Fee Adjustment (Refund) Policy

The University of Memphis operates under the authority of the Board of Trustees and follows the fiscal policies and procedures regarding the governance of the University set by that Board of Trustees, the President and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) for calculating fee adjustments and refunds. This refund policy primarily affects full-time students who adjust their schedules to part-time status, including complete withdrawal, after the conclusion of the 100% fee adjustment/refund period. Students will be assessed a pro-rated fee for the dropped hours. The University policy is available BF4020 - University Fees and Charges.

Students are encouraged to better plan their schedules and retain their full-time status on their way to a timely and successful graduation. The fee adjustment policy provides for three fee adjustment periods and is based entirely upon the official date of withdrawal or change of course which would result in a recalculation of fees. Students who need to drop any courses or withdraw from the University should do so before the start of classes for the term to ensure that no registration fees are owed. Please see the University & Student Business Services Office Calendar for specific refund/adjustment periods for each part-of-term.

Note: Summer tuition, program services and out-of-state tuition are assessed at the per-hour rate, with no maximum, and do not have a reduced rate.

Fee Adjustment Calculations

The fee adjustment calculations are based on the courses dropped; therefore, not all schedule adjustments will result in a reduced fee assessment after the fee adjustment calculation. Fee adjustment estimator calculations are approximate. Actual adjustment amounts may vary based on individual student enrollment. To calculate fee adjustments under this policy, the following formula will be used:

[((# Hours Dropped * Multiplier) + # Hours Remaining) * (Per Hour Rate)] – (prior fee assessment) = Potential Fee Adjustment/Refund

Fee Adjustment Period
100%: Multiplier of 0.00
50%: Multiplier of 0.50

After the 50% refund period has concluded: Multiplier of 1.00

Formula Breakdown:

Billing Hours = ((# Hours Dropped * Multiplier) + # Hours Remaining)

(Billing Hours * Per Hour Rate) = How much the Student Owes for the term

How much the student owes – (prior fee assessment) = Potential Fee Adjustment/Refund

Refund Policy – Rules & Exclusions

The 100% fee adjustment period is applicable for students who withdraw from the University or drop below full-time status during the first two weeks of classes for the semester, as published on the refund dates on the USBS fee calendar.

A full (100%) fee adjustment of mandatory fees will be provided to students called to active military or National Guard service during the semester. Housing and meal ticket charges may be prorated based on usage. A full (100%) fee adjustment will also be provided for courses cancelled by the University or in the case of the death of the student during the semester. Please go to the Financial Aid for specific information on the return of federal financial aid funds for students who withdraw from the University.

The 50% fee adjustment period is applicable for students who withdraw from the University or drop below full-time status on between the second and third week of the semester for fall and spring terms, as published on the refund dates on the USBS fee calendar. The 50% fee adjustment period is modified for summer and other short terms.

NOTE: NO REFUND WILL BE PROVIDED AFTER THE APPROPRIATE 50% REFUND DATE.

Students that have withdrawn during the term and who have received Federal Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized, Parent PLUS loans, Pell or SEOG grants, or Lottery Scholarships will have their aid prorated based on the amount of time the student has attended. All or part of their aid could be prorated resulting in the student owing funds to the university. A hold will be placed on their account preventing them from receiving grades/transcripts, and registering for future semesters until the balance is paid in full.

Students that have dropped or withdrawn during a refund period and received a payment for tuition and fees from a discount, fee waiver, third party contract, financial aid, or scholarship may have their refund credit applied back to the initial form of payment.

Changes in courses involving the adding and/or dropping of the same number of credit hours for the same part of term and processed on the same day may not require additional fees nor be subject to any fee adjustments based on this policy, other than what may result from dropping/adding courses from different programs that may have special program fees (such as Fine Fine Arts, Business, Engineering, and/or Developmental Studies Program courses).

A term (or semester) is defined as a "Spring" term, a "Fall" term, or a "Summer" term. A Part-of-Term (POT) is defined as any part of the term/semester. For the Spring and Fall terms, there is a "Full" POT that meets from August–December/January–May, the first POT that meets from January–March/August–October, the second POT that meets from March–May/October–December, and the TN eCampus Program (TN eCampus (formerly RODP)) POT that overlaps with the Full POT. Each term also has a "Law" POT. For the Summer term, there is a Pre Session (MayMester), Full, First, Second, TN eCampus (formerly RODP), First Teacher and Second Teacher POT.

Changes in courses from one POT to another POT within a major term (Fall/Spring/Summer) will be subject to the fee adjustment periods and rates under this policy. Fee adjustments beyond the specified dates/percentages indicated above will not be made for reasons such as employee conflicts, health or medical problem, moving out of town, or other reasons beyond the University's control or responsibility.

Any potential fee adjustment is calculated on the student's original total enrollment fee assessment, less the registration fee amount due after course/schedule adjustment. A refund would only be issued to the student if the newly adjusted amount of fees is less than the amount that has been paid by the student. Therefore, students who satisfy fees using the Installment Payment Plan may still have a balance due the University for unpaid fee amounts despite their withdrawal from some or all of their classes. To avoid late fees and ineligibility for the deferred payment plan in future terms, the student should continue to make payment by each due date.  Remember, withdrawal from classes does not negate the student's responsibility to pay the balance of fees after the semester has begun.

Tuition and fee refunds will be processed beginning approximately twenty-one (21) days after classes begin. The University will offset against proposed refunds any amount owed by the student to the University. Students who have established an eRefund account will have any refund direct deposited into the bank account on file in TigerXpress. Students who have not established an eRefund account will have a paper check mailed to the student's mailing address on file with the University.