Refunds and Taxes
Student Refunds
UNC at Asheville adheres to all Federal and State regulations and guidelines when processing student refund checks. Student refunds are not available each semester until the first day of classes at the earliest. Availability of a refund check is determined by disbursement of funds to the student’s account. The University does not advance funds in anticipation of aid being received. Students will be notified by email when a refund check is available to be picked up. Refund checks that are not picked up within two weeks will be mailed to the student’s address on file.
Receiving Refunds
ePayments
Skip a trip to the bank and receive your refunds the secure, convenient way. Students now have the option to set up direct deposit to receive Electronic Refunds directly into their bank account. Students will also need to enroll in two-step verification to ensure that any changes made to their refund account are made by them.
Setting Up Direct Deposit Refunds
- Log in to OnePort
- Go to ePayments (located under Financial Aid and Payments)
- Click on the Refund Account Setup
- Click on Security Settings in My Profile to enroll in Two-Step Verification
- Once completed, select Refunds and Set Up Account to enter bank information.
Financial Aid and Refunds
Financial Aid and Refunds
When financial aid is disbursed to a student’s account, it is applied to the student’s account balance. If there is a credit remaining after all tuition and fees are paid, the student’s account is reviewed to determine if the credit should be refunded to the student. If it is determined that the credit should be refunded, the refund process will begin and “Student Refund” will show on the account, making the balance $0. This usually occurs 3-5 business days after the aid is placed on the student’s account.
As refunds are often the result of overpayment due to financial aid, in the event that a student withdraws or reduces their enrolled hours, their financial aid award may also be reduced, creating a balance owed to the University. Student refunds are issued on or after the first day of classes each semester.
Students with financial aid expecting to receive a refund must complete the Financial Aid Disbursement Authorization Form in OnePort. Financial Aid Authorizations is listed under the menu on the left under Financial Aid and Payments. If the form cannot be located in OnePort, you may download the paper form here and submit it to our office.
Refunds can be delivered two different ways:
- Enroll in Direct Deposit eRefunds in OnePort. View the eRefund Direct Deposit Instructions here. This is the preferred, faster method.
- If you don’t enroll in direct deposit, your refund check will be sent to your mailing address on file. Ensure your mailing address is correct in OnePort.
- If you would like your refund check sent to a different mailing address, please complete the Refund Request Form online.
Credit Balances Due to Overpayment
If a student account has a credit balance that is not the result of financial aid, the student must request a refund if one is desired. Otherwise, the credit balance will remain on the student’s account and be applied to future charges. Students may request a refund by completing the Refund Request Form online.
Payments made by credit/debit cards will be refunded back to the applicable card.
Parent PLUS Loan Refunds
All credit balances due to a Parent PLUS Loan will be refunded to the PLUS Loan borrower unless they indicate on the PLUS loan application that the funds should be issued to the student. Any credit to a student’s account with a Parent Plus Loan will be viewed as resulting from the Parent Plus Loan and refunded as indicated on the PLUS loan application. Please be advised that if the credit is to be refunded to the PLUS Loan borrower, it typically takes two weeks from the first day of classes (or disbursement date if funds posted after classes start) for the check to be mailed.
If the PLUS Loan borrower would prefer that we issue the refund to the student, they can send an email to studentaccounts@unca.edu from the email on the PLUS application indicating they would like us to make that change.
Tax Forms
The 1098-T Form (Student Tuition Statement) is an informational document provided by UNC Asheville that show payments as well as scholarships and grants received for qualified tuition and fees charged during the calendar year. The information on the 1098-T form complies with IRS regulations.
It is an information tax document to aid taxpayers in determining whether they are eligible to claim a tax deduction or one of the education tax credits on their federal income tax return. The IRS requires schools to report payments received for qualified tuition and fees during the calendar year in Box 1 on Form 1098-T, as well as scholarships and grants received on behalf of the student in Box 5.
The dollar amounts reported on your Form 1098-T may assist you in completing IRS Form 8863, the form used for calculating the education tax credits that a taxpayer may claim as part of your tax return.
Note: The reporting of scholarships and grants on Form 1098-T does not determine the taxability of those payments. Its purpose is not to report scholarship income to the IRS. UNC Asheville cannot provide tax advice. If you have questions, we recommend that you refer to the IRS webpage (Education Credits or Instructions for Forms 1098-T) or seek the counsel of a tax professional.
Click here for more detailed information on the information provided on the 1098-T form.
Please be aware that the date that transactions are posted to your student account determines the year that they will show on a 1098-T. For example, if you paid for the Spring 2025 term in December of 2024, those payments were included on the 1098-T form for 2024 instead of the 2025 even though the tuition is for the Spring 2022 term. The same is true for scholarships and grants. Scholarships and grants will be considered for 1098-T reporting based on the date they are posted to the student’s account. This may mean that tuition and fees will be reported in one year and scholarships and grants for the same semester will be reported in the following year because of the date these posted to the student’s account.
The University is not required to provide a 1098-T for students whose qualified tuition and related expenses are waived or paid entirely with scholarships or grants.
1098-T forms will be mailed by January 31, 2025 and are available in OnePort.
Students not eligible for a 1098-T form because their scholarships/grants are more than charges billed, will need to review their student account activity, view the unofficial 1098-T in OnePort, or request a student account summary by completing this request form.
