INST 120 – Special Course Fee Opt Out

To provide guidelines for the administration of special course fees and procedures for allowing students to opt out of eligible special course fees.

Applies to students who are registered for a course with an eligible opt out special course fee.

Tuition and Fees: The cost per credit for the offering of a general unit of instruction.

Special Course Fee (SCF): These fees offset unique cost beyond a traditional college lecture class and are limited to the approved justifications for SCFs as noted in the STU 100 – Tuition & Fees policy. Some SCFs allow students to opt out of payment as noted in this policy.

Policy

CWI strives to provide accessible and affordable learning opportunities for students and makes a conscious effort to apply SCFs reasonably, affordably, and sparingly. SCFs are applied for the purposes outline in the STU 100 – Tuition & Fees policy. An SCF may be applied when one or more of the following is true:

• The course includes resources or opportunities that are not common to general courses and incur costs beyond those captured in CWI’s tuition and fee amounts.
• CWI is able to purchase materials or supplies at a volume that provides a cost benefit to students while ensuring consistency of learning materials.
• Materials or supplies are guaranteed for all students and can be provided to students from the first day of learning to ensure success.
• Materials or supplies are utilized to ensure the safety of students or to maintain fidelity of machinery or equipment in the learning environment.

In accordance with Federal Department of Education regulations, CWI provides students the ability to opt‐out of certain SCFs under the parameters noted above. A list of SCFs eligible for opt‐out is available to students at all One Stop Student Services locations as well as on the Tuition and Fees page. Not all SCFs are eligible for opt‐out.

Guidelines

A student must first be registered for a course with an eligible opt out SCF. The student may file a request to opt-out of the eligible SCF no later than two (2) weeks before the first day of the session.

The student will initiate the opt out process by consulting with a One Stop Representative on the potential impact of opting out, the responsibilities the student assumes, and the specific materials the student agrees to personally acquire for participation in the course in lieu of the SCF. One Stop Student Services will provide the student a detailed list of required materials the student must purchase. These materials may or may not be available for purchase at the CWI Bookstore. Materials may be required for class prior to the date financial aid refunds are disbursed. The opt out form requires the signature of both the One Stop Representative and the student.

Within 10 business days, the student’s account will be adjusted in the amount of the SCF. Students can access their account detail through myCWI (summer and fall account access opens July 1). Once an opt out request is submitted and the student has accepted the personal responsibility for acquiring the required materials or supplies, the opt out adjustment cannot be reversed. Because SCFs are specifically intended to ensure students’ preparedness for the course and immediate access to learning materials, students who opt out and do not fulfill their responsibility to acquire their own materials reduce their likelihood for success.