Tuition Appeals

The tuition appeal process allows you to request adjustment of tuition and fee charges for specific classes or an entire semester due to extenuating circumstances, if you were not able to drop or withdraw within established deadlines. The deadline to appeal is the last day of finals of the following semester. For example, if you are appealing tuition for fall semester, the deadline is the last day of finals for spring semester.

First, in order to appeal tuition and fees for a class or classes, or for an entire semester, you must be officially dropped from the classes or withdrawn from the semester. If you have not completed this step yet, visit Drop a Class or Withdraw from the Semester, and follow the instructions. Appeal requests cannot be processed until your official academic record reflects that you are no longer enrolled in the classes for which you are appealing tuition. 

Appeal Terms

  • This process allows you to dispute Main Campus tuition and fees. Any adjustments to charges from auxiliary departments (e.g., Health & Wellness, CU Book Store, Parking) are determined by those departments. Please contact them directly. 
  • Financial aid can be affected and even reversed by dropping classes or withdrawing. If you received financial aid during the semester of appeal, contact the Office of Financial Aid at 303-492-5091 to determine the impact on your aid.
  • Health insurance may be refunded if your dispute is approved, but that would result in you having no health insurance coverage for the entire semester. Contact Health and Wellness Services at 303-492-5107 if you want to stay insured or have questions.
  • Submitting an appeal does not guarantee approval or a refund, nor does it exempt you from late and finance charges or financial holds. We recommend you pay your bill in full by the published deadline.
  • Late requests will be considered only if you can provide documentation that circumstances beyond your control prevented you from submitting your appeal on time. The committee reserves the right to deny your request.​
  • Information submitted is confidential, however, CU Boulder has a responsibility to provide a safe and nondiscriminatory environment. If you disclose having been impacted by sexual misconduct, protected-class discrimination or harassment, intimate partner violence, stalking, or related retaliation, we are required to share that information to the CU Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) for outreach to you regarding your support and reporting options. You are not required to respond to OIEC. If you are in need of support, please see OIEC's CU Boulder Resources webpage for a list of resources, including confidential assistance. If you have questions before you want to submit this type of information, please contact the confidential Office of Victim Assistance. Additionally, please note that the university takes disclosures around threat of harm to self or others seriously and when information of this nature is received, it will be shared with the appropriate offices to offer additional support and resources.
  • The process takes about three weeks, longer if documentation is missing or insufficient.
  • You will be notified at your colorado.edu email address when a final decision is made.
  • If your request is approved, your account will be adjusted automatically.
  • Sanctions (e.g., exclusion, suspension and expulsion) alone are not considered extenuating circumstances for tuition appeals. If you are a student with sanctions and you would like to appeal tuition and fees, you must still follow these guidelines and requirements.
  • If you disagree with tuition and fee charges and fail to avail yourself of the appeal process by the last day of finals of the semester following the one you're appealing, you waive your right to appeal.
  • Please email tuition.appeals@colorado.edu if you need guidance or have any questions.

Appeal Process

  1. Get adequate documentation, as described in detail below, substantiating your particular circumstances. If you do not provide adequate documentation, the process will be delayed while we request it from you.
  2. Complete the Tuition Appeal form which includes a detailed personal statement explaining the circumstances and your request.
  3. Certify that the information you're providing is true and correct.
  4. Submit the form by the last day of finals of the semester following the one you're appealing.
  5. You will receive a confirmation email with 24–48 hours.

Extenuating Circumstances and Required Documentation

If you had an unanticipated medical condition (physical or mental) that occurred during or immediately before the semester of appeal, 

you MUST submit the following required documentation: 

a dated letter on letterhead from the attending physician from your withdrawal term containing the nature and severity of your physical or mental illness/injury, along with dates of the occurrence, the duration, and your inability to attend school due to the condition. After-visit summaries do not meet this requirement.
If you experienced the death, injury or illness of someone in your family,

you MUST submit the following required documentation:

a death certificate or obituary notice; or in the case of illness, a dated letter on letterhead from the attending physician containing the nature and severity of your relative’s illness or injury, along with the dates of the occurrence and the duration.
If you experienced an unanticipated financial circumstance that occurred during or immediately before the semester,

you MUST submit the following required documentation:

receipts of unexpected financial obligations, or proof of change of income status for you or the person who pays your tuition bill. General lack of planning to pay for college does not constitute a recent unanticipated financial problem. If you did not receive financial aid because you applied late or after the priority deadline, please provide documentation of the unexpected problem that resulted in missing the deadline.
If you did not attend school,

you MUST submit the following required documentation:

dated letters on university letterhead from individual professors stating that you never attended their class(es), along with an explanation from you of the extenuating circumstances which caused you to miss the drop deadline. Non-attendance does not qualify for refund of the confirmation deposit.
  • Students enrolled in Specialized Online Programs are not eligible to appeal tuition on the basis of non-attendance. These include programs hosted on the Coursera platform: MS-EE, ME-EM, MS-DS and MS-CS. Due to the nature of these programs at CU Boulder, they do not align with some standard campus policies.
  • If you transferred to another school during the semester, please submit the following required documentation: official enrollment verification from the university you attended containing dates and term.
If there was a documented university error,

you MUST submit the following required documentation:

a dated letter on university letterhead from the appropriate university official explaining the error.

For late and finance charge waiver requests, see Paying Late

Two female students studying by the buffalo statue.
Two students studying outside under a tree.
Two students studying outside on a bench.