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Changing your mind about a college is common when counselling rounds and results overlap. How much money comes back depends mostly on one date: the day your written withdrawal reaches the institution.
Which rules decide how much you get back?
For universities, affiliated colleges and deemed universities, the UGC notification on refund of fees (October 2018) applies. UGC's fee refund policy for 2024-25 also covers bodies that run counselling or collect fees on behalf of colleges, and stays in force until UGC revises it.
For IIT, NIT and other seats allotted through JoSAA, the JoSAA business rules for 2026-27 apply. State and medical counselling bodies publish their own refund terms, so read the bulletin for your round.
How much fee is refunded when you withdraw admission?
The UGC 2018 notification sets five tiers, counted from the formally notified last date of admission:
100% if your notice reaches the college 15 days or more before the last date
90% if it arrives less than 15 days before
80% if it arrives up to 15 days after
50% if it arrives 16 to 30 days after
0% after that
In the 100% tier, the college may keep a processing charge of no more than 5% of the fees, capped at ₹5,000. Caution money and security deposits are not fees, so they come back in full. The college must refund within 15 days of your written application.
UGC's 2024-25 policy went further: a full refund for cancellations up to 30 September 2024 and a deduction of at most ₹1,000 up to 31 October 2024, whatever the prospectus said; the five tiers applied to admissions running beyond 31 October. Check the UGC notice for your session.
Worked example. You paid ₹80,000 in fees plus a ₹10,000 caution deposit, and the five tiers apply. In the first tier, 5% is ₹4,000, so you get ₹76,000 plus the deposit. Ten days before the last date: ₹72,000. Ten days after: ₹64,000. Twenty days after: ₹40,000. A few weeks' delay can cost ₹36,000.
How do you withdraw a JoSAA seat and get the fee back?
The JoSAA 2026-27 business rules set out three steps:
Log in to the JoSAA portal and submit a withdrawal request with the signed declaration form (Annexure 8).
Confirm with the OTP sent to your mobile and email.
A reporting officer accepts, rejects or raises a query. Answer queries in time, then download the approval letter.
IIT and IISc seats can be withdrawn from round 2 until the second-last round; in 2026 that closed on 14 July at 17:00 IST. NIT+ seats can be withdrawn up to the final online round. Withdrawing takes you out of JoSAA for that year.
The seat acceptance fee is refunded minus a ₹7,000 processing charge, or ₹5,000 if the seat is cancelled over eligibility or unresolved documents. The NIT+ partial admission fee (₹45,000, or ₹20,000 for SC, ST and PwD candidates) is not refundable.
Planning a drop year? Under the same rules, validly withdrawing or rejecting an IIT or IISc seat in the first four rounds keeps you eligible for JEE (Advanced) 2027. Accept one without validly withdrawing and you lose that eligibility, even if you never report.
Before deciding, read about JoSAA freeze, float and slide and what the seat acceptance fee covers.
What should a withdrawal letter say?
Address one page to the principal or registrar:
Your name, application or roll number, programme and admission date
"I withdraw my admission to [programme] with effect from [date] and request a refund of fees as per the UGC notification on refund of fees."
Amounts paid with receipt numbers, listing any caution money or deposit separately
Bank details for the refund, and a request to return original certificates
The UGC notification bars colleges from keeping original certificates under any circumstance; they may keep self-attested copies.
What documents should you keep?
Fee receipts and bank or UPI statements
The prospectus page or notice showing the last date of admission and refund policy
Your withdrawal letter with the college's dated stamp
For JoSAA: the declaration form and withdrawal approval letter
A list of originals handed over, and a receipt when they return
What if the college does not refund your fees?
UGC's 2023 student grievance regulations treat delay in, or denial of, a refund to a student who withdraws within the time given in the prospectus as a grievance, says UGC's 2024-25 policy letter. Raise it first through the college's grievance redressal mechanism; the 2018 notification requires colleges to address grievances within 30 days. Refusals still happen: in a letter dated 7 October 2026, UGC asked Governors' offices to intervene because some institutions kept disregarding its refund policy. See our guide to raising a complaint in the admission process. If the wait is affecting your sleep or mood, talk to someone you trust or call the Tele MANAS helpline on 14416.
If you are withdrawing to take a drop year, Fermi's AI tutor can work out what you already know and build a plan for each session, so your restart begins with a clear next step.
Find your last date of admission today, and put your withdrawal in writing before the next tier begins.
