent it to universities on 12 June 2024. Its core rule overrides anything in a prospectus or schedule: a full refund for every cancellation of admission or migration up to 30 September 2024, and a refund with a processing deduction of not more than Rs 1,000 up to 31 October 2024.

For any admission schedule that runs past that cut-off, the policy points to the UGC notification of October 2018 on refund of fees. On 27 October 2025, UGC wrote to universities that the 2024-25 policy remains in force for later sessions, with a cut-off date of 31 October 2025, until it issues a new policy. We found no newer policy on ugc.gov.in when we checked on 26 October 2026.

The policy overrides the prospectus. A "no refund" line in a brochure does not cancel a UGC rule.

How much do you get back? The 2018 UGC table

This is the table most students actually fall under, because it covers admission schedules that run beyond the fixed cut-off dates. Your refund depends on when the university receives your written notice of withdrawal, measured against the formally notified last date of admission.

One deduction applies to the first row only. In the 100 per cent case, the university may keep processing charges of not more than 5 per cent of the fees paid, capped at Rs 5,000. Caution money and security deposits are not fees, so they come back in full in every row.

Does the refund policy cover online degrees?

The policy names who it applies to: universities established under a central or state law, institutions recognised under the UGC Act, deemed universities and affiliated colleges. It does not exclude online or distance programmes. It also covers organisations that run counselling or collect fees on behalf of universities, and it makes the university responsible for the refund in that case.

There is a second layer for online learners. The UGC ODL and Online regulations of 2020 require each university to publish, in advance, the percentage of tuition fee and other charges refundable on withdrawal and the time and manner of refund. So read the refund clause on the university's website before you pay, and keep a screenshot with the date.

How do you claim a refund?

1. Write to the university. Send a written withdrawal and refund request by email and, if possible, by post. Quote your application number and the date and amount paid.
2. Note the date it was received. Both the refund percentage and the 15-day payment clock run from the date the university receives your written notice.
3. Ask for originals back. UGC prohibits universities from keeping original certificates. They may verify them at admission and must return them immediately.
4. Follow up after 15 days. If the money has not arrived, write again and cite the UGC Fee Refund Policy and the 15-day rule.
5. Escalate as a grievance. Delay in, or denial of, a refund due to a student is listed as a grievance under the UGC (Redressal of Grievances of Students) Regulations, 2023. Use the university's grievance mechanism first, then escalate to UGC.

If you paid through an agent or a "counselling" company, the policy still makes the university responsible. That is one more reason to pay only through the university's official channel. UGC also bars franchise arrangements for online and distance admissions, as our DEB ID guide explains.

What happens to a university that breaks the policy?

UGC states that any institution violating the refund policy is liable for punitive action under Clause 5 of its October 2018 notification. In its October 2025 notice it also asked universities to stick to the cut-off dates in each year's policy, from 2021-22 to 2024-25, to settle old pending cases.

For a student, the practical leverage is the written record. A dated request, a received date and a citation of the policy turn a refund from a favour into an obligation.

Before you pay any fee

• Check the institution is not on the UGC fake universities list. A fake body will not follow any refund rule.
• Check the programme is entitled for your session. Our guide on how to check UGC-DEB approval shows how.
• Find the notified last date of admission and the university's published refund clause.
• Pay only to the university's own account and keep every receipt.

If you are still choosing, you can compare universities side by side or read whether an online degree is valid in India.

Sources

• UGC, Fee Refund Policy 2024-25, D.O. No. F.2-71/2022 (CPP-II), 12 June 2024 (580th Commission meeting, 15 May 2024): ugc.gov.in
• UGC, Fee Refund Policy for Academic Session 2025-26, notice of 27 October 2025: ugc.gov.in
• UGC Notification on Refund of Fees and Non-Retention of Original Certificates, October 2018 (reproduced in the above)
• UGC (Redressal of Grievances of Students) Regulations, 2023: ugc.gov.in
• UGC (ODL Programmes and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020, prospectus disclosure on refunds: deb.ugc.ac.in/Regulations

Last verified against UGC notices on 26 October 2026. UGC can replace this policy at any time. Confirm the current policy on ugc.gov.in before relying on it.