First Level Appeal Process

Important information:

  • All first level appeal requests, including supporting documentation, are due by the 1st of every month at 5pm in order to be included in that month’s review process.
  • Students must fill out the appeal request form, select the appropriate charge type on the form, and provide supporting documentation that speaks to their extenuating circumstance(s). Tuition Housing and Dining (THD) Support will route the first level appeal and supporting documentation to the appropriate department for review and decision.
  • All complete first level appeals (Tuition, Housing, and/or Dining) are reviewed by the department in which the charge originated. For Tuition, completed appeal requests are routed to the Office of the Bursar; for Housing, completed appeal requests are routed to Housing and Residence Life; for Dining, completed appeal requests are routed to Dining Services.
  • All requests MUST have supporting documentation in order to be reviewed at the first level. Requests will not be fully processed until supporting documentation is submitted. Please note: Personal statements are not considered to be supporting documentation. Additionally, providing a copy of your student account summary is not considered to be documentation of an extenuating circumstance in and of itself.
  • There is a one year time limit on filing an appeal, to include the second level of appeal (if necessary due to denial at the first level). Example: If a student is filing an appeal for a charge from the Fall 2022 term, then the appeal request form and supporting documentation must be submitted to the THD Support by the official end date of the Fall 2023 term.

Required Steps for first level appeal

Students must complete the following steps by all posted deadlines in order for the request to be reviewed in a timely manner by the department:

Step 1 – Submit a Request Form

To begin the process of requesting a first level Tuition, Housing, and/or Dining (THD) Appeal, students must complete the online request form. The request form is the student’s opportunity to describe their extenuating circumstances and justification for seeking an appeal. Students should fully review circumstances that do and do not warrant an appeal through the THD Appeals Process prior to submitting a request.

  • If you are appealing tuition charges, you must have withdrawn from the course(s) before you can appeal. If the deadline has passed to withdraw from your course(s), you must submit an Academic Petition to initiate your request for a late withdrawal.
  • If you are appealing housing charges, you must have cancelled the referenced housing contract and been charged associated financial penalties.
  • If you are appealing multiple charges within the same term, you must submit a separate request form for each charge. You can select the appropriate charge you are appealing on the form.

Step 2 – Submit Supporting Documentation

Students are responsible for gathering and submitting supporting documentation to the Tuition Housing and Dining Support Office. Supporting documentation should speak to the extenuating circumstances surrounding the exact reason for the appeal. Extenuating circumstances would include factors such as: withdrawal for adequate medical reasons as certified by a physician or licensed health care provider, death in the immediate family that requires student withdrawal, and/or personal circumstances that are outside of your control and have or are likely to have had a significant impact on your academic performance in any type of assessment. Please click here for more information on documentation criteria.

Getting A Decision

A student’s first level THD request will be routed to the department in which the charge originated for review and decision. A decision letter will be sent to the student via their University email address once the request has been reviewed. A student should expect to receive a decision letter by the second week of the month in which the request has been reviewed by the appropriate department.

Approved

  • If a student’s request is approved, the students charge(s) will be adjusted on their student account within 7-10 days. If the appeal was not approved for the whole amount requested, the student will receive notification of this in their letter.

*For Tuition appeals, if Financial Aid paid for all or part of the tuition, students may no longer be eligible for the full amount of Title IV aid. Refunds that result from the approval of this appeal may be returned to the Financial Aid program depending on a review of eligibility.*

Denied

  • If a student’s first level THD request is denied, the charges will not be removed from their account and any financial holds will remain. Students can choose to contact Niner Central regarding a payment plan or students can appeal the decision.
  • Students are given the opportunity to appeal a denial through the second level appeal process. The decision rendered by the THD Appeals Committee through the second level appeal process is final.