Financial Administration

Tuition and Fee Policies for Credit Instruction (F44)

Revised: February 5, 2002

  1. Policy

    All students attending the University of Wisconsin System are required to pay tuition unless exempt through a fee remission. For purposes of this paper, tuition includes both the instructional fee and nonresident tuition. Under certain circumstances, a special course fee may be charged under the provisions of FAP - Special Course Fees (G29). In addition, all students are to be assessed a segregated university fee. Specific guidelines regarding segregated fees are provided in FAP - Segregated Fee Determination and Distribution (F37). The policies and procedures set forth in this paper are applicable to the following university fees: graduate tuition, undergraduate tuition, special instructional fees as approved by the Board of Regents, segregated fees and textbook rental. A "student" is defined as anyone who has ever been admitted to or enrolled in an institution in the UW System whether or not the person ever attended or is currently enrolled.

  2. Constraints

    In addition to the policies and procedures set forth in this paper, tuition and segregated fees are subject to the following rules and regulations:

  3. Procedures

    1. Full Payment

      Total tuition and segregated fees are due on the date established by the institution, but not later than the tenth day of classes. Students who have not paid fees in full or entered into a partial payment plan shall be presumed to be on a cash basis.

      Students are to be assessed an administrative services fee not to exceed $100 if full payment of fees currently due is made after the established due date. At the institution's option, the administrative assessment may be prorated for students less than full time. The administrative assessment shall be deposited to Fund 128. The chancellor or designee has the option of reducing or waiving the fee on a case-by-case basis.

      Continued enrollment in and attendance at the university is contingent upon payment of all applicable tuition and fees under terms established and approved by the university. Each campus may exercise an option to conduct cancellation of registration or administrative withdrawal for nonpayment until the end of any session week within the refund period. Exceptions should be documented. The institution has the authority to reregister students who have had their registration cancelled or who have been administratively withdrawn upon the payment of the appropriate amount of tuition and segregated fees, administrative assessments and any reregistration or late registration penalty consistent with the policy of that institution and the UW System.

      Institutions may establish separate due dates for registration and payment of fees for students enrolled exclusively in an off-campus or late-starting credit course. Failure to pay fees or make satisfactory arrangements to pay within this period shall result in cancellation of registration or administrative withdrawal.

    2. Partial Payment

      Each institution of the UW System may, at its option, make available a partial payment plan to all full-time and part-time students for the payment of tuition, segregated fees, room and board, and other institution designated charges. Students with a demonstrated poor payment history may be denied access to the partial payment plan.

      In order to qualify to pay fees under a partial payment plan, whether open-end or closed-end, students must make a down payment in an amount specified by the institution. The down payment must be made by the date established by the institution and will be applied to the student's account. The down payment is a cash transaction and is not part of the partial payment plan. Students who enter into a partial payment plan after the established due date may be subject to the assessment of administrative costs at the institution's option.

      Each institution electing to make available a partial payment plan must file a procedural outline of its plan with System Administration. Such plan can be implemented only after approval of the Vice President for Finance or designee. Any change to the approved plan must receive approval from the Vice President for Finance or designee before it can be implemented.

      A finance charge of at least 1% per month and not to exceed 1.5% per month will be charged on all balances to any students who participate in the partial payment plan. An institution that uses an open-end payment plan will charge interest on a student's ongoing credit balance for as long as the student is on the plan. Each open-end payment agreement establishes specific accrual dates for the imposition of applicable finance charges. Use of the alternate option for closed-end credit plans provided by Wisconsin Statutes, s. 422.201(9), must have prior approval of the Vice President for Finance or designee. An institution that uses a closed-end payment plan requires a student borrower to pay a minimum finance charge that is earned at the time the agreement is entered into. Finance charges shall be deposited to Fund 128.

      Students on a closed-end credit plan will be charged a late payment fee in an amount consistent with the requirements of the Wisconsin Consumer Protection Act for failure to meet partial payment deadlines. The late payment penalty can only be assessed on the principal, not on outstanding finance charges. A late payment fee cannot be assessed on open-end credit plans.

