Refund Policies

Refund for Denial / Cancellation or Withdrawal

A student is accepted and enrolled in a course/program with the expectation of attending the entire course/program scheduled. Faculty contracts, learning materials and other Institute resources generate expenses based on that assumption. If an applicant is not accepted by the Institute, or a student does not complete a course/program, tuition refunds are governed by the policy outlined below.

The Institute’s refund policy reflects the adjustment made to charges to the student’s account. This may differ from the student’s eligibility for funding from various sources, which the institution is required to return to the funding agency. Students are responsible for any remaining balance after the refund policy is applied and funds are returned to agencies, such as the Department of Education, the Veterans’ Administration, and the Department of Defense.

Students are encouraged to notify the institution of their intent to cancel or withdraw for timely processing of status updates and refund processing.

Denied Admission and Tuition Refund
An applicant denied admission by the Institute is entitled to a refund of all monies paid. Monies shall be refunded no later than 30 days of the denial date.

Cancellation and Tuition Refund
Cancellation occurs if a student never begins their designated program as indicated on the Enrollment Agreement. SDI’s enrollment deadlines provide for at least five days after signing an Enrollment Agreement prior to any tuition or fee charges to the student’s account. Charges are assessed on the first day of the term start, typically more than three weeks after the enrollment is processed, to allow adequate time to secure funding and receive course materials. In the instance where a student cancels an enrollment agreement after the initial start date or is cancelled by the institution for failure to attend during the first week of the term, any charges will be removed or reversed on the student’s account. Any prepaid monies will be refunded no later than 30 days of the Institute receiving the notice of cancellation.

Withdrawal and Tuition Refunds
SDI is subject to, and must abide by, the refund policies of any agency, or department of the federal government with which it is associated or affiliated. In the event of a conflict between SDI’s Refund Policy and the refund policy of another regulatory agency, the relevant policy may supersede that of the Institute.

Refunds are calculated based on the last date of attendance as determined by academic-related activities. Academic-related activities include:

• Submission of assignment
• Course-related discussions
• Taking and/or submission of exam, quiz, or other assessment
• Any other activity that is categorized as “academically related”

If a refund is due to the student, it will be issued within 30 days of the date of determination of the withdrawal, or the determination of a credit balance after funds are returned to relevant funding agencies. The tuition refund amount shall be determined based on the table shown below. If a student is withdrawn and returns within 1 year of the last date of attendance, the terms of the Enrollment Agreement will be reinstated.

Withdrawal

Official Withdrawal
Students wishing to officially withdraw from SDI should notify Student Services. The date of determination for official withdrawals will be the date the student initiates the withdrawal process or the date indicated as the final day of the term if they are providing advance notice to withdraw after courses are completed. For quality improvement and reporting purposes, SDI may request information from the student regarding their decision to withdraw.

Unofficial Withdrawal
Students in credit-bearing courses/programs are subject to withdrawal if there is no demonstrated academic participation (attendance) for 14 consecutive days. The date of determination will be no later than the 14th day following the last date of attendance.

Military Service Policy
Students withdrawing from a program due to military service requirements must inform their designated Student Success Coach of the date of withdrawal. Documentation of military service must be provided as far in advance as is reasonable under the circumstances of the military service, or it can be provided upon re-enrollment if not available prior. In circumstances where advanced notice is not required due to classified operations or other reasons precluded by military necessity, the student may alternatively provide an attestation of the classified nature of the operations including the dates of such service.

SDI will honor all federal guidelines regarding re-enrollment including the following:

• Students will be re-enrolled with the same satisfactory academic progress status as when they withdrew.
• Students will be re-enrolled in the same program (or most similar program if the same program is no longer available) unless the student selects a different program.
• Students will be re-enrolled at the same point in the program and with the same enrollment status (unless the student chooses a different enrollment status).
• Students will be re-enrolled with the same number of credit hours previously completed unless re-enrolled to a different program where those credits are not transferable.
• Students must also give oral or written notice to their Student Success Coach of their intent to return to the school within three years after the completion of the period of service unless otherwise excused as outlined in the federal guidelines, or will follow the Re-enrollment Policy for Service Members, and the cumulative length of absences for military service cannot exceed five years.

Institutional Refund Calculation

Institutional refund calculations will be done for each course the student has started, but does not complete, which result in a “W” grade. The last date of attendance and the course length determine the percentage credited to the account as indicated on the chart shown below. Refunds are calculated based on actual charges to the student, less any applicable discounts or institutional scholarships. If the refund exceeds the amount paid, the resulting credit balance will be refunded to the appropriate funding agencies and/or the student no later than 30 days of the withdrawal or within 14 days of a credit balance that is created as a result of payments received after the withdrawal. In cases where the refund goes to an agency rather than the student, the institute will issue the refund payment in accordance with the funding agency deadlines. In some cases, agencies have processes that must occur prior to receiving refund payments which may exceed a 30-day period.

1-6 Week Course

Percentage of Refundable Tuition After
1st Week – 70%
2nd Week – 40%
3rd Week – 20%
4th-6th Week – 0%

7-10 Week Course

Percentage of Refundable Tuition After
1st Week – 80%
2nd Week – 60%
3rd Week – 40%
4th Week – 20%
5th-10th Week – 0%

Sample Refund Calculation

For each course, the week of the last academic activity will determine the percentage of refund due.

 

 

Other General Policies