The process to access the electronic 1098-T version is simple. Just follow these steps:
- Go to oneport.unca.edu
- Enter your User Name and Password
- Click on “Banner Self Service”
- Click on “Student”
- Scroll Down and click on “Tax Notification”
- Enter the Tax Year you want, and click on “Submit”
If you no longer have access to OnePort, you should complete this request form to request a current or prior year 1098-T form. These request will be reviewed and processed weekly.
UNC Asheville is not required to issue a 1098-T to students whose qualified tuition and related expenses are entirely waived or paid with scholarships or grants (when Box 5 is equal to or greater than Box 1). Students also must have their Social Security number on file with UNC Asheville in order to receive a 1098-T.
Please remember that the 1098-T form is an informational document only and UNC Asheville cannot provide tax advice. If you have questions regarding your 1098-T, we encourage you to consult with your tax adviser before choosing a course of action. For additional information about education tax credits, see the IRS website: Education Credits or Instructions for Forms 1098-T, the current versions of IRS Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education, or Form 8863.
Specific questions regarding your 1098-T information should be addressed to 828.251.6664 or studentaccounts@unca.edu.
Withholding is the amount of tax that UNC Asheville deducts from a foreign national payment and submits directly to the IRS. The amount of withholding is 14% on the amount of scholarships that exceed eligible charges.
Pursuant to United States tax code rules we complete a review of student accounts for the tax each semester. We calculate tax applicable to the amount of scholarships exceed eligible charges (tuition and fees – not including housing, meal plan, or fines).
Eligible students will receive a 1042-S for tax purposes in March reflecting the tax withheld.
In order to comply with the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, UNC Asheville must submit information to the Internal Revenue Service each year for every student who attends the University and has earned academic credit. The information that is submitted to the IRS includes the tuition and qualified expenses billed to the student’s account and any grants or scholarships credited to the student’s account. The Internal Revenue Service works only with social security numbers, therefore, we send a request for this information via a W-9S form to all students whose social security number is not already on file with the University.
Withdrawing From UNC Asheville
Students who find that they must withdraw from the University need to officially withdraw during the drop/add week by dropping all courses online via OnePort and completing the Enrollment Notification form online. A student is not “officially withdrawn” from the University until the Academic Success Center has received the form.
Students who find that they must withdraw from the University after the drop/add week has passed need to submit a Complete Withdrawal Form. Failure to complete the appropriate form and to “Officially” withdraw from the University may affect the student’s financial aid award, their academic record and their student account balance. Students who wish to discuss the academic consequence of a change in enrollment status at the university should contact the Academic Success Center.
| Official Withdrawal Completed During | Refund | Last Date for Fall 2025 | Last Date for Spring 2026 |
| First week of classes (Drop/Add) | 100% | 08/24/25 | 01/19/26 |
| Second Week of Classes | 90% | 08/31/25 | 01/28/26 |
| Third Week of Classes | 70% | 09/07/25 | 02/04/26 |
| Fourth Week of Classes | 50% | 09/14/25 | 02/11/26 |
| Fifth Week of Classes | 30% | 09/21/25 | 02/18/26 |
| Sixth Week of Classes | 15% | 09/28/25 | 02/25/26 |
| Withdrawal after the Sixth Week of Class | NO REFUND | NO REFUND | NO REFUND |
Note: Once the drop/add period ends, a student must completely withdraw from the University to receive a refund. Summer withdrawals are refunded based on a shorter refund schedule.
Return of Federal Title IV and State Funds When a Student Withdraws
Title IV funds include Federal Unsubsidized and Subsidized Stafford Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal PLUS Loans, Federal Graduate PLUS Loans, Federal Pell Grants, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG). Federal Work Study is excluded from this procedure. State funds include Education lottery Scholarship, UNC Need Based Grant, UNC Campus Scholarships, and NC School of Science and Math Grant.
The federal and state mandated Return of Funds Policy governs the return of Title IV and state funds disbursed to a student when the student withdraws from the university during the semester. The Financial Aid Office does the calculation of the amount of Title IV funds that must be returned. The amount returned is based on the number of days attended at the time that the student withdraws from the University.
The student will be notified of the amount returned to Department of Education and the State of North Carolina. If the return creates a balance on the student’s UNC Asheville student account, the student will be sent a bill for their student account balance from the Student Accounts Office.
Partial Withdraw from Classes
The refund policy applies to complete withdrawals from UNC Asheville. If a student withdraws from a class (after the drop/add period) but does not completely withdraw from all classes there is no reduction of charges on the student’s account and no refund to the student.
Any questions about this policy should be referred to the Student Accounts Office at studentaccounts@unca.edu or (828) 251-6664.
Contact Us
We are always available, during these hours, to answer your questions in-person, by phone, or by email. No appointment is needed. We are happy to assist with answers about your balance, payments, holds, charges, refunds and bills. The Student Accounts office is located on the bottom floor of Ramsey Library in room 003 by the Academic Success Center.
Office Hours: Monday – Friday: 9am – 4:00pm
003 Ramsey Library, CPO 1565
One University Heights
Asheville, NC 28804
Phone: (828) 251-6664
Email: studentaccounts@unca.edu