Cashier'sOffice

Tuition Appeal Guidelines

Tuition Appeals are for students who are 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, please visit with the instructor, Department Chair or the appropriate Academic Dean before attempting this process. If a student has filed a prior appeal, it may be taken into consideration.

Reasons For Which Appeals Are Considered

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. The following are examples of circumstances for which an appeal may be considered:

• Medical Reasons: Written documentation from 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 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 student made aware of expected change in work hours prior to formal implementation? If yes, when?
• Unusual circumstances can include but not limited to the following:
  1. Incarceration
  2. Natural Disaster such as flood, tornado, fire, etc  

Examples of circumstances for which a tuition refund appeal may be denied

• Student has not withdrawn from the course(s)
• Failure to comply with drop, withdrawal, and registration cancellation policies and deadlines as published in the class schedule even if the student has not attended classes (except for reasons stated in section above).
• Obtaining new employment; changes in hours/location of employment that ARE IN the student’s control.
• Voluntary taking a new position that results in change of work location/hours.
• Failure to submit tuition classification information prior to the beginning of the semester.
• Failure to submit appeal documentation within 30 days after receiving notification from the appeals committee that additional documentation is being requested.

Please follow the steps below for submitting a Tuition Appeals:

1. Review Tuition Appeal guidelines.
2. Print Tuition Appeal form from the Aims website.
3. Complete Tuition Appeal form and provide related documents:
• All supporting documentation as required in the Tuition Appeals guidelines.
• A written statement from the student explaining the circumstances and reason for the appeal.
4. Submit the completed Tuition Appeal form and supporting documentation to the Cashiers office located on any campus. Appeals can be submitted by mail, in person, email to cashier@aims.edu or by fax (970) 506-6952. All incomplete appeals may be denied.
• Please be sure to make a copy of all forms and documents for your records before submitting all paperwork to the Cashier's office.

What to Expect

• Submitted appeals are reviewed every bimonthly by a committee. Appeals are due by noon of the Friday before the scheduled meeting. Contact the Greeley Cashier’s office for specific deadlines.
• Once the Tuition Appeal committee has reached a decision, the student will be sent a letter stating the decision and action to be taken next by the college or the student.
• If Tuition Appeal is approved the student's tuition account will be adjusted accordingly.
• If grant, scholarship and/or loan funds were paid on your behalf for the semester in which you are appealing, see the Financial Aid Office to go over the impact an approved appeal will have on your financial aid eligibility.