Tuition and Fee Reduction Criteria
Whether or not tuition and fees may be reduced can depend on the length of the class, date of withdrawal, and how many credits you are enrolled in for the semester overall. Students who withdraw from classes during certain time frames may be entitled to a reduction of all or a portion of their tuition.
Withdrawing During the Add/Drop Period
If you withdraw from one or more classes during the add/drop period for the classes, you may be eligible for a full reduction of tuition and fees of the dropped class(es).
Please be aware that if you are enrolled full-time for the semester, you would not see a reduction in charges unless you drop below full-time enrollment. This is due to the fact that most tuition and fee assessment stops at full-time enrollment. Some examples to help explain:
- If an undergraduate student drops from 15 credit hours to 12 credit hours during the add/drop period for the class - which is still full-time for the semester - their tuition and fees would not be reduced. Their initial tuition and fee assessment was capped at 12 credit hours, so they were never assessed additional tuition and fees for the 3 credit hours that brought them up to 15 hours.
- However, if a student drops from 15 credit hours to 9 credit hours during the add/drop period, they would receive a tuition and fee reduction for the 3 credit hours that fall under full-time, because they were initially assessed tuition and fees up to the 12 credit hours.
- If an undergraduate student is enrolled in 8 hours for the semester and drops to 6 hours during the add/drop period for the class, they would receive a tuition and fee reduction for the 2 credit hours.
Some programs require courses that are longer than the standard length of 16 weeks for fall and spring and 12 weeks during summer. Any reduction after withdrawal from these courses will be assessed using the standard course lengths in weeks.
Withdrawing After the Add/Drop Period
After the add/drop period for the classes have passed, students must fully withdraw from all classes for the semester to receive any reduction in tuition and fees. This means there is no reduction for individual classes dropped.
Review the Reduction Schedule for the appropriate semester to see how much tuition and fees may be reduced for a full withdrawal after the add/drop period has passed.
Please be aware that there is a point - based on the length of the class and date of withdrawal - where no tuition/fees will be reduced. See GradGuard Tuition Insurance for information on insuring your investment.
Non-Refundable Tuition
Whether tuition and fees may be reduced can depend on the length of the class, the date of withdrawal, and how many credits you are enrolled in for the semester overall. If you withdraw from one or more classes during the add/drop period, you may be eligible for a full reduction of tuition and fees for the dropped class(es). After the add/drop period for the classes has passed, students must fully withdraw from all classes for the semester to receive any reduction in tuition and fees.
Please be aware that there is a point - based on the length of the class and date of withdrawal - where no tuition and fees will be reduced. Visit the Tuition and Fee Reduction Criteria section for more information. You can also visit Reductions in On-Campus Housing and Dining Fees for details on potential fee reductions for on-campus housing or for dining plans. You can also explore GradGuard tuition insurance to help protect your investment if you are unable to complete the semester due to a covered medical reason.
Reductions and Refunds
Once a reduction in charges has been posted, the WVU Hub team will review the charges and payments (financial aid, personal payments, scholarships) to determine if a refund is due to you.
Please be aware that, for financial aid recipients, withdrawing from courses can impact both current and future financial aid eligibility. Visit our Financial Aid Withdrawing from Courses webpage for information on potential impacts on aid.
Reductions in On-Campus Housing and Dining Fees
Potential reductions in fees for on-campus housing or dining plans may depend on your date of withdrawal and/or when you move out and turn in your key. Contact WVU Housing and WVU Dining Services with questions regarding those fees.
Impacts on my Institutional Scholarship
When a student completely withdraws from a semester, their institutional scholarship may be reduced according to the Reduction Schedule on this webpage. Additionally, the scholarship is canceled for future semesters, and a student must submit a Scholarship Exception Request to appeal for scholarship reinstatement. These requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and approval is not guaranteed.
GradGuard Tuition Insurance
We understand that the investment you and your family make in tuition and fees is significant which can create a financial hardship if you are unable to complete your classes and are not eligible for a full refund of tuition and fees. Tuition Refund Insurance, provided by GradGuard™, can help protect your investment by refunding your tuition, fees, housing, and food charges - up to the annual policy limits - if you are unable to complete the semester due to a covered medical reason. Off-campus housing expenses can include early termination fees associated with vacating housing and terminating utility contracts during the covered semester, not including security deposits. This insurance program complements and enhances WVU's withdrawal policy.
For additional information, including coverage details and exclusions, please visit the GradGuard website or call GradGuard at 866-724-4384.