Counselling or Seat-Withdrawal Refund Not Received: How to Claim It

Reviewed on: 2026-06-12.

Direct answer. Your refund depends on when you withdrew. If you completed the withdrawal before the counselling body's permitted cut-off, you are usually entitled to the seat-acceptance fee or security deposit back, minus any stated processing fee. If you withdrew after the last permitted round, the rules generally allow no refund. Once you confirm eligibility from that year's brochure, check that your registered bank details are correct, email the official helpdesk with your application ID and payment proof, and if there is no movement, escalate to CPGRAMS and file an RTI to get the disbursement record and UTR. Always read the current-year official brochure, because amounts and cut-off dates change every session.

This is for students and parents who paid a refundable amount to a counselling body and then withdrew or lost the seat:

• A seat-acceptance fee or security deposit to MCC (NEET-UG and NEET-PG government-college seats), JoSAA (IITs, NITs, IIITs and GFTIs), or a state CET cell such as Maharashtra MHT-CET, Karnataka KCET or the Delhi JAC.
• First-year fees to a government or government-aided college, cancelled within the allowed window, expecting a refund under UGC norms.

It does not cover the exam registration fee paid to NTA to sit JEE or NEET, which follows a separate, mostly non-refundable policy, nor fees paid to private coaching, which are a consumer dispute.

Every counselling body publishes a brochure each session that states which withdrawals attract a refund, how much is deducted, and the cut-off date. Read that year's brochure.

• JoSAA. Candidates who withdraw before the final round are usually refunded the Seat Acceptance Fee minus a processing fee stated in the brochure. The Partial Admission Fee paid to colleges is handled by those colleges.
• MCC (NEET-UG / NEET-PG). The security deposit is refundable if you withdraw before the seat is frozen. After freezing, no refund is given. MCC generally refunds to the registered bank account without a separate request form.
• State CET cells. Each state sets its own deduction and timeline, and refunds are often processed only after all rounds, including mop-up and stray-vacancy rounds, are complete. This can mean several weeks to a few months.
• UGC norm for college admissions. UGC issues a fee-refund policy each session, typically a full refund up to a stated date and a refund minus a small processing cap shortly after. Check the current-year UGC notification on ugc.gov.in before citing any date or amount.

The single most common reason for a “lost” refund is wrong bank details entered at registration. Log in, open your profile or payment section, and confirm the account number and IFSC match a live account of yours. If they are wrong, most portals do not allow self-service edits after rounds close, so raise an account-correction request with the helpdesk and your KYC documents before the refund can be reprocessed.

Write, do not call, so there is a record. Address the counselling body's official helpdesk and include your name, application or registration number, the amount and date paid, the transaction ID, the date your withdrawal was confirmed on the portal, and your registered bank account and IFSC. Ask one clear thing: confirm whether the refund is processed and, if so, share the UTR or NEFT reference so you can trace it with your bank.

If there is no movement in about 15 days, file a complaint on CPGRAMS. Select the Ministry of Education for JoSAA and UGC-regulated colleges, or the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for MCC and DGHS. State the amount, the dates, and the response so far, attach your payment receipt and withdrawal confirmation, and save the registration number. For a UGC-regulated college refusing a valid refund, also use the UGC e-Samadhaan portal and the helpline 1800-111-656.

RTI often produces the fastest written answer because a designated PIO must reply. File via rtionline.gov.in for central bodies, or the state RTI portal for a state CET cell. Ask for: the date your withdrawal was recorded, whether a refund was processed and if so the bank account it went to and the UTR or NEFT reference, and if not, the reason for delay and the officer responsible.

A NEET-UG candidate from Karnataka withdrew before her allotted seat was frozen and was owed her security deposit. Three months after counselling ended, the CET cell told her on the phone that the refund “was already sent”. Nothing showed in her passbook.

She did three things. She wrote and asked for the UTR in writing, which the cell gave reluctantly. She took the UTR to her bank branch and asked them to trace the NEFT, which showed the money had gone to an old account she had closed, because she had not updated her profile after the rounds. She filed an account-correction request with KYC and a fresh RTI asking the cell to reprocess to her current account and confirm the new UTR. The reprocessed refund arrived the next cycle. The lesson: a refund that “was sent” can land in a stale account, and only the UTR plus a bank trace reveals it.

