Petitions & Appeals

Petitions for a Tuition Refund

UAS has charged a committee with reviewing petitions. The Petition Committee forms decisions based on published guidelines. A Petition for a Tuition Refund is a request for an exception to university policy on refunds of tuition and fees in the event of extenuating circumstances. A petition form is available online, or from Student Accounts or the Registrar's Office. Petitions are not automatically granted but will be considered in light of the criteria set forth below and the individual circumstances of the request. Being unaware of university procedures or deadlines does not constitute justification for refund. Refunds are granted only when extenuating circumstances are documented. 

Petitions for an adjustment of university financial obligations may be granted when a student has been physically disabled, has experienced a death in the family, has a change in employment hours or location beyond the student's control or has other extenuating circumstances. All charges are considered true and correct and are therefore not suspended during the review process. The university reserves the right to move forward on all collection efforts during the review process. Students should note that financial aid regulations do not allow for course(s) that have been issued a grade be dropped from transcripts or satisfactory academic progress (SAP) reporting, therefore an approved petition may result in a refund of fees but continue to show the registered incomplete course in academic records.

Petition Criteria

• Only requests submitted by the student or by a person with legal authority to act on behalf of the student will be considered.
• The deadline to submit a petition for a tuition refund is no later than one academic year following the semester in which the course was offered. Requests that are not received within this time frame will not be considered.
• Refunds will not be considered for courses in which a student received a passing grade, an "Incomplete", or for which a "Deferred" or "Audit" grade exists. In situations that a tuition refund is approved, financial aid regulations do not allow for course(s) that have been issued a grade be dropped from transcripts or SAP reporting.
• Decisions will be made solely on supporting documentation provided. In all cases a personal statement from the student is required summarizing the situation and explaining the need for an exception to the refund deadline.
• A request will only be approved if the petitioner can demonstrate unanticipated and unavoidable circumstances beyond the student’s control that arose or came to light after published deadlines. Work-related issues, financial hardship, and failure to read UAS’ documents generally do not present justifiable reasons to support a refund request.
• Petitions for a tuition refund for self-support courses are generally not allowed and must, at a minimum, have approval of the academic unit/department chair or director.
• Mandatory student fees are not refundable unless a student drops all courses during the 100% refund period.
• If the petition for a tuition refund is approved, refunds will be issued to the original funding source, e.g., credit card, financial aid, granting agency, lending agency, etc.
• Submitted, completed petitions are generally reviewed weekly. The complexity, completeness, and the number of petitions in review will determine the response time frame. All charges are considered true and correct and are therefore not suspended during the review process. The university reserves the right to move forward on all collection efforts during the review process.
• Complaints about dissatisfaction with academic courses, methods of course delivery or instructor performance are not considered under this process. Depending on the nature of the complaint, these matters are considered according to the Academic Dispute Resolution Procedure.

Appeals

Decisions regarding petitions may be appealed by submitting a formal appeal. Appeals must adhere to the following requirements:

• Submitted as a formal written letter addressed to:
  UAS Petition Appeal Hearing Officer
  Novatney Building, 2nd Floor
  11066 Auke Lake Way, Juneau, AK  99801 
  uas.petitions@alaska.edu
• Submitted by the student or legal guardian
• Received within 30 days of a petition decision

Letters must address the following:

• In what way the petition committee decided in error based on the criteria set forth by the university, or
• for what reasons the university should make an extraordinary exception to its published policies

Appellants are encouraged to provide any documentation that will support their claim. Appeals are typically decided within two weeks of receipt. Appeal decisions are final and are communicated as a formal written decision sent to the return address on the original appeal letter.