Financial Petitions

In the event of extenuating circumstances, a student or person with legal authority to act on behalf of a student, may petition for an exception to University policy on refunds of tuition and fees. 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 rarely granted and only when extenuating circumstances are documented.  Unless otherwise requested, petitions and petition decisions will be shared with applicable campuses, (UAA, UAF, UAS). View the Petitions & Appeals page for more information.

1. Petitions submitted by the student or by a person with legal authority to act on behalf of the student will be considered.
2. Petitions may be submitted no later than one academic year following the semester in which the course was offered. Requests that are not received within this time frame are generally not considered.
3. Courses in which a student received a passing grade, an Incomplete, or for which a Deferred or Audit grade exists are not eligible for a refund. 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 satisfactory academic progress (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.
4. 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.
5. Refunds for self-support course fees, reinstatement fees, or co-sponsored course fees are not petitionable. and must have approval of the academic unit/department chair or director.
6. Mandatory Student Fees are not refundable unless a student drops all courses during the 100% refund period.
7. If the petition for refund is approved, the university may refund in part or in total and has an obligation to return the refunds to the original funding source, e.g., credit card, financial aid, granting agency, lending agency, etc.  Students with Title IV Financial Aid may have part or all of the aid returned before a refund to the student is processed.
8. Submitted, completed petitions are 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.
9. Requests for reconsideration of an adverse decision must be in writing to the UAS Vice Chancellor of Administration within 30 days of the day the decision is mailed or otherwise distributed to the student.  Letters should address what the petition committee decided in error based upon university policy, or for what reason the University should make an extraordinary exception to its published policies.  It is encouraged to provide any documentation that supports the claim. https://uas.alaska.edu/student-accounts/petition-and-appeals.html
10. Reports of 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 Student Dispute/Complaint Resolution Process or the Academic Dispute Resolution Procedure, which can be found in the http://catalog.uas.alaska.edu/student-rights-responsibilities/

Academic Petitions

Deviations from academic requirements and regulations for both undergraduate and graduate students can be approved by academic petition. Changes in course level, grading or number of credits awarded are not petitionable.

• Advisor or instructor signature is required on all petitions.
• The Petition Committee reserves the right to request additional documentation and signatures prior to making a final decision regarding the petition request.
• For more information on Academic Appeals, see the Student Dispute Resolution page in the UAS Catalog for procedures.
• Petitions will not be considered beyond one year.