Tuition Appeals

Tuition appeals can be for one or more courses in a single semester or for all courses in a semester (complete semester withdrawal). To be eligible you must:

• Read all tuition appeal guidelines and instructions
• Be withdrawn from the courses you are appealing (must have grade of W)
• Submit a completed tuition appeal packet to the Office of the Registrar by the appropriate deadline

Completed tuition appeal packets must be submitted directly to the Office of the Registrar via mail, email, or in-person:

1420 Austin Bluff Pkwy
Main Hall 108
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
registrar@uccs.edu

Required Documents

Tuition appeals require three components. Incomplete tuition appeals will not be accepted. 

• Tuition Appeal Form
  • Must be filled out completely and signed
  • The entire guidelines page must be reviewed
• Personal statement
  • Must explain extenuating circumstances that caused student to be unable to drop course(s) prior to the census date
  • Should be typed in a separate Word document (or in legible handwriting) 
• Supporting documentation
  • Documentation that will support the circumstances described in the personal statement 
  • Only the supporting documents submitted with the appeal will be reviewed 
    • No further outreach will be taken by the appeal committee or Registrar staff, such as calling individuals on your behalf
  • Examples include: signed doctor's note on letterhead, letter of support from faculty/staff, death certificate, etc.
    • These are only suggestions and do not guarantee an approved tuition appeal

Deadline

Completed tuition appeals must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar by the end of the following Spring or Fall semester directly following the semester that the appealed courses were originally taken. Tuition appeals submitted outside of these deadlines will only be reviewed by the committee on a case-by-case basis. 

Fall class appeal deadline = end of the following Spring semester

Spring or Summer class appeal deadline = end of the following Fall semester

Please note that the entire process at a minimum takes 2 weeks.

If worried about late fees, financial holds, etc. it is recommended that students pay their bill in full with Student Financial Services. Financial holds cannot be lifted for students that have a pending Tuition appeal decision. 
 

1. Completed tuition appeal packets that are received by the Office of the Registrar are submitted for review to an anonymous committee made up of current UCCS faculty, staff, and students. The review committee meets every other week (subject to change due to holidays, closures, etc.).
    
2. Final decisions are sent via postal mail to the address listed on your tuition appeal form.
    
3. If approved, tuition refunds are processed through Student Financial Services. Refunds will go to any outstanding balance on a student's account prior to any excess amount being sent directly to the student. If no direct deposit information is set up for a student, a check will be sent via postal mail to the address on a student's UCCS account (not what is indicated on the tuition appeal form).
    
4. If denied by the committee, the appeal is escalated to executive review which can take at least two more weeks. If the final decision is a denial, students can submit a new appeal with additional supporting documentation if they choose. This may take place only after receiving an official denial letter and following the instructions in that letter. Please contact the Office of the Registrar before submitting a duplicate appeal.

• Submitting a completed tuition appeal with documentation does not guarantee a refund.
   
• It is the student's responsibility to submit their completed tuition appeal to the Office of the Registrar only. Tuition appeals submitted to any other office are not guaranteed to have been received by the Office of the Registrar. 
   
  • If supporting documentation includes letters or emails of support from UCCS staff/faculty, they should be sent to directly the Office of the Registrar from the individual to verify authenticity. 
     
• Depending upon the circumstances of the appeal, content may be reported to the Office of the Dean of Students and the Office of Institutional Equity. Otherwise, all information is confidential and only seen by the tuition appeal committee and Office of the Registrar staff. 
   
• Only submitted supporting documents will be reviewed. The Office of the Registrar or appeal committee will not contact the student or anyone else for additional information.
   
• Non-tuition charges cannot be appealed using this process.
   
  • Examples include: late fees, matriculation fees, student ID fees, library fines, bookstore disputes, parking fees/fines, housing charges, meal plan charges, service fees, etc.
     
• Tuition appeals do not expunge or change existing grades.
   
• Submitting a completed tuition appeal does not exempt a student from receiving late fees, financial charges, or financial holds. It is recommended the student pays their bill in full by the published deadlines even if submitting a tuition appeal.
   
• In-state undergraduate students: If a tuition appeal request is approved, only the student portion of the tuition will be refunded - excluding the College Opportunity Fund. The COF hours used cannot be restored to the student's lifetime hours balance.
   
• Verbal appeals or personal meetings with the committee are not considered under any circumstance.

The departments below should be contacted to understand the impacts of appealing tuition, if applicable to a student's individual situation.

Office of the Registrar 
Main Hall 108
719-255-3361
registrar@uccs.edu

Student Financial Services (Bursar)
Main Hall 2nd Floor
719-255-3391
bursar@uccs.edu

Office of Financial Aid 
Cragmor Hall 201
719-255-3460 
finaidse@uccs.edu

Office of Veteran and Military Affairs 
Gateway Hall 
719-255-3253
military@uccs.edu

Office of the Dean of Students
Main Hall 201
719-255-3091
dos@uccs.edu