Tuition Refund Exception Policy

If a documentable extenuating circumstance (unforeseen and unavoidable that prevents a student from attending a significant portion of their course(s) for the term), exceptions to the withdrawal and tuition refund deadlines may be granted.

Examples of circumstances that may qualify for an exception include but are not limited to:

A severe and unexpected/unforeseeable illness or injury with signed doctor’s note on original letterhead indicating inability to attend course(s) for several weeks
Death of spouse, parent, or child with accompanying documentation (death certificate or death notice)
Involuntary work transfer or shift change with employer documentation
Military deployment.

Examples of circumstances that do not qualify for an exception include but are not limited to:

Conflicts between personal life and class schedule
Having to work overtime
Accepting a new position or voluntary transfer with current employer
Loss of employer tuition reimbursement
Being a new student
Difficulty with internet/using a computer/accessing email
Coursework/other resources lost on computer or computer stolen
Ignorance of College policies, procedures, and deadlines
Forgetting that courses were registered for
Difficult class schedules, non-attendance, or poor course performance
When a course was completed

To be considered for a refund exception, a student must first reach out to their Academic Advisor. Alternative solutions to a refund include, but are not limited to, the following options:

Course withdrawal
Discussion of the situation with the course instructor(s)
A course incomplete (less than 30% of the course work must be impacted)

If a student decides to pursue a tuition refund exception after discussing options with their advisor, they will be routed a Refund Exception Request from the Advising Office. Any documentation supporting the request should be included along with a statement explaining the reason for the request. Only signed and dated requests with complete documentation will be reviewed.

Requests must be submitted within 28 days after the start of the subsequent term (refer to the Academic Calendar for dates). Late requests will not be reviewed. Requests will be reviewed by the Tuition Refund Exception Committee and a response will be delivered within 30 days. All decisions of the Tuition Refund Exception Committee are final.

If the Committee determines that the request meets the criteria for a tuition refund exception, a 100 percent credit of the tuition and course fee charges will be applied to the student’s account. International fees and student support fees are non-refundable unless all enrolled courses are approved for a refund by the Committee. If the courses were withdrawn, they will be changed to a drop and will not appear on a student’s transcript.

If the Committee determines the request does not qualify for a tuition refund exception and the withdrawal period has passed, a late withdrawal will be considered. If granted, a grade of “W” (withdrawal) will appear on the student’s transcript. The student will still be responsible for all tuition and fees. If approved, it will be a one-time exception and all future requests will be denied.

Students are responsible for tuition and fees when dropping or withdrawing beyond the 100% refund period. Students must still make payments in full and on time when submitting a request for a refund.

Refund requests created with misleading and/or intentionally inaccurate information will be rejected and may result in a referral to the academic conduct committee.