      Interest on partial payment plans should continue to be assessed based upon terms of the agreement. Open and closed-end credit plans may be arranged so that interest continues to accrue until the debt has been paid in full.

      Alternate installment plans must be approved by the Vice President for Finance prior to implementation.

    3. Special Instructional Fees

      Special instructional fees are additional fees approved by the Board of Regents. These fees shall be assessed on a per-credit basis until full-time status has been achieved. Full-time status is defined as eight graduate credits at Doctoral institutions, nine graduate credits at Comprehensive institutions, and 12 credits for all undergraduate special fees. Refunds should follow the normal refund policy and schedule. Minnesota reciprocity students shall pay the Minnesota Reciprocity fee without the special fee being added to it. Special instructional fees are deposited to the System Administration specified class codes. The current special instructional fees are listed and explained in Attachment A.

    4. Resident vs. Nonresident

      The assessment of resident versus nonresident tuition shall be based upon Section 36.27(2), Wisconsin Statutes. Nonresidents under the statutes shall pay at the nonresident rate, with the exception of residents of the state of Minnesota who are certified to pay the Minnesota reciprocity tuition and residents of Menominee County, Michigan, enrolled in the University of Wisconsin Center-Marinette County. (There are reciprocal agreements for residents of Iron County, Wisconsin, enrolled at Gogebic Community College and residents of Marinette County, Wisconsin, enrolled at Bay de Noc Community College.)

    5. Graduate vs. Undergraduate Level

      The assessment of undergraduate tuition versus graduate tuition should be based upon the level of enrollment, i.e., a student enrolled as a graduate student taking some undergraduate courses shall be assessed graduate level fees for all credits. Conversely, an undergraduate student taking a graduate level course shall be assessed undergraduate level fees for all credits, as long as the graduate level course is not later used toward a graduate degree. If these graduate courses are later used toward a graduate degree, the student may be assessed the fee differential at that time. At its option, an institution may elect to assess tuition based upon the level of credit for which the student is enrolled.

    6. Multiple Campus Enrollments

      Frequently, students enroll at more than one UW System institution during the same session.

      1. Undergraduate Students

        Undergraduate students, including Minnesota reciprocity students, who enroll for more that 18 credits shall be assessed the per credit fee for all credits beyond 18. Credits taken by students enrolled at more than one UW System institution shall be combined in order to determine their tuition assessment. It is the student's responsibility to present evidence of certification of enrollment, including fees assessed and credits being taken.

        If the undergraduate credit plateau (12 through 18 credits) is achieved at the first institution, no additional tuition will be assessed by the second institution unless the total credits exceed 18 credits. When the credit plateau is not achieved at the first institution, the second will charge the per credit rate until the credit plateau is reached. At no time will the credit plateau assessment be less than the lowest nor more than the highest credit plateau rate of the institutions involved. The first institution shall be generally defined as the one enrolled in for a degree.

        An appropriate segregated fee shall be assessed by each campus.

        Refunds should be calculated in consultation with each institution. Refunds may not exceed amounts paid.

      2. Graduate Students

        Credits taken by graduate students enrolled at more than one UW System institution shall be combined in order to determine their full-time status and tuition and segregated fee assessment. It is the student's responsibility to present evidence of certification of enrollment, including fees assessed and credits being taken. If full-time status (eight credits, doctoral cluster; nine credits, university cluster) is achieved at the first institution, no additional fees will be assessed by the second institution. When full-time status is not achieved at the first institution, the second will charge the per credit rate until the full-time plateau is reached. At no time will the full-time rate be less than the lowest nor more than the highest full-time rate of the institutions involved. The first institution shall be generally defined as the one enrolled in for a degree.

        An appropriate segregated fee shall be assessed by each campus.

        Refunds should be calculated in consultation with each institution. Refunds may not exceed amounts paid.

    7. Graduate Assistant Tuition Waivers

      Nonresident graduate assistants qualify for nonresident tuition waivers only if they have an appointment of at least 33% of full time. This counts toward the institution's remission ceiling. (See Section III.T.)

