Refund and General Policies

 

General Statement about Summer & Winter Programs Policies

The following sections provide important information about Summer and Winter Programs policies, including those applying to schedule changes, course cancellation, payment delinquency, and refunds. Please review these policies carefully.

Please note that refund petitions and other requests for policy exceptions must be be initiated in writing to summerwinter@uconn.edu so that we can ensure consistency and proper documentation; however, we are happy to answer general questions about the process by phone at 860-486-0465.

No request for any policy exception, including a refund, will be accepted without relevant supporting documentation.

 

General Statement about Student Responsibility

It is the responsibility of each student to know and comply with Summer and Winter Programs policies and deadlines and with other policies of the University of Connecticut, including those relevant to course registration and timely payment of fees. Ignorance of policies or deadlines, including deadlines for dropping courses, cannot be used as a justification for a refund.

 

Changes to Summer and Winter Class Schedules & Class Cancelations

Changes to Class Schedules

We do not take scheduling, instructor, or other changes to Summer or Winter session classes lightly. However, changes must sometimes be made due to unforeseen circumstances such as an instructor becoming unavailable due to illness, the unforeseen closure of an academic building, inclement weather, etc.

Therefore, please note that all Summer and Winter Session offerings are subject to change, with minimal or no prior notice, by action of the Summer and Winter Programs office or the academic department or campus offering the course/program. Changes include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Meeting time and location changes
  • Instructor substitutions
  • Course cancellation

Reasonable endeavor will be made to notify students of such changes and suggest alternatives when applicable.

Summer and Winter Class Cancellations

Courses may be canceled due to low enrollment or unforeseen circumstances (see Changes to Summer and Winter Class Schedules above). The Summer & Winter Programs will make every effort to inform students of any course cancellation and suggest alternatives, as appropriate. Unforeseen circumstances may force us to cancel courses without advanced notice.

In the event of cancellation, the University is not responsible for any consequential loss or expenses incurred as a result; only tuition and other fees that apply to that course will be refunded. Other fees include any enrollment fee, student activities fees, technology fees, online course fees, or materials fees that were applied to the course canceled. The non-refundable registration fee will be refunded in the case of course cancellation only if the canceled course is the single course for which a student is registered during an entire Summer or Winter term (note: a Summer term at UConn comprises several sessions, including May Term).

 

Payment Delinquency

Failure to Pay on Time

Course fees are charged to a student’s UConn fees bill at the time of registration. Log in to the Student Administration system to add, drop or change registration before session add/drop deadlines. Please note the following regarding Summer & Winter Session fees:

  • Fees due dates depend on the term/session in which a course is listed; please review carefully due dates for each session/term (see Dates and Fees pages at the Summer and Winter Session sites);
  • In order to receive a refund (minus the non-refundable registration fee), a student must drop by the end of the posted add/drop period for a given session/term;
  • Failing to make full payment on time will result in a late payment fee of $150.
  • Failing to pay on time may also result in holds on your Student Administration account. This means you may be unable to register for future UConn classes/terms until you pay off your Summer or Winter Session fees balance.

Of special note:

  • It is your responsibility to drop a course by the end of the add/drop period for a given session in order to receive a refund for that course (minus registration fee).
  • Failure to attend a class does not relieve you of financial responsibility for a course.
  • UConn has no attendance policy, per University By-Laws; therefore, we do not, ever, automatically drop students from courses because they do not attend.  Do not assume you will receive a refund because you choose not to attend/participate in a course.
  • Neglecting to drop a course on time does not relieve you of financial responsibility for that course.

See the Payments drop-down at the Office of the Bursar website for further information on late fees and payment delinquency

Non-Refundable Fee

The registration fee of $45 for UConn students and $65 for non-degree/visiting students is non-refundable.

 

Summer & Winter Programs Refund Policy

Refund Policy

Please note that the registration fee of $45 for UConn students and $65 for non-degree/visiting students is set by the University and is non-refundable. The last day to submit a Summer 2023 refund petition is September 1, 2023. An appeal submission after September 1 will only be eligible for a refund of course fees pending approval; no grades removed after September 1.

All Summer Session and Winter Session fees are non-refundable after the add/drop period has ended for a given session (see the Dates and Fees pages at the Summer and Winter Session sites for add/drop periods for all sessions.)

Only in cases of unforeseen and extenuating circumstance may a refund be requested after the end of the add/drop period. All such circumstances must be fully documented to receive consideration. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain and provide such documentation.

IMPORTANT: It is the responsibility of each student to know and comply with Summer and Winter Programs policies and deadlines. Ignorance of policies or deadlines cannot be used as a justification for a refund. Students may only petition for a refund once. Multiple requests will not be considered.

