Refunds and Waivers

Drop/Add Fee Policy

Students who drop credits in the same term and do not add credits will be charged the proportional percentage based on the week they drop the credits.

Students who drop and add credits in the same term will not be required to pay additional tuition/fees if the following conditions are met:

  1. The drop and add occurs in one transaction; and
  2. There are an equal number of credit hours added as are being dropped, and the credit hours have an equivalent charge.

A course that has been added in accordance with parts 1 and 2, and is subsequently dropped, will retain the same refund percentage as the original course dropped. Students who drop the added course that met the above conditions will have an adjustment made to their account. (Example: A student drops course A and adds course B. Course A would have had a 0 percent refund; however, because conditions have been met, student receives a 100 percent refund for course A. Student then decides to drop course B. An adjustment is made to the account reversing the 100 percent refund received for course A.)

Complete and Partial Withdrawal

Complete withdrawal from the university is accomplished when a student officially drops all classes in which they are enrolled.

Students are eligible for refunds as published online in the fee calendar each semester. In short-term classes, students will have the first class period to determine if the class is suited for them. Students who register late or fail to attend the first class period in short-term classes will not be eligible for 100 percent refunds according to the policy.

The first class day refers to the first day of the part-of-term as defined by the department and registrar’s office; thereafter, the day refers to the business day. The length of the part-of-term determines the refund, rather than the start and end date of the course. When a course’s part-of-term length falls between two of the above categories, then the shorter one is used. (Example: If course A part-of-term begins Monday and the actual course meets on Thursday, the refund business day begins with Monday, not Thursday.)

If a short-term class begins on Friday night, Saturday or Sunday, students will have until the end of the first business day to drop the course. In order to receive a 100 percent refund for the class, the student must provide documentation that they did not attend more than four hours of the class.

No one other than the Office of Financial Operations and Business Technology in 201 Jardine Hall, or the Tuition Refund Board of Appeals is authorized to determine the amount of tuition refund a student will receive.

Military Refund Policy

Students serving in the National Guard or Reserves who are called to active duty during an academic term are entitled to receive a full refund of tuition and fees. Students who are drafted and must report for active duty during an academic term are entitled to receive a full refund of tuition and fees. All refunds are subject to presentation of official documentation. Students who are classified as civilians, but choose to assist in nonmandatory U.S. military related efforts, are not covered by this exception and will be subject to the university’s nonmilitary refund policy. Room and board charges will be prorated to the extent that services have been provided.

The university will return any unearned tuition assistance (TA) funds by using the standard formula for determining the amount of TA earned by the institution. This is calculated on a percentage basis by dividing the number of days a student completes, based on the last date of attendance, by the total number of days in the course. This calculation, if less than the 60 percent completion rate, determines how much TA the student has earned and for how much the military branch may be invoiced. Should there be any remaining TA funds prior to the 60 percent period of a course, these funds will be reimbursed directly to the military branch from which the funds were provided, not to the student.

Exceptions to the Refund Policy

Students who, because of extenuating circumstances, seek a higher refund than is available by policy, must petition the Tuition Refund Board of Appeals. Petition forms are available at myWSU myFinances1, or the Office of Financial Operations and Business Technology, 201 Jardine Hall. The petition must be filed with the appropriate documentation. A Petition for Tuition Refund beyond the policy must be filed at the Financial Operations and Business Technology Office within the semester in which the course was taken.

Students who may have received approval from the University Exceptions Committee for a late withdrawal from a previous semester are not eligible by policy for a tuition refund. These are separate issues and decisions. Medical or military approvals will receive a 100 percent tuition refund.

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Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP)

Residents of specified states who enroll in selected majors at WSU are eligible to pay just 150 percent of in-state tuition instead of paying out-of-state tuition rates. This is a tuition discounting program, not a scholarship.

At WSU, the eligibility criteria for undergraduate student participation in the Midwest Student Exchange Program are:

Students coming directly from high school:

  1. Must have a minimum grade point average of 2.250 or higher on a 4.000 scale OR earn a composite American College Testing program (ACT) score of no less than 21 points or a SAT score of no less than 1060 points; and
  2. Must enroll as a full-time student in a degree-bound eligible major, and make acceptable progress toward the degree; and
  3. Must be a resident of Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio or Wisconsin.

Transfer students:

  1. Must have a minimum transfer grade point average of 2.500 on a 4.000 scale; and
  2. Must meet the requirements for high school students if transferring with fewer than 24 credit hours; and
  3. Must enroll as a full-time student in a degree-bound eligible major, and make acceptable progress toward the degree; and
  4. Must be a resident of Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio or Wisconsin.

If a student satisfies these criteria, as verified by an eight-semester high school transcript and/or college transcripts submitted to WSU, they will be sent an MSEP agreement. Fee bills will reflect MSEP tuition rates only after the agreement is signed and returned. MSEP participation must begin at the time of first admission and enrollment at WSU.

To continue receiving the MSEP tuition discount, current WSU MSEP students must maintain full-time enrollment, make satisfactory progress toward an approved degree program, and maintain a minimum 2.500 cumulative grade point average.

See the MSEP program website1 for contact information and the most up-to-date list of eligible majors.

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Tuition and Fee Waivers

For detailed information on waivers, please visit the Tuition and Fees Waivers/Exemptions/Discounts website.1

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