    8. Extension Credit Programs

      Credits for courses taken through any campus and sponsored by UW-Extension, which have been approved as part of the student's degree program, shall be combined with the campus credits when determining tuition and segregated fee assessments. The tuition and fee schedule to be used when assessing extension fees for degree credit instruction shall be the same as those applicable to the campus. Extension fees shall be prorated based upon the number of credits when a student is taking a combination of extension and campus courses.

    9. Extension Independent Study

      Institutions must reimburse UW-Extension for the Independent Study of full-time students on a pro rata basis based upon the number of credits taken. Part-time students shall pay UW-Extension and the campus separately.

    10. Extended Degree Program

      An annual contract under the Extended Degree Program (offered at UW-Green Bay, UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls and UW-Superior) is considered a separate academic term. An Extended Degree student who enrolls for more than 18 credits shall be assessed the per credit fee for all credits beyond 18. An Extended Degree student who registers for campus credits in addition to those contracted through Extended Degree is to be assessed fees for those campus credits based upon the approved academic fee schedule.

    11. Inter-term Sessions

      Inter-term sessions between the fall and spring semesters will be treated as separate sessions for tuition and fee assessments, except for the academic calendar offered by UW-Oshkosh. The normal tuition and segregated fee schedule shall apply. Credits taken during these sessions shall not be combined with an academic semester to determine a student's full-time status.

    12. Special Students

      Special students are defined to be nondegree-seeking students. Special students shall be assessed tuition and segregated fees according to the primary level of course work for which they are enrolled. Because of the diverse nature of "special students" in the UW System, individual institution discretion should be exercised in determining the appropriate student level for assessment of tuition and segregated fees consistent with the general policy.

    13. Dissertators

      Ph.D. candidates who have completed the residency course credit and minor requirements and passed the preliminary examination must maintain continuous academic year registration by paying a three-credit dissertator fee each semester. If a doctoral candidate does not maintain continuous enrollment (three graduate credits per semester), the candidate is assessed a completion fee equal to twelve times the current per-credit dissertator rate. This fee is assessed at the time of dissertation submission. The completion fee is based on the resident and nonresident status that the candidate had at the last term of enrollment. If the candidate breaks enrollment and then reenters, enrolling for less than four continuous terms (12 credits) before completion, the candidate must pay the fee minus all continuous credits paid since the time of reentry. If enrollment is broken, but the candidate reenters and enrolls for at least four continuous semesters (three graduate credits per semester), a completion fee is not assessed. This applies to UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee only.

    14. Correctional Institutions

      1. State of Wisconsin Correctional Institutions Individuals incarcerated in correctional institutions by the State of Wisconsin or those on parole or probation who are enrolled in credit courses shall be assessed resident tuition, the appropriate segregated fee for services available and a special course fee to recover additional costs of instruction.

      2. Federal Correctional Institutions (Oxford) Individuals incarcerated in federal correctional institutions or parolees shall be assessed all applicable tuition and segregated fees. Nonresident tuition remissions may be granted where financial need is demonstrated, but such remissions must be applied to the dollar ceiling provided in s. 20.285(2)(d), Wisconsin Statutes.

    15. Remedial Course Fees

      In accordance with Regent Policy 4-8, remedial education courses shall be offered on a fee recovery basis. Remedial education shall be operated out of Fund 136. If a student is taking both remedial and regular credits, Fund 131 and Fund 136 shall share proportionately in the fee revenue based upon the number of credits (pro rata basis). A part-time student will pay the remedial rate times the number of remedial credits plus the per credit rate times the number of regular credits. The maximum charge for a student taking both remedial and regular credits is the full-time rate up to the plateau. Segregated fees shall be assessed on a per credit basis including remedial credits if a student is less than full-time. In accordance with Regent Policy 4-8, each institution shall determine the appropriate credit load for its remedial education students.

    16. Audit Policy

      In accordance with Regent Policy 4-10, the academic fee charge for individuals who register for only noncredit, audit-type attendance of credit classes shall be:

      audit

      Wisconsin Residents under age 60

      30% of the normal per credit academic fee

      Wisconsin Residents age 60 or older
      (as of first day of classes)

      Normal per credit academic fee waived

      Minnesota Reciprocity

      30% of the normal per credit Minnesota Reciprocity fee

      Nonresidents

      50% of the normal per credit academic fee

      Audit fees shall not be charged to any disabled Wisconsin resident who is receiving disability insurance benefits under either the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program or the federal Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. However, all auditors, including disabled Wisconsin residents and those age 60 or older, shall be assessed any special cost-based course fees that are separately itemized (i.e., not included in academic student fees) and that charged to other course participants.

