Student Policies
Privacy Statement
Our policy: As a student or customer of Sewanee: The University of the South, your privacy is our business. It is our policy to protect you and your family from unauthorized use of information provided in the course of doing business with us.
No information provided by you will be used for any purpose other than processing your on-line transactions. We will not give away, sell or otherwise disclose any information that personally identifies you, except as necessary to perform service.
Refund Policy
A partial refund of tuition, room and board (hereafter referred to as “fees”) is made only for medical withdrawals that are approved by the Office of the Dean of Students and that occur when 60% or less of the term has been completed. The activity fee is not refundable. Students who withdraw voluntarily for non-medical reasons or withdraw involuntarily for academic or disciplinary reasons are not eligible for a refund. Your official departure date will be the date that the University approves your request to withdraw for medical reasons.
For those students who qualify for a refund, the total refund amount is the fee refund less the federal and institutional aid that must be returned by the student:
Total Refund = Fee Refund Less Returned Aid
Refund insurance for medical withdrawals is available through an outside vendor that provides information prior to the fall semester. Applications may be obtained through the Student Accounts Office.
Calculation of the Percentage of the Semester Uncompleted
Both the fee refund and the amount of aid that must be returned depend on the percentage of the semester that is uncompleted at the time of withdrawal.
The calculation of the percentage of the semester uncompleted is based on the number of calendar days remaining in the semester after withdrawing divided by the total semester calendar days. The semester begins on the first day of class and ends on the last final examination date. Breaks of five days or more are not counted as semester calendar days. The withdrawal date used to calculate the refund is determined by the Dean of Students Office.
Calculation of Fee Refund
The maximum refund for fees is one-half of tuition, one-half of room and three-fourths of board. The actual refund depends on the percentage of the semester remaining after withdrawing and is computed as:
Fee Refund = Percentage of Term Uncompleted * (1/2 x Tuition + 1/2 x Room + 3/4 x Board)
Calculation of How Much Institutional Financial Aid Must Be Returned
Students must return institutional aid that is prorated based on the percentage of the term uncompleted:
Returned Institutional Aid = (Institutional Aid/Semester Fees) x Fee Refund
Calculation of How Much Federal Title IV Funds Must Be Returned
Students who receive federal Title IV funds are subject to the federal return of Title IV funds policy, which mandates how Title IV funds are to be returned to federal programs. Depending on how much federal aid is returned to federal programs, it is possible that a student may have a balance due to the University.
Students who receive institutional aid in addition to federal Title IV funds must return institutional aid on a prorated basis as described in the previous section.
Dishonored Check Policy
A dishonored check is a check payment returned by the bank, unpaid, for any reason. Check payments returned by the bank will be assessed a service charge of $30. Stopping payment on a check is considered the same as a dishonored check. Any penalties assessed on a student's dishonored check will be charged to the student account.
After a second dishonored check has been received by the University on a student's account, a financial hold will be put in place. The hold will remain until payment is received to clear the balance including any penalties and for 14 days after the payment is received to ensure the payment will not be returned.
