Leave of Absence and Withdrawal Financial Policies

The Leave of Absence/Withdrawal Tuition Proration Schedule applies to students who formally withdraw or interrupt their studies after initial registration for a quarter. Leave of Absences and Withdrawals from an Academic Program must be reported to and approved by your Academic Unit before a proration may occur. Proration of Tuition is determined by the Last Date of Attendance reported to your Academic Unit and determines the amount of the proration.

Proration Schedule For Leave Of Absence Or Withdrawal From Academic Program

100% end of the first week of the quarter.
 65% end of the second week of the quarter.
 65% end of the third week of the quarter.
 50% end of the fourth week of the quarter.
 30% end of the fifth week of the quarter.
 0% beginning sixth week of the quarter.

Mandatory Enrollment Fees      

No proration of mandatory enrollment fees are made after the end of the first week of the quarter for a Leave of Absence or Withdrawal.
Mandatory Enrollment Fees include: Booth Administrative Fee, Student Services Fee, Graduate Lifetime Transcript Fee, College UPass Fee, College Class Fee, Exam Fee, USHIP Dependent Fee.

Room and Board Charges

Room and Board charges are prorated to the time of stay. No prorations of room charges are made for students who leave after the Friday of the tenth week each quarter. Proper check out must be performed to receive a proration of these fees. Please contact Housing & Residence Life for more information on the check out process.

Refund of Student Account Post Withdrawal or Leave of Absence

Students may be eligible for a refund of previous payments due to a Withdrawal or Leave of Absence. The Office of the Bursar begins reviewing Student Accounts for refunds of previous payments starting week five of each quarter. We will begin processing your refund once pertinent University offices have reviewed all charges and previously awarded Financial Aid. This review may take 30-45 days. We must receive confirmation that these processes are complete and that a refundable credit balance is reflected on your student account. Then, we will process your refund within 7-10 Business Days.

Non-Refundable Charges

The following charges represent services provided to the individual. These charges are all non-refundable at all times:
Maroon Dollars, Off Campus Meal Plans, College Book Charges, SSA UPass, College International Pre-Orientation, College Urban Experience, Medical School Disability Insurance.

USHIP Premiums

No proration of USHIP premiums will occur unless the Withdrawal or Leave of Absence occurs before the end of the third week of the quarter of your initial plan enrollment and no insurance claims have been processed on your behalf. Please contact the Student Health Insurance Office for additional questions regarding your Student Health Insurance coverage during this process.

Physical or Financial Hardship Withdrawal  

Consistent with the Illinois Student Debt Assistance Act, this policy establishes processes and procedures to assist students who live in Illinois or who attend an academic program in Illinois who face a severe financial or physical hardship.  The policy works to limit their student debt when the physical or financial hardship requires the student to withdraw from the University of Chicago for one of the following reasons after the 100% tuition refund add/drop deadline has passed.

  1. Serious injury or illness of the student;
  2. Chronic illness of the student;
  3. A  medical issue of a family member (spouse or partner, child, parent or guardian, grandparent, or sibling) in which the student has to becomes a part-time or full-time caretaker of that family member;
  4. A mental health condition of the student;
  5. A sudden or consistent lack of transportation that prohibits student presence on in class; 
  6. A significant, non-elective cost of living increase for the student.

Students whose withdrawal is due to one of the above reasons, who separate with a past due balance consisting of tuition and fees, and who did not receive graded academic credit for the quarter of the withdrawal will be eligible for a Physical/Financial Hardship Review. The Office of the Bursar will review within 45 days of their withdrawal and will finalize any account adjustments within 60 days of withdrawal.   For questions regarding Physical/Financial Hardship Withdrawal Review, please contact our office.

 

Students Separating with a Balance

Students who separate from the University with a past due balance are required to resolve it in accordance with the Financial Responsibility Agreement. Within 30 days of separation, students will receive an email outlining their options, which include enrolling in a customized payment plan or paying the balance in full within 90 days. Failure to comply may result in the account being referred to an external collection agency. Additionally, all past due balances must be paid in full to be eligible for re-enrollment. For questions about resolving your balance, please contact our office.