  • It is the student’s responsibility to drop a course by the end of the add/drop period for a given session in order to receive a refund for that course (minus registration fee).
  • Failure to attend a class does not relieve the student of financial responsibility for a course.
  • UConn has no attendance policy, per University By-Laws; therefore, we do not, ever, automatically drop students from courses because they do not attend.  Students should not assume they will receive a refund because they choose not to attend/participate in a course.
  • Neglecting to drop a course on time does not relieve the student of financial responsibility for that course.

Please note that the following will not be considered in support of a refund request.

  • Lack of knowledge of Summer and Winter Programs policies and deadlines, especially but not limited to Summer and Winter Session add/drop periods;
  • Conditions of chronic illness that remain unchanged and were known to that student at the time of enrollment;
  • The timing or pacing of a course, when graded assignments fall in a course, instructional style or any other aspect of the content or delivery of a course (unless it can be documented that University of Connecticut By-Laws or other policy was breached);
  • Dissatisfaction with a course or a grade received;
  • Performance in a course;
  • Inability to get/lack of a textbook or other course materials (note: intentionally adding a course late is not sufficient cause for failing to obtain necessary course materials)

Refund Petitions

A refund petition is a formal written request for course fees to be refunded for one or more Summer or Winter Session courses. The last day to submit a Summer 2023 refund petition is September 1, 2023. An appeal submission after September 1 will only be eligible for a refund of course fees pending approval; no grades removed after September 1. Students may only petition for a refund once. Multiple requests will not be considered.

Refund petitions must be filed within one year of the start date of the course in question. To initiate a refund petition, please submit a Summer & Winter Session Course Appeal Form. Note: Refund petitions must be initiated in writing so that we can ensure process consistency and proper documentation; however, we are happy to answer general questions about the process by phone at 860-486-0465.

Refund petitions are decided by the Summer & Winter Refund Petition Committee. Committee members represent both University and student interests and include appropriate staff from across University offices. As necessary, the Summer & Winter Programs includes staff from the following offices in reviews of refund requests: University Advising; School, College, and program academic advisors; the Dean of Students Office; the Registrar’s Office; the Office of Student Financial Aid Services; the Bursar’s Office; the Center for Students with Disabilities; instructors of record; Department and program Heads; UConn Regional Campus administrators; and others. Please contact our Office at summerwinter@uconn.edu if you have not received an emailed update regarding your Refund Petition within 14 days of submitting your appeal form. All refund petitions are evaluated by this committee and the committee’s decision is final.

Documentation Related to Medical or Other Disabilities

The University of Connecticut complies with all federal, state and University guidelines regarding appropriate handling of confidential student information. In order to ensure the security and proper evaluation of medical and other private records, the Office of Summer & Winter Programs will include other University offices (e.g. the Center for Students with Disabilities) as necessary in the refund request process.

A Note about Record Retention

We retain both email communications and completed refund forms per state rules about record retention. Due to the confidential nature of some additional documentation such as letters from health professionals or hospital receipts, such stand-alone additional documents will be deleted/destroyed one year from their receipt by our office. Note that any snippets of documents, texts, emails, etc. that are inserted into email communications or into our form will be retained with the email. We recommend therefore that confidential information be submitted as a separate attachment

 

Appeals of W’s and Course Grades

Grade & W Appeals

The Summer & Winter Programs Office has no authority to make grade changes, which includes dropping W’s from transcripts due to late withdrawal from a course in which you participated.

Any appeal of a grade, including a W, must go through appropriate academic channels, per University By-Laws.

Policy on Discussing Academic and/or Financial Records with Parents or Others


The University of Connecticut takes the protection of student information seriously.  The University fully adheres to the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).  All students, be they new, continuing, past, or visiting, are covered by FERPA rules.  See http://ferpa.uconn.edu/ for full details.

As stated on that site, “For purposes of FERPA, the University considers all students to be independent. Therefore, educational records will not be provided to parents without the written consent of the student.” Educational records include the billing and payment of financial obligations generated by taking UConn courses during any academic term, including Winter and Summer.

We are happy to speak with parents about refund petitions or other concerns, so long as FERPA requirements are first met.  In order to discuss student fees and/or other academic records with a parent (or other party), a student must first give us permission to do so in a way we can verify.

The simplest and best way for a student to give another individual permission to discuss their financial and/or other academic records with the Office of Summer and Winter Programs is to list that individual in their FERPA settings within the UConn Student Administration System.

To do this, any student, including any visiting/non-degree student, should:

  1. Login to the Student Administration System using a UConn-issued NetID and password (need help or forgot login information? See here);
  2. Set FERPA settings to give a parent full or partial access to their records here;
  3. A 4-digit pass code will be generated.  Give this to the individual who has been assigned permission.  When that individual calls and mentions that they have a code, we will ask for it and verify it in the system.

If necessary, we can be given permission to speak to a parent or other authorized individual via email, but this requires a the submission of a signed FERPA release form for students and is a more cumbersome process.

Please understand that we comply with FERPA rules for the protection of students, and because it is the law.  Once a parent or other individual has been given formal permission to discuss financial and/or other academic records with us, we will be happy to do so.