Southern New Hampshire University
Refund Policy (School of Professional and Continuing Education Only) Students who wish to withdraw from class must do so in writing using a withdrawal form. Refund percentages are based on the date that the withdrawal form is received. The textbook return policy is posted in the bookstore. If a credit balance is the result of a drop or withdraw from class(es), the student is responsible to submit a refund request form. If the student does not submit a ’Request for Refund’ form, any credit balance will remain on the student account in anticipation of future enrollment. This policy includes payments made with credit or debit cards. Refer to the refund request form for more details regarding refund processing. The following is the tuition refund policy: Time of Withdrawal
Night Classes
Weekend Classes
8-week or 16-week
Percent of Tuition
Percent of Tuition
Before first class starts After first class starts After second class starts After third class starts
100% 80% 50% No Refund
100% 80% No Refund No Refund
Because of the nature of online classes, this policy differs for registrations for SNHU Online courses.
Attendance, Withdrawal and Refund Policies (SNHU Online Only) Attendance Attendance is required in all courses. Being absent may impact a student’s grade and in the case of excessive absences, may result in failure or the instructor withdrawing the student from the course. Students are responsible for all missed work, assignments, etc. The instructor’s policies on attendance and making up work must be included in the syllabus. Documented absences resulting from legitimate circumstances, such as personal illness, a death in the immediate family, etc. should not negatively impact a student’s grade or academic standing. Notwithstanding this, please see “University Initiated Withdrawals.”
Student Initiated Withdrawals • First four weeks of Undergraduate semester and six weeks of the Graduate semester: Students may withdraw from courses at any time during the first four weeks of the Undergraduate semester and six weeks of the graduate semester with the course grade of “W.” • Later withdrawals: Student Initiated withdrawals after the fourth Undergraduate term week and sixth Graduate term week will only be allowed for conditions beyond the student’s control (e.g. illness documented by a physician’s letter). The course grade under these conditions will be “W.” Documentation 24
must be provided by the student and approved by the SNHU Online Chief Academic Officer or CEO.
University Initiated Withdrawals • First week: The university will withdraw students who do not participate in the class during the first week of term. Participation is determined within Blackboard by a discussion board, wiki, or blog posting and/or an assignment submission. Students who do not participate during the first week forfeit their rights to be reinstated into the course. Both the faculty member and the SNHU Online administration should make a good faith effort to contact students before withdrawing them by sending an e-mail from their SNHU e-mail address to the student’s SNHU e-mail address. • By Instructor: Once a student has missed enough classes that the instructor believes that the student cannot meet the goals of the course within the remaining time frame, at the instructor’s discretion the student may be given a failing grade, be withdrawn from the class, or be considered for an incomplete (I) and given a defined period to complete remaining course work. Faculty members may give a student an incomplete grade in a course only if the student and instructor have agreed, in advance, to plan or schedule for completion. Withdrawal is instructor-initiated due to lack of attendance or unusual circumstances, not as a method to prevent low grades. Prior to withdrawing the student, the faculty member should attempt to contact the student and should issue a warning. This contact is made by sending an e-mail from their SNHU e-mail address to the student’s SNHU e-mail address. No withdrawals are permitted during the last week of the term. • By Administration: The University reserves the right to withdraw students who fail to meet financial or academic obligations or who, because of misconduct, disrupt the academic process. Merely ceasing to attend classes does not constitute an official withdrawal either academically or financially. The registrar will automatically assign an “F” grade when the student has neither officially withdrawn from the course or has not been officially withdrawn by the university.
Submission of Withdrawals All withdrawals must be submitted using the online withdrawal form. In all cases, the date of withdrawal is the date the completed form is received. For the purpose of withdrawals, term weeks start on Monday and end on Sunday.
Withdrawal Disputes Withdrawal disputes must be submitted in writing to onlinestudents@snhu.edu within 30 days after the end of the semester during which the student withdrew.
Tuition Refunds • Withdrawals during the first week of term: an 80% tuition refund credited to the student’s account.