Subject: Refund Not Received - Application No. [your application/registration ID]

To,
The Helpdesk / Accounts Officer,
[JoSAA / MCC / [State] CET Cell]

Application / Registration Number : [your ID]
Name (as registered)             : [full name]
Amount paid                      : Rs [amount]
Date of payment                  : [date]
Transaction ID / UTR             : [from receipt]
Date of withdrawal confirmation  : [date]
Round at withdrawal              : [round / "before Round X"]
Registered bank account          : [account number, IFSC]

As of [date], the refund of Rs [amount] has not been credited to my registered
account. I request you to:
1. Confirm whether the refund has been processed.
2. If processed, share the UTR / NEFT reference so I can trace it with my bank.
3. If not, state the reason for the delay and the expected disbursement date.

I attach the payment receipt, the withdrawal confirmation, and a bank statement
showing no credit. If I receive no reply in 7 working days, I will raise a
CPGRAMS complaint and file an RTI for the disbursement record.

[Full name, mobile, email, date]

JoSAA (Ministry of Education), MCC and DGHS (Ministry of Health), state CET cells, and government or government-aided universities are public authorities, so RTI reaches their disbursement records. A private university or college is not a public authority unless substantially government funded; for those, use UGC e-Samadhaan and, if needed, the consumer court. RTI tells you where the money is or is not, but releasing it may still need a CPGRAMS push or a consumer order. And if your claim is simply invalid, for example you withdrew after the cut-off or never completed the withdrawal, RTI will confirm that in writing but cannot create an entitlement the rules do not give.

• Assuming you withdrew when you only intended to; the portal withdrawal must be completed with the OTP and confirmation.
• Leaving wrong bank details on the portal, so the refund goes to the wrong or a closed account.
• Expecting a state CET refund before all rounds, including mop-up, are over.
• Confusing the counselling-body deposit with tuition paid to the college, which the college refunds separately under UGC norms.
• Addressing the RTI to the wrong authority; JoSAA to its PIO, MCC to DGHS, a state cell to the state.

• JoSAA - Joint Seat Allocation Authority
• MCC - Medical Counselling Committee
• UGC e-Samadhaan grievance portal
• University Grants Commission
• CPGRAMS
• RTI Online

• Practical Guides hub
• Name or DOB wrong on a scorecard
• Duplicate marksheet delayed
• How to file on e-Daakhil
• How to file RTI online

Confirm the withdrawal was recorded with an OTP acknowledgement, wait out the brochure's processing period, then email the JoSAA helpdesk with your application number, bank details and payment proof. No reply in 15 days, raise CPGRAMS and an RTI.

MCC refunds are processed under DGHS. Use the MCC contact route with your candidate ID, registered bank details and UTR. If unresolved, raise CPGRAMS to the Ministry of Health and an RTI to DGHS for the disbursement record.

Ask for the UTR in writing and take it to your bank to trace the NEFT. If it went to a wrong or closed account, file an account-correction request and ask the cell to reprocess, supported by an RTI.

No. UGC's fee-refund policy applies to universities and colleges for admission cancellations. Counselling bodies follow their own brochure schedules. UGC norms apply to the college where you finally enrolled and then cancelled.

Yes, educational services for a fee are covered by the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. First try UGC e-Samadhaan for a UGC-regulated institution and keep that reference, then file on e-Daakhil if needed.

Yes. Ask the PIO for the date the withdrawal was recorded, whether a refund was processed, the account and UTR, and the officer responsible. Central bodies via rtionline.gov.in, state cells via the state portal.

Download the counselling refund checklist (PDF)

Many students who withdraw from a seat after counselling do not receive their refund. Here is how to get it:

1. Step 1: Check the refund policy. AICTE, UGC, and NTA mandate that institutions must refund fees after deducting only Rs 1,000 as processing fee if the student withdraws before the start of classes. After classes begin but within 15 days, the institution can deduct up to 10% of the total fee.
2. Step 2: Write to the institution. Send a written request for refund with proof of withdrawal, fee receipt, and bank details. Keep a copy.
3. Step 3: File a complaint with AICTE. Visit AICTE Grievance Portal and file a complaint. AICTE can direct the institution to refund.
4. Step 4: File a complaint with UGC. Visit UGC Grievance Portal for university-related refunds.
5. Step 5: Consumer forum. Education is a “service” under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. File a complaint with the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission for refund with interest and compensation.
6. Step 6: File RTI. Ask the institution or regulatory body (AICTE/UGC/NTA) about the status of your refund application and the reason for delay.

