Undergraduate tuition refunds
Can I request a refund?
You can request a refund from the Undergraduate Tuition Refund Committee if:
- you dropped undergraduate courses after the "100% fee reduction" deadline stated in the academic calendar
- you requested an academic concession and have been approved for a Withdrawal under Extenuating Circumstances or a Backdated Drop
Requests are evaluated based on:
- how long you were registered in the course
- when your circumstances occurred in relation to the published refund deadlines
- whether the circumstances were beyond your control
- how your ability to complete or withdraw from the course was affected
- the nature and duration of your circumstances
- whether you took reasonable steps to seek assistance
If your request is granted, the approved amount will be credited to your tuition fee account. The credit will be applied towards outstanding tuition fees or future terms.
Reasons for requesting a tuition refund
UVic will consider refund requests due to:
- Unexpected and unavoidable circumstances, including (but not limited to):
- illness, trauma or bereavement
- personal or family affliction, including responsibility to care for a family member
- Indigenous cultural or community obligations.
- Conflicting responsibilities, including (but not limited to):
- service in the armed forces or emergency services
- representing the university, the province or the country by participating in an academic event, an athletic competition or an artistic performance.
- Administrative error
- Incorrect advice or errors of administration by authorized University personnel that affected your ability to make timely decisions about your course registration.
UVic will not consider refund requests due to:
- a change in your employment or financial situation
- dissatisfaction with university regulations
- lack of awareness of published deadlines
- unsubstantiated technical difficulties
Supporting documentation
Your request must include supporting documentation that demonstrates the impact of the situation on your studies within the specific academic term in which the courses were dropped.
Do not share documents that don’t belong to you or images that are graphic in nature.
Letters written to support your tuition refund request must include the writer’s contact information, their relationship to you, and the dates during which you were affected.
Examples include (but are not limited to):
- a letter from a registered health care provider regarding medical care for you or a family member
- the letter does not need to provide detail on the medical or health concerns
- a letter from your Student Support Coordinator
- a letter from a coach/official confirming your participation in an academic event or athletic competition
Whenever possible, letters should be provided on official letterhead. Letters from family members will not be accepted.
If you have a support letter from a health care provider, it’s not necessary to provide additional medical documents. If you choose to provide medical documents, they must:
- be from registered health care providers who were directly involved in medical care for you or a family member
- address the challenges you faced during specific dates (leading to your dropped courses)
Examples of other supporting documents include (but are not limited to):
- documents related to the death of a loved one, such as an obituary or tribute website
- an official document confirming mandatory military service
- a police report
Documents that can't be used to assess the impact of your circumstances on your studies should not be submitted with your request. Examples include:
- prescriptions, lab requisitions, receipts, screenshots or medical imaging reports
- diagnostic or psychoeducational assessments
- accommodation letters from the Centre for Accessible Learning
Video recordings will not be accepted under any circumstances.
How much detail should I provide?
The information and supporting documentation you provide will only be reviewed by UVic staff and committee members who are directly involved in evaluating and processing your request. This information will be treated confidentially and will become part of your student record. We recognize that some circumstances may be personal or sensitive. Please share only the information that you feel is necessary to explain your request.
The Office of the Registrar and Enrolment Management will review your request before forwarding it to the review committee. If your request appears to lack sufficient supporting documentation, you may be given the opportunity to provide additional detail.
How to submit a request
- Complete the Undergraduate Tuition Fee Refund Request (PDF).
- Prepare your supporting documentation.
- Send your request to ugrefundrequests@uvic.ca.
Your request must be sent from the email address in your Netlink profile.
Submission deadlines
The Undergraduate Tuition Fee Refund Committee meets throughout the year. Submissions are due eight days prior to upcoming meetings, and decisions are communicated within 10 business days after the committee meets.
Scheduled review meetings
- Thursday, September 17 (submission deadline is September 9)
- Additional dates to be announced
Contact us
- For questions about undergraduate tuition refunds, email ugrefundrequests@uvic.ca.
- For questions about graduate tuition refunds, email garo@uvic.ca.