Tuition Dispute

Looking to appeal late and finance charges only? See Paying Late.

You must withdraw from all classes being disputed within established deadlines prior to submitting a tuition dispute for those classes. If you are not withdrawn from classes, your dispute will be denied. The tuition dispute process applies to tuition and fees on your bill. If you are looking to appeal late and finance charges only, please complete the Late & Finance Charge Adjustment Petition on the Paying Late webpage.

Tuition disputes are available only to students who had to withdraw for the one or more of the extenuating circumstances outlined below. Supporting documentation must be provided to substantiate the circumstances:

You must be withdrawn for any and all classes before you can dispute tuition and fees.
Submitting a tuition dispute with documentation does not guarantee a refund.
Submitting a request for a tuition dispute does not exempt you from late and finance charges or financial holds. We recommend you pay your bill in full by the published deadline.
If you disagree with tuition and fee charges and fail to avail yourself of the dispute process by the end of the semester (last day of finals), you waive your right to appeal. Late requests will be considered only if you can provide documentation that circumstances beyond your control prevented you from submitting your dispute on time. The dispute committee reserves the right to deny your request.
Sanctions (e.g., exclusion, suspension and expulsion) alone are not considered extenuating circumstances for tuition disputes. If you are a student with sanctions and you would like to dispute tuition and fees, you must follow the guidelines and requirements below.

Dispute Process

All information submitted is confidential.
You must drop your class or formally withdraw from the university before submitting a tuition dispute.
Once your classes are dropped or you have withdrawn, complete the tuition dispute by the end of the semester (last day of finals) in which the charges were incurred.
If the dispute is not received by the last day of finals, you waive your right to appeal.
The process takes about three weeks. It will take longer if documentation is missing.
The committee may request more documentation if it is insufficient.
You will be notified by email when a decision is made.
If your request is approved, your account will be automatically adjusted accordingly.

Extenuating Circumstances

Required Documentation: Dated letter on university letterhead from appropriate university official/department citing university error.

Unanticipated medical condition that occurred during or immediately before the eligible semester.

Required Documentation: Dated letter on letterhead from the attending physician from your withdrawal term containing the nature of your illness/injury, dates, severity, and your inability to attend school due to the condition.

E.g. death or illness

Required Documentation: Death certificate or obituary notice. Dated letter on letterhead from the attending physician containing the dates of occurrence, nature and severity of your relative’s illness/injury.

Unanticipated financial circumstance that occurred during or immediately before the eligible semester.

Required Documentation: Receipts of unexpected financial obligation, or proof of change of income status for you or the payer of your tuition bill. General lack of planning to pay for college does not constitute a recent unanticipated financial problem. If you did not receive financial aid because you applied late or after the priority deadline, please provide documentation of the unexpected financial problem that resulted in missing the deadline.

If you did not attend school for the semester in dispute:

Required Documentation: Dated letters on university letterhead from the individual professors stating that you never attended any classes along with explanation of the extenuating circumstances which caused you to miss the drop deadline. Non-attendance does not qualify for refund of confirmation deposit.

Please note: MS-EE on Coursera students are not eligible to dispute tuition on the basis of non-attendance. Because Specialized Program offerings at CU Boulder may have unique drop and withdrawal requirements, standard campus policies may not apply.

If you transferred to another school during the semester in dispute:

Required Documentation: Official enrollment verification from another university containing dates and term attended.

Charges That Might Remain on Your Bill

Financial Aid

Financial aid can be affected and even reversed by dropping classes or withdrawing. If you received financial aid during the disputed semester, contact the Office of Financial Aid at 303-492-5091 to determine the impact on your aid.

Student Health Insurance

Health insurance may be refunded if your dispute is approved, but that would result in no health insurance coverage for the entire semester. Contact Health and Wellness Services at 303-492-5107 if you want to stay insured or have questions.

Main menu

Search

Other ways to search:

Breadcrumb