The $500 deposit acts as a guarantee and is therefore non-refundable. Once your application is received, reviewed and you are accepted, the $500 deposit becomes non-refundable. The only time the deposit is refundable is if we consider the situation in-country grave enough to warrant cancellation of any program, in which case we of course refund the full amount.  However, this deposit can be carried over to a future program. You will not need to re-apply and re-pay to attend a future Personal Passage, even a year later.