Mitigating Circumstances Appeals
Upon semester withdrawal approval, eligible students may file a Mitigating Circumstances Appeal with the Dean of Students to be considered for a partial refund of tuition, mandatory fees, and course fees.
Mitigating circumstances are catastrophic, unanticipated, and life-altering events that are beyond a student’s control. These circumstances prohibit the student from continuing to be enrolled and require the student to withdraw on or before the published withdrawal deadline.
Mitigating Circumstances Appeals must be submitted no later than 30 days following the final instructional day of the semester during which the mitigating circumstances occurred. Such an appeal will only be granted to an individual student one time. This appeal has no bearing on a student’s financial aid appeal and is not the appropriate venue to resolve or appeal academic matters.
Further criteria for eligibility:
- The mitigating circumstances prevented the student from remaining enrolled in the semester, AND the student has already submitted a semester withdrawal form.
- The mitigating circumstances took place after the 15th instructional day of the semester and before the final day of the semester.
- The student has not been granted a Mitigating Circumstances Appeal for any past semesters.
- For all medical and health-related appeals, the student has supplied documentation on the medical provider’s letterhead certifying that the student could not complete the semester and confirming the health-related mitigating circumstances with the dates that verify the onset and/or worsening of the condition(s).
- A Mitigating Circumstances Appeal has no bearing on a student’s financial aid appeal. If applicable, a financial aid appeal must be filed separately with the Financial Aid Office.
Examples of eligible mitigating circumstances include, but are not limited to:
- A debilitating illness or injury, new or unanticipated, afflicting the student during the enrollment period;
- The death of a close family member;
- Unanticipated active-duty military service, including training.
Appeals must include the following materials:
- A personal letter of request detailing the mitigating circumstances
- Official documentation of the mitigating circumstances
- Your last date of attendance in each class