      Each institution may determine whether to extend the option to auditors to pay or not pay segregated fees (depending on whether the individual wants access to segregated fee funded services). If segregated fees are not paid, access for individuals who are auditors-only is limited to the library and nonsegregated fee funded activities of the student union. No additional fee shall be charged for such access.

      Students shall pay the normal per-credit tuition for audit credits until the degree and audit credits equal the plateau where academic fees are level except that no academic fee shall be assessed Wisconsin residents age 60 or older for audit-only credits. When the combination of degree and audit credits exceeds the full-time fee credit plateau, additional fees shall be assessed except that no academic fee shall be assessed Wisconsin residents age 60 or older for audit-only credits.

      Subject to the institution's nonresident tuition remission authorization, the chancellor may waive the nonresident portion of the per-credit charge for nonresidents.

    17. Refunds/Withdrawals/Drops

      UW System institutions are responsible for complying with federal regulations governing participation in the student financial assistance programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. To the extent that these regulations require a larger refund to federal funding sources than the amount specified by the refund policy stipulated below, the student shall be responsible for the difference.

      For refund, withdrawal, drop/adds and late payment purposes, the first session week is defined to end as of the close of regular business on Friday of the first full calendar week or, at the institution's option, after five class days.

      Up to the end of the second session week (as institutionally defined) or the end of the 10th day of class, refunds for any credit reduction shall be at 100% (less the optional withdrawal fee). During the third and fourth session week, the refund shall be reduced to 50% and after the fourth session week, there shall be no refunds of tuition. At the institution's option, a flat add/drop fee as approved by the Vice President for Finance may be assessed after the 100% refund period to cover administrative costs. The fee shall be deposited to Fund 128.

      The burden of proof in determining the date of withdrawal/drop shall be on the student. The same refund schedule shall apply to both withdrawals and class drops. During the 100% refund period, a student who adds and drops credits of concurrently offered classes within the same session week shall be assessed additional fees or receive a refund based on the net result of those adds and drops. After the 100% refund period, students will be assessed for all adds and drops. If a part-time student only adds credits during the session week, the credits should be assessed at the full per-credit rate disregarding any previous refunds. Undergraduate students who take 12 through 18 credits and graduate students should not pay more than full-time student fees. Undergraduates who take more than 18 credits shall have the refund schedule applied to those credits which exceed the 18 credit plateau. Exceptions to this provision must have the prior approval of the Vice President for Finance or designee.

      In those instances in which a student can document nonattendance at the institution after having enrolled in one or more courses, the student shall be assessed fees equal to 20% of the original fees due, reduced to resident rates, plus the late payment fee.

      The refund policy may be adjusted for differences in starting dates and session lengths. Exceptions may be made, at the institution's option, for changing sections within a course.

      At the institution's option, a withdrawal fee not to exceed $50.00 may be assessed during the first session week and up to $100 during the second session week. The withdrawal fee shall be deposited to Fund 128 and used to support the fee collection operations and defray the cost of processing withdrawals.

    18. Application Fees

      Application fees are established by section 36.11(3)(d) of the Wisconsin Statutes. A nonrefundable undergraduate application fee of $35.00 shall be assessed to all students applying for admission to a UW System institution. The fee does not apply toward the student's other tuition and fees. As provided in section s. 36.11(3)(d)(1), each institution may waive the undergraduate application fee upon the basis of financial need for a maximum of 5% of the application in any school year.

      A nonrefundable application fee of $45.00 shall be assessed by an institution for application for admission to graduate school, law school or medical school. The fee does not apply toward the student's other tuition and fees and the fee may not be waived.

      As required by s. 36.11(3)(d)(3) $3 from each application fee received shall be used to support the HELP program. The transfer of these funds shall be made under procedures established by the UW System Controller.