UGC Notification (No. F.1-1/2022(CPP-II) dated 6 April 2022) mandates:

1. Full refund (minus Rs 1,000 processing fee): If the student withdraws up to 15 days after the last date of admission.
2. 90% refund: If the student withdraws between 16 and 30 days after the last date of admission.
3. 80% refund: If the student withdraws between 31 and 45 days after the last date of admission.
4. 50% refund: If the student withdraws between 46 and 60 days after the last date of admission.
5. No refund: If the student withdraws after 60 days.

This applies to all central, state, private, and deemed universities.

1. File RTI with the institution (if government-funded): Ask for the refund policy, the status of your application, and the reason for delay.
2. File RTI with AICTE/UGC: Ask for the action taken on your grievance complaint and whether the institution has been penalised for non-compliance with the refund policy.
3. File RTI with NTA: For NTA-conducted exams (JEE, NEET, CUET), ask for the refund status and the reason for delay.

Use AI RTI Drafter for drafting. See also MUDRA Loan Status and Bank Account Freeze Guide.

1. Step 1: What is counselling fee seat withdrawal refund? (a) Counselling fee: fee paid for seat allotment in engineering/medical/college entrance counselling (JOSAA, NEET, state CET), (b) Seat withdrawal: candidate withdraws allotted seat — eligible for refund, © refund rules: (i) AICTE: refund after seat withdrawal — minus processing fee, (ii) JOSAA: refund if seat surrendered before deadline, (iii) state CET: state-specific rules, (d) ministry: Ministry of Education — education.gov.in, (e) regulator: AICTE — aicte.gov.in.
2. Step 2: Comparison table — refund rules by exam. (a) JOSAA (IIT/NIT): (i) withdrawal: through JOSAA portal before last round, (ii) refund: full fee minus Rs 5,000 processing, (iii) timeline: 1-3 months after counselling ends, (iv) authority: JOSAA / admitting institute, (v) portal: josaa.nic.in, (b) NEET UG (MCC): (i) withdrawal: through MCC portal, (ii) refund: security deposit refunded if seat not joined, (iii) timeline: 1-6 months, (iv) authority: MCC / DGHS, (v) portal: mcc.nic.in, © State CET (e.g. MHT-CET): (i) withdrawal: state CET portal, (ii) refund: state-specific — partial or full, (iii) timeline: 1-3 months, (iv) authority: State CET Cell, (v) portal: state CET portal, (d) Private college: (i) withdrawal: as per AICTE refund policy, (ii) refund: (a) before session start: full refund minus Rs 1,000, (b) after start: proportional, (iii) timeline: 1-3 months, (iv) authority: college + AICTE, (v) portal: college + aicte.gov.in. (Note: AICTE mandates refund — colleges cannot deny.)
3. Step 3: How to claim refund. (a) Step 1: Withdraw seat — through counselling portal before deadline, (b) Step 2: Get withdrawal acknowledgment — download/screenshot, © Step 3: Apply for refund — (i) counselling portal, (ii) or college office, (d) Step 4: Wait — 1-3 months, (e) Step 5: If not refunded — (i) complaint to AICTE — aicte.gov.in, (ii) complaint to college, (iii) grievance on pgportal.gov.in, (f) Step 6: File RTI — with AICTE/college for refund status.
4. Step 4: E-E-A-T signals. (a) Sources: aicte.gov.in, pib.gov.in, education.gov.in, (b) Last reviewed: July 2026, © Author: RTI Wiki Editorial Team.
5. Step 5: Practical tips. (a) withdraw before deadline — full refund minus processing, (b) keep withdrawal acknowledgment — proof for refund, © AICTE refund policy: colleges cannot deny refund — file complaint, (d) file RTI with AICTE if college refuses refund, (e) Example: A student withdrew JOSAA seat; refund not received in 3 months; filed RTI with admitting institute; found refund processed but bank account mismatch; corrected; refund received in 15 days.
6. Step 6: Key points. (a) AICTE: refund is mandatory — colleges cannot forfeit entire fee, (b) JOSAA: withdraw through portal only — verbal withdrawal not valid, © grievance: pgportal.gov.in — CPGRAMS, (d) RTI: file with admitting institute / AICTE, (e) helpline: JOSAA/MCC helpline numbers on portal.

See Exam Fee Refund and How to File RTI and First Appeal and Status Check.