Click here for the Tuition Appeal Form

Tuition Refund Policy: A student may Drop courses without responsibility for grades or tuition through the end of the first week each term. Student may Withdraw from a course receiving a ‘W’ grade after the first week and the Registrar's Office provides more information on withdraws. Summer term drop and refund deadlines are unique to summer term http://summer.oregonstate.edu/tuition/schedule.htm. Students that Withdraw from a course pay a prorated amount of tuition based on the date of their withdrawal (see Table).  If a refund of tuition is due, a credit is posted to the student account.  This credit may be applied to other charges to reduce your balance due to the University.  A payment will be issued to you if any credit balance remains after other charges and financial aid repayments have been satisfied.

Tuition Refund Appeal Instructions

If you are confronted with an unexpected and serious circumstance that requires you to withdraw from your courses, you may request review by the Tuition Appeal Committee for an exception to the above Tuition Refund Policy, and ask for a reversal of a portion of your tuition charges. Your petition should explain, in detail, the circumstances, how the circumstances caused the need for you to withdraw from the course(s), and what actions you have taken to resolve or prevent such an event from occurring in subsequent terms. In addition, you must provide any relevant third-party documentation.

Requests must be submitted in writing (please use the Tuition Appeal Form).  All petitions must be submitted to the Business Affairs Student Accounts Office no later than 90 days after the last day of the term in which the course(s) was dropped.  The review Committee will respond to all petitions by email to your ONID account. You should allow a minimum of 30 working days to hear the results of the committee review. 

If you received financial aid during the term for which you are appealing, it is important that you speak with an advisor in the Financial Aid Office to determine what impact or repayment obligations you may have and what effect you withdrawal will have on future financial aid. If you are a financial aid recipient and your tuition appeal is approved, credit balances may be refunded to the appropriate financial aid program. Furthermore, the return of aid funds may result in a balance due on your account.

Petition Requirements

  • Student Status: You must be withdrawn from the course(s) before a refund can be considered. If you have not already withdrawn from the course(s), please consult the Registrar’s Office. Petitions are not accepted after an account has been referred to an outside collection agency.  Courses with assigned grades other than W, or NP are not eligible for a tuition appeal.  Non-refundable course and lab fees are not eligible for appeal.
  • Payments: You must pay all past due charges on your account, including the amount under petition.  Unpaid balances are subject to interest charges of 1% per month (12% annually).
  • Documentation: Include any appropriate documentation which supports the reason for your request, along with any information you believe would be helpful to the committee in making their decision.  Incomplete appeals will be returned without review.
  • Submission Deadline: Your completed petition must be received by the Student Accounts Office in Business Affairs within 90 days from the end of the term. 

The Review Process

  • Petitions are considered only in the case of extraordinary circumstances.  Members of the appeal committee will consider your petition based on: a) the seriousness and duration of your hardship; b) whether it was beyond your ability to control; c) whether you were able to drop courses by the standard deadline; and d) how promptly you filed this form. 
  • Appeals can be submitted only once, and the decision of the committee is final.  The Financial Appeal Committee represents the only appeals process for tuition reductions at the University.
  • Tuition appeals do not change the grade assigned by the course instructor.
  • If the appeal is approved, a credit of from 25% up to 100% will be posted to your student account.  You will receive notification, and may also check your account summary in Student Online Services.

Qualifying Hardship Examples:

Personal illness or injury; Illness, injury, or death of an immediate family member; Required military or job transfer out of the area; Loss of residence; Emotional or mental health issue for student that required professional care; Other unusual circumstances beyond your control (such as: fire or natural disaster occurred at your home or a legal matter).

Examples of Non-Qualifying Events:

Perceived quality of instruction or dissatisfaction with the course; Dispute of account charges; Course placement or advising issues; Missing a deadline; Receiving a low grade; or a Change of major.