    19. Admission Deposits

      An admission deposit, which is refundable until May 1 for admission in the fall semester and November 15 for admission to the spring semester, may be assessed to all new matriculants who are accepted for admission; this deposit shall not exceed $200 for undergraduate admission nor $500 for graduate/professional programs. The deposit is not required to file an application but would be required to solidify an accepted application. The deposit shall be applied to the fees for the semester of admission.

      If the applicant, whose admission has been solidified as of May 1/November 15, fails to attend the institution, 50% of the admission deposit will be deposited to Fund 128. The remainder will be retained in the Academic Fee Appropriation (Fund 131).

    20. Other Remissions

      In addition to the remissions provided in Section G. and Section N., remissions may be granted to "worthy and needy" nonresidents, nonresidents that deserve relief because of "extraordinary circumstances", "worthy and needy" foreign students, athletes as allowed by conference regulations, and when required under the terms of a contract/gift or when reimbursed by a third party. Institutions shall have stated criteria and guidelines for determining "worthy and needy" and "extraordinary circumstances." Attachment B provides the statutory authority and limitations for each remission category.

    21. Academic Excellence Waivers

      Beginning in 1992-93, institutions may use tuition waivers to meet the portion of the match on Academic Excellence Scholarship recipients which exceeds the amount expended for the Academic Excellence program in 1991-92. For ease of administration, each institution will fully waive academic and segregated fees for each eligible academic excellence scholar. Subsequently, the funds paid by HEAB and the institutional match less the segregated fees, shall be placed in Fund 131. The appropriate segregated fees shall be placed in Fund 128. Students are responsible for the payment of textbook rental costs.

    22. Post Secondary Enrollment Options

      High school students enrolled at UW System institutions for high school credit shall have their fees paid by the school district. In the event the student is also taking courses for college credit, the courses taken for high school credit shall be treated as the first enrolled in for the purposes of determining fees to be paid by the student.

    23. Late Registration Fees

      At the institution's option, a late registration fee not to exceed $50.00 may be assessed. Late registration is defined by the institution. Late registration fees shall be deposited to Fund 128.

    24. Transcript Holds

      No student shall be issued a transcript (certified or not) until all accounts receivable have been paid or an acceptable payment plan has been entered into with the Bursar. At the institution's option, this provision may be waived when the accounts receivable are less than $50.00. UW-Madison University Hospitals accounts receivable are excluded.

    25. NSF Checks

      Payment by NSF check will be treated as nonpayment of tuition and fees, thereby allowing the institution to charge the late payment assessment in addition to the NSF charge. A charge up to the amount allowed by statute (currently $20) shall be assessed for a check not paid by the bank on which it is drawn and will be deposited to Fund 128. An institution may reserve the right to refuse payment by check to students with a history of NSF checks.

    26. Advance Registration Fee

      Institutions which require an advanced registration fee shall comply with Section Q when determining the refundable portion of the advanced registration fee due a student that does not complete the registration process or withdraws after registering.

  4. Exceptions

    In those cases where the academic year fee schedule does not properly apply, the schedule should be adjusted in consultation with the Vice President for Finance or designee.

    Nonremedial courses offered for zero credits shall be treated for fee purposes as if they carry one credit. Exceptions to this provision may be made by the chancellor. (This excludes noncredit workshops and seminars.)

    Segregated fees may be waived for students enrolled exclusively in courses held off-campus.

    Exceptions to any of the stated procedures, provisions, etc., due to unusual circumstances can be made only by the chancellor or designated representatives. Designation of representatives should be in writing and maintained in the designees' offices. Documentation justifying exceptions should be maintained. Blanket exceptions are not authorized. By statute, except for the provision for athletics, only the nonresident tuition and special course fees may be waived as a fee remission.






Attachment A
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONAL FEES

  1. Masters in Business

    The special fee for graduate students enrolled as Masters candidates in Business shall only be assessed to those students who first enroll in that program commencing with the 1989-90 academic year. Students must provide evidence of previously enrolling as Masters candidates in Business at any UW System institution to be exempt from the special fee. Students who have completed a Masters in Business prior to 1989-90 who return for a second Masters in Business degree shall be assessed the special fee.

