Tuition Appeals

Tuition Appeals are for students requesting a refund of their tuition charges due to extenuating circumstances that occurred during the semester. No grades recorded on the student’s transcripts will be affected by this process. Posted grades will remain on the student’s academic record. 

Before you file an appeal, please consider if your circumstance is due to an issue with an instructor, curriculum or course instruction methods. If so, please visit with the instructor, Department Chair or the appropriate Academic Dean before initiating the appeal process. If a student has filed a prior appeal, it may be taken into consideration.

The deadline for submitting a Tuition Appeal is 1 year from the last day of the term for which you are appealing. Tuition appeal submitted for semesters older than one year of age will be denied.
You must officially withdraw from course(s) prior to submission of your Tuition Appeal. 

If a Tuition Appeal is submitted and you are a Financial Aid, VA33 or other financial assistance recipient, the funding may be impacted and you may potentially owe Aims Community College money.

• Medical Reasons: written documentation from the treating physician/hospital must accompany the appeal and must provide:
  • Details regarding the nature and extent of the condition.
  • Date the medical condition was first diagnosed.
  • Date(s) of treatment, and/ office visit.
  • If applicable: Date(s) of hospitalization or other confinement, date of release, and date that recuperation period ended.
• Death in the immediate family: documentation of the death must accompany the appeal as well as a personal statement that explains how the death affected the student's ability to complete the school term.
• Change in hours or location of employment that is beyond the student’s control and prevents the student from attending the classes for which he/she is registered. A signed letter from the student’s employer written on company letterhead must accompany the tuition appeal. The letter must include the following:
  • Reason for and date of the change in work schedule and/or location.
  • The student’s work hours prior to the change and the work hours resulting in the change.
  • Was the student made aware of the expected change in work hours prior to formal implementation? If yes, when?
• Unusual circumstances can include but are not limited to the following:
  • Incarceration
  • Natural Disaster such as flood, tornado, fire, etc  
     

• Neglect to comply with drop, withdrawal and registration cancellation policies and deadlines as published in the Schedule of Classes.
• Incomplete Appeals: responses are incomplete; no signature, documentation not submitted as requested, no reason provided.
• Documentation is submitted without an Appeal request.
• Student has not withdrawn from the course for which tuition adjustment is being requested.
• Documentation from the physician or employer is not reviewed by the student prior to submitting. Physicians and employers often submit incomplete documentation.
• Students believe that by not attending class they do not owe tuition.
• Student enrolled in a course that required prerequisites that were not met and now wants tuition charges removed.
• Student enrolled in a course that does not satisfy degree requirements.
• Student wants to withdraw because she/he did not receive financial assistance.
• Student believes that because they did not receive a tuition bill that they are excused from making payment. Students are responsible to know when tuition is due.
• Instructor says they will take care of it. Student is responsible for changes to his/her schedule (e.g. registration, drop, or withdrawal).
• Appeal is submitted over 1 year after the course is taken.
• Student received financial aid for the term of request; appeal would change enrollment status. Full balance of any difference in financial aid eligibility must be repaid prior to consideration of appeal.