University of the People Return Policy
Every return window, fee, and holiday extension for University of the People — pulled from the retailer's own policy page and linked below so you can confirm it yourself.
Georgia residents get an explicit 3-business-day full refund window on the application fee by law; everyone else only gets a refund if they withdraw before a decision is made, which on a rolling-admission timeline can happen faster than you'd expect.
Policy at a glance
- Return window
- Application fee refundable only if withdrawn before an admissions decision (processed within 30 days)
- Return shipping
- Not applicable — online tuition-free university, no physical shipping
- Free returns
- No - fee deducted
- Restocking fee
- None — the $60 application fee is nonrefundable once an admissions decision has been made; per-course assessment fees ($120 undergraduate, $240 graduate) are also non-refundable and are charged after the 5th week of each term
- Holiday extension
- None published
- Category
- General
Can’t be returned: Application fee once an admissions decision is made; course assessment fees once charged
Time-sensitive items: Georgia residents get a stricter but more generous 3-business-day window for a full refund of the application fee, separate from the general 'before decision' rule
Why University of the People earned a B+
About University of the People
Tuition-free bachelor's, associate's, and master's degrees delivered entirely online are what set University of the People apart from a typical for-profit or state school — you pay only modest per-course assessment fees rather than semester tuition bills. Programs run from computer science and business administration to health science and education, plus certificate tracks built with IBM and in game design.
Because there's no tuition to refund, the real money question is the $60 application fee, which comes back only if you withdraw before an admissions decision is made — after that, it's gone. Georgia residents get a legal carve-out guaranteeing a full refund if they cancel within three business days of paying, a protection the rest of the country doesn't have.
What they sell
- Tuition-free Associate's and Bachelor's degrees (Business Administration, Computer Science, Health Science, General Studies)
- Master's degrees (Business Administration, Information Technology, Education)
- Certificate programs (IBM SkillsBuild, Game Design)
Frequently asked questions
What is University of the People's return window?
Application fee refundable only if withdrawn before an admissions decision (processed within 30 days)
Does University of the People offer free returns?
No - fee deducted
How much does University of the People charge for return shipping?
Not applicable — online tuition-free university, no physical shipping
Does University of the People charge a restocking fee?
None — the $60 application fee is nonrefundable once an admissions decision has been made; per-course assessment fees ($120 undergraduate, $240 graduate) are also non-refundable and are charged after the 5th week of each term
Does University of the People extend its return window for the holidays?
None published
What items cannot be returned to University of the People?
Application fee once an admissions decision is made; course assessment fees once charged
Also known as
university of the people, uopeople.edu, uopeople
Return-policy data is compiled from University of the People’s public customer-service pages by Thrifle AI, our in-house research system. Policies change often and we can be out of date — always confirm on University of the People’s official site before purchase. Spotted something wrong? Tell usand we’ll fix it.