Past Semester Tuition and Fee COVID-19 Information

Location-based fees are:

• Athletic Fee (charged in fall and spring only)
• Bike Program Fee
• A portion of the Rec Center Expansion Fee
• Transit Pass Fee

• Tuition will not be reduced. CU Boulder continues to deliver on its educational mission to students during COVID-19 through a mixture of in-person and remote courses, and during the remote start of spring semester. The university remains operational with remote and other online student support services and programs.
• For our residence hall students, your room and board will be reduced to account for delayed move-in. Please visit Residence Hall Rates and Contracts for more information.
• Some important dates will change:
  • The tuition payment deadline has been extended from Feb. 5 to Feb. 12.
  • Please note that the payment plan enrollment deadline is still Feb. 4.
  • If you are enrolled in a payment plan, your first auto-payment will still be processed on Feb. 5, not Feb. 12.
  • First refunds for financial aid were available starting Jan. 8 instead of Jan. 11
  • February bills for unpaid or new charges will be available on Feb. 17 instead of Feb. 11.
• Student fees that do not offer remote or virtual experiences (location-based fees) will be adjusted for remote start as follows:
  • Location-based fees are the Athletic Fee, the Bike Program Fee,* a portion of the Rec Center Expansion Fee, and the Transit Pass Fee.* 
    *Colorado resident undergraduate students in tuition guarantee groups A–O will see "Student Bus & Bike Fee Refund." This label remains in effect during your four-year tuition guarantee.
  • 25% of location-based fees have been applied to students’ tuition accounts as a credit. You can view the credits in the “Credit and Payments” section at the bottom of “Account Detail.” Access to services like the bus pass will continue uninterrupted.
  • Students whose class schedules are all remote or hybrid remote/online will receive full location-based fee waivers (same as fall 2020). These students who wish to use services like the bus pass have a couple of options.

• Provide regular instruction and interact regularly with their students. 
• Provide full and substantive assessments and regular feedback on students’ coursework.
• Be proactive and available in providing information or responding to students’ questions about the content of the course.

Faculty across campus continue to incorporate best practices for teaching and learning in various teaching modalities into the design of their courses.

In addition, the Center for Teaching & Learning has partnered with Continuing Education, the Office of Information Technology and the Office of Academic Innovation to offer workshops and provide resources and individual consultations for faculty on effective, evidence-based practices for remote and online teaching.

We are also prioritizing classes for in-person delivery whose academic outcomes are difficult to achieve virtually (e.g., computer labs, performance classes, studios).

Finally, the Boulder campus is going to great lengths to modify our campus operations in a way that will allow us to safely provide on-campus experiences for our students. We continue to make significant investments in our COVID-19 health and safety infrastructure in order to provide a safe learning and working environment for our students, staff and faculty.

Because the health and safety of students, faculty, staff and their families is our top priority, if necessary, the campus is prepared to make a decision to move to a fully remote learning environment in order to maintain the health and safety of our campus community. No matter the instruction mode, students will receive the full and accredited CU Boulder curriculum using the latest instructional design modalities and tools to maximize engagement between students, their peers and professors. If changes are made to class instruction mode for any reason, Spring 2021 tuition will not be adjusted.

There will not be fee reductions or refunds. Students will continue to benefit from services and support resources funded through fees. See fee descriptions.

If no, why will I not be getting a refund?

Students will continue to benefit from services and support resources funded through fees. See fee descriptions.

How and when will I get a refund?

Refunds will apply to any outstanding charges on your bill first. If you have signed up for direct deposit, any remaining refund will be deposited into your designated bank account in 3–5 business days, depending on your bank. If you have not signed up for direct deposit, you will receive a check in 7–10 business days at your current mailing address. Review details on your student account under Balance Summary on the Tuition & Fees card in Buff Portal.

The main accreditation criteria for our courses remain the same whether they are taught in person, online or remotely: our courses must involve regular and substantive instructor interaction with students. With remote and online teaching, faculty and instructors are still able to:

• Provide regular instruction and interact regularly with their students. 
• Provide full and substantive assessments and regular feedback on students’ coursework.
• Be proactive and available in providing information or responding to students’ questions about the content of the course.

Faculty across campus continue to incorporate best practices for teaching and learning in various teaching modalities into the design of their courses.

In addition, the Center for Teaching & Learning has partnered with Continuing Education, the Office of Information Technology and the Office of Academic Innovation to offer workshops and provide resources and individual consultations for faculty on effective, evidence-based practices for remote and online teaching.

We are also prioritizing classes for in-person delivery whose academic outcomes are difficult to achieve virtually (e.g., computer labs, performance classes, studios).

Finally, the Boulder campus is going to great lengths to modify our campus operations in a way that will allow us to safely provide on-campus experiences for our students. We continue to make significant investments in our COVID-19 health and safety infrastructure in order to provide a safe learning and working environment for our students, staff and faculty.

Because the health and safety of students, faculty, staff and their families is our top priority, if necessary, the campus is prepared to make a decision to move to a fully remote learning environment in order to maintain the health and safety of our campus community. No matter the instruction mode, students will receive the full and accredited CU Boulder curriculum using the latest instructional design modalities and tools to maximize engagement between students, their peers and professors. If changes are made to class instruction mode for any reason, Fall 2020 tuition will not be adjusted.

Students will still receive the full fall semester curriculum, including taking finals, using the latest instructional design modalities and tools to maximize engagement between students, their peers and professors. Please visit Teaching Modalities & Technology Mapping for more information.

Shortening fall break and conducting all classes remotely or online after fall break will help us avoid potential COVID-19 outbreaks toward the end of the semester as much as possible. Students will still receive the full benefit of class instruction through the end of the semester. To see the updated schedule for Fall 2020, please visit Shortened Fall Break 2020 & Downstream Calendar Changes.

• Tuition and fees vary depending on your degree, college/school/program and the number of credit hours in which you enroll. Visit Costs for more information. The good news is, tuition rates will not increase for the 2020–21 academic year. This means that students entering the university in the Fall of 2020 will pay the same tuition rates as students who entered in the Fall of 2019.
• Fall bills will be available online by August 13. Students will get an email notification when the bill is available and they will access the bill through Buff Portal (buffportal.colorado.edu). Bills will not be mailed. Parents and families do not automatically have access to the bill. In Buff Portal, students can authorize up to five people to view and pay the bill online. Learn more about authorized payer access to CUBill&Pay.
• Fall payment is due September 5. Additional charges like books, digital course materials and supplies may be billed the following month.

• The amount of charges on the student account exceeded the amount of the housing credit.

• If you don’t see “Housing Room & Board Adj” on your student account, then the housing credit hasn’t been applied to the bill yet. Credits continue to be applied in no particular order through the end of May. We thank you for your patience.

• If you see “Direct Deposit Refund” in the account detail, then the refund is on its way to the student’s designated bank account or it has already been deposited. Some banks take longer than others. Check your (the student’s) bank account.

• If you see “Refund” in the account detail, a refund check will be issued and mailed to the student’s permanent address (if no mailing address exists). Students can check their addresses under Profile in Buff Portal. This process can take up to two weeks.

Students and parents (who are authorized payers) can the check the student account for credit and refund account activity. Students can view their account in Buff Portal and authorized payers can view the account in CUBill&Pay