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Student Tuition Appeals and Late Drops

Note: University staff: please bookmark this page rather than downloading forms to your computer. Forms are updated regularly to comply with University policy and the needs of the Review Panel.
 

Per Ohio University Procedure 12.050 Part V, the Tuition Appeal Review Panel considers student requests for reimbursements of tuition charges associated with class drops, withdraw from Ohio University, or other situations that were due to circumstances beyond a student's control that prevented him/her from adhering to drop or withdraw deadlines.

Under the rules regarding deadlines for drops or withdrawals, students are generally entitled to a 100% tuition refund if all full-semester (14-week) classes are dropped (registration canceled) before classes begin, an 80% tuition refund if all classes are dropped by the Friday of the second week of the semester, and no refund at all if classes are dropped after the Friday of the second week of the semester. Add/Drop dates vary for some courses, based on course length and/or start-end dates, as noted in the class information in the course registration system.

The Panel reviews requests for exceptions to this rule.

No tuition refund is available in a term in which there are earned grades (A-F, P and CR and S).

How to Submit a Tuition Appeal

Student submitting a tuition appeal: Follow these 5 steps:

 

  1. Step 1: Contact your college, regional campus, or Graduate College dean's office.
    The deans offices will refer you to staff who will guide you through the appeal process and submit the appeal to the review panel on your behalf.
  2. Step 2: Fill out a tuition appeal form. 
    Note: the Excel form below can be downloaded and filled out electronically successfully using most desktop and laptop computers. If the form does not download properly, please use the standard PDF form and complete it by hand.
  3. Step 3: Write a letter to the Tuition Appeal Panel. 
    In the letter, outline the circumstances that support the tuition appeal. Be specific and include dates of events/occurrences.
  4. Step 4: Attach documentation.
    See Circumstances that Support an Appeal section below for direction.
  5. Step 5: Submit the appeal to the college, regional campus, or Graduate College dean's office.

Refunds are determined relative to the dates of the circumstances.

Appeals may take two to four weeks to be reviewed and processed, depending on the nature of the appeal.

Students must contact their dean's office staff regarding the status of their appeals.

Circumstances that Support an Appeal

  • Significant illness or injury* that prevented the student from attending class, completing assignments, or necessitated withdraw from all classes or the university. Appeal must include completed university medical documentation form. (See return from withdraw for medical reasons section below.)
  • Significant illness or injury of an immediate family member* that requires extended absence from all classes or necessitated withdraw from all classes or the university. Appeal must include documentation of circumstances (e.g., letter from medical professional confirming situation and student's role as caregiver). Immediate family is defined as: spouse, son, daughter, mother, father, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and a legal guardian or other person who stands in place of a parent, plus domestic partners and the domestic partner's immediate family.
  • Death of an immediate family member or guardian.* Appeal must include documentation of death and student's relationship (e.g., obituary, death certificate, funeral bulletin).
  • Enrollment/attendance at another college/university while never attending class at Ohio University. Appeal must include verification of attendance at the other institution.
  • Unforeseen job changes that create conflicts with class times. Appeal must include verification from the employer, on company letterhead.
  • Errors on the part of the university or a university employee. Appeal must include confirmation from the university officer regarding the nature/circumstances of the error.
  • Military Deployment - Students who are called to active military duty/deployment.
    Contact the veterans coordinator, in Ohio University Veterans and Military Student Services Center.
    Veterans Coordinator, Office of the University Registrar, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701
    Phone: 740.593.4186 Fax: 740.593.0216
    veteranscenter@ohio.edu
    Veterans Center Website


*Tuition appeals for medical or bereavement reasons are limited to students who are withdrawing from all courses.

Students seeking to drop one or more classes, but not all classes, can withdraw through the MyOHIO Student Center.
If the withdraw deadline has passed, students may submit a petition to drop a class after the drop deadline (see below). Late drops are not eligible for tuition adjustment.

 

The following circumstances are generally not sufficient to support a tuition appeal include, but are not limited to:

  • insufficient financial aid and/or financial hardship
  • not being aware of add/drop deadlines
  • dropping courses to avoid low grades
  • deciding that school/work/life responsibilities are too overwhelming
  • arrest (without incarceration)
  • lack of familiarity with computer systems
  • dissatisfaction with instructor or course content
  • determining that courses you took do not meet your academic and/or personal goals
  • forgetting you were registered
  • unfamiliarity with or lack of use of your ohio.edu email and/or failed receipt of forwarded messages from your ohio.edu email

 

Return from Withdraw for Medical Reasons

Withdrawal for medical reasons will result in a "medical hold" on your student account. You will receive grades of WP or WF for all of your classes, but your overall GPA will not be affected.

Please note that while the "medical hold" is in effect you will not be able to register. We hope you will be able to return to your studies at Ohio University which you can do after medical clearance has been granted by a health care professional treating your condition.

Read more about returning from a withdraw for medical reasons

 

Petition to Drop a Class After the Drop Deadline

Dropping or withdrawing from a class is prohibited under registration deadlines, but under very exceptional circumstances students may petition their college or regional campus dean's office for an exception. To be considered, the reason must be substantial. Fear of earning a low grade in the class, for example, is not considered an exceptional circumstance. Students must submit a separate petition for each class they wish to drop. Students may not petition to drop a class that they have already completed.

  • Late drops are not eligible for a tuition adjustment.
  • Completed petitions should be returned directly to your academic college or regional campus dean's office for review.