The Tuition Dispute process gives you an opportunity to appeal tuition and fee charges for one or more classes, or your entire schedule, based on extenuating circumstances if you were not able to drop or withdraw within established deadlines and procedures.

First, in order to appeal tuition and fees for a class or classes, or for an entire semester, you must be officially dropped from those classes or officially withdrawn from the semester. If you have not done this yet, visit Drop a Class or Withdraw from the Semester, and follow the instructions.

We cannot accept dispute requests for tuition and fee charges until your official academic record shows that you are no longer enrolled in the classes in dispute.

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Important Information about this Process

  • This process allows you to dispute tuition and fees on your bill. Charges that might remain on your bill are financial aid and health insurance:
    • Financial aid can be affected and even reversed by dropping classes or withdrawing. If you received financial aid during the semester in dispute, contact the Office of Financial Aid at 303-492-5091 to determine the impact on your aid.
    • Health insurance may be refunded if your dispute is approved, but that would result in you having 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.
  • Submitting a tuition dispute with documentation does not guarantee approval or 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.

  1. You must drop your class or formally withdraw from the university before submitting a tuition dispute.
  2. Once your classes are dropped or you have withdrawn, complete the Tuition Dispute form by the end of the semester in dispute (last day of finals).
  3. If the dispute is not received by the last day of finals, you waive your right to appeal.
  4. The process takes about three weeks, longer if documentation is missing or insufficient.
  5. You will be notified by email when a decision is made.
  6. 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.

Example: death, injury or illness of someone in your family

Required Documentation: A death certificate or obituary notice or in the case of illness, a dated letter on letterhead from the attending physician containing the dates of occurrence, nature and severity of your relative’s illness or injury.

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

Required Documentation: Receipts of unexpected financial obligations, or proof of change of income status for you or the person who pays 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 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 the 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.