  2. Law School

    The special Law School library fee and a Law School improvement fee shall be assessed for students enrolled in Law School at UW-Madison.

  3. Library Acquisitions (nonresident undergraduates only)

    The special library fee shall be assessed for nonresident undergraduate students enrolled in the doctoral universities.

  4. Undergraduate Education Improvement

    The special undergraduate education improvement fee shall be assessed for nonresident undergraduates at UW-Madison.





    Major Rev. 7/27/93
    Minor Rev. 6/15/07

    Attachment B

    NONRESIDENT TUITION REMISSIONS


    36.27(3)(a): Remissions of nonresident tuition may be granted to "worthy and needy" nonresident students who qualify on the basis of merit as shown by evidence of academic attainment. These remissions are limited to an amount equal to full remissions for 8% of the number of nonresident students registered at an institution the preceding year, excluding those students participating in interstate compacts.

    36.27(3)(b): Remissions of nonresident tuition may be granted to students who deserve relief because of "extraordinary circumstances." The aggregate amount of these remissions shall not exceed an amount equal to full remission of tuition for 2% of the number of nonresident students registered in the preceding year, excluding those students participating in interstate agreements.

    36.27(3)(c): Nonresident tuition, in whole or in part, but no other fees, except in special circumstances as approved by the chancellor, may be remitted to worthy and needy foreign students and to students who are United States citizens but whose residence is not in the United States. The number of such remissions which may be awarded in any academic year shall not exceed 2% of the total full-time enrollment of students at that institution for the preceding year.

    36.27(3)(f): The board may, as athletic scholarships, grant full remission of nonresident tuition and resident fees, up to the maximum number allowed by the appropriate athletic conference as recommended by the chancellor of each university. Remission of the resident fee portion of an athletic scholarship granted under this section is not to be included in the aggregate amounts established in §20.285(2)(d).

    36.27(3)(g): The board may remit nonresident tuition, in whole or part, to graduate students who are fellows or who are employed within the System as faculty, instructional academic staff or assistants with an appointment equal to at least 33% of a full-time equivalent position.

    36.27(4): The legislature approved [37.26(4)] tuition award programs through 1993-94 for UW- Parkside and Superior. The authorization allows an exemption from nonresident tuition, but not incidental or other fees for up to 150 nonresident junior or senior students at Superior and 200 at Parkside. Since these exemptions are separately authorized, they are not included under the statutory ceiling.

    20.285(2)(d): Fee remissions for students whose fees are paid through contract or gift from an outside funding source are not counted under the authorized ceiling §20.285(2)(d). In such a situation, the contract or gift must cover the fees for the credits that are to be granted to the participating students (with the funds deposited into the GPO pool), or all direct and indirect costs incurred in delivering the course must be paid by the donor.



    Attachment C
    REFUND AND PAYMENT SCHEDULES FOR WITHDRAWALS OR DROPS
                                       REFUND SCHEDULE
SESSION LENGTH                 FOR WITHDRAWALS OR DROPS
                                   Week of Session
                        Week    Week     Week     Week   Thereafter
                          1       2        3        4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 weeks and over       100%    100%      50%      50%      None

8 weeks thru 11         100%     50%      25%     None
weeks

5 weeks thru 7 weeks    100%     50%     None     None

3 weeks thru 4 weeks    100%     25%     None     None

2 weeks                 100%    None

=============================================================================
 
                           PAYMENT SCHEDULE FOR WITHDRAWAL,
                           CANCELLATION OF REGISTRATION OR 
                            DROPS WITHOUT PAYMENT OF FEES
                            (Assessment for administrative
SESSION LENGTH          costs is in addition to percents noted)
                                 Week of Session
                        Week    Week     Week     Week   Thereafter
                          1       2        3        4
                              
12 weeks and over       None    None      50%      50%      100%

8 weeks thru 11         None     50%      75%     100%
weeks

5 weeks thru 7 weeks    None     50%     100%     100%    

3 weeks thru 4 weeks    None     75%     100%     100%

2 weeks                 None    100%

NOTE:  For sessions of shorter duration, campuses should extend schedules
       appropriately.