Payment Policies

$100 Application Fee

A $100 nonrefundable application fee is required for all on-campus programs. This fee is used to ship the Form I-20 to your country and to process your paperwork. If a second shipment is needed (for example, in the case of a deferral), an additional payment may be required depending on the situation.

Tuition and Fees Payment

All UNCW tuition and fees must be paid before the program start date. Payment plans may be available in special circumstances. Details concerning payment plans must be approved by the ELC director before the program start date.

ELC Cancellation and Refund Policy

• 60+ days before the program start date: No cancellation fee.
• 30-59 days before the program start date: Student is responsible for 50% of tuition and fees.
• Less than 30 days before the program start date or no-show: Student is responsbile for 100% of tuition and fees. No refunds will be issued. 

Payment and Cancellation Policy for Online Programs

You will receive an invoice 4 weeks before the program start date and will have 30 days to pay it. If you wish to withdraw your application, you can do so without any penalties by notifying the ELC in writing at least 31 days before the program start date. If you do not cancel 31 days in advance, or if you submit your application less than 31 days before the program start date, you will be responsible for all program fees.

Note: if you enter the US using UNCW ELC’s I-20 you must begin classes as scheduled. If you do not begin classes as scheduled, or you ask for an immediate transfer to another program, you will still have to pay full tuition and fees.

ELC Referral Program

Current and former ELC students who refer others to the ELC will receive a complimentary UNCWorld hoodie when the referred student submits a complete application. Additionally, the referred student may have their $100 application fee waived. The referred student must contact elc@uncw.edu before submitting the application to qualify for the fee waiver. Application fees are non-refundable and cannot be waived after an application is submitted. The referred student must include the name of the referring student in their response to the question, "How did you hear about the ELC program?" on their application.

If the referred student successfully enrolls in the ELC program, the referring student is eligible to receive a $300 discount on a future 16-week or 8-week ELC program. This $300 referral bonus will be applied as a scholarship to the referring student’s E-bill after the referred student’s program costs have been paid in full and on time.

To be eligible for a referral scholarship:

• The referred student must be accepted into a 16-week ELC program at UNCW.
• The referred student must pay their E-bill program costs on time before the due date.
• The referring student must be accepted to continue with another 16-week or 8-week ELC program at UNCW, either in the same semester as the referred student, or a later semester.
• The referring student may refer up to five (5) total students to the ELC, receiving up to $1,500 in referral scholarships in total per lifetime.
• If the referring student has paid their E-bill in full, the referral scholarship will be issued as a refund from the Cashier’s Office. This may be issued as an e-refund or as a paper check, depending on how the student is set up to receive refunds. If the refund is issued as a check, the student must be physically present to pick up the check from the Warwick Center and able to deposit the check in a bank account.