????? Either let it go or push back. I'm pretty sure most merchants do respond when the bank pulls the money back, and there is no reason to think med schools would act any differently.
I wouldn't screw around with it for $100. Legally, the claim wouldn't be viable, and it would be very simple for the school to justify the charge and win the dispute if it chose to fight, since the fee is clearly non-refundable and they are literally obligated to do nothing other than receive our application.
More importantly, it's a very small world and a pretty small amount of money, so why risk being accused of acting unethically and having it come back to bite you in the future? The whole process sucks and is totally stacked against us. Trying to snatch back a non-refundable fee because we don't like the level of review or the result is a little over the top for me, and I have been pretty vocal in my disdain for the way many schools abuse their power in the sellers' market.
I wouldn't wonder and wouldn't dare do it. I didn't spend any money on this that I needed that badly, and wouldn't want to worry about the consequences. I felt badly enough about hounding the office for my refund when they double charged me!