Refund Policy

Academic Calendar

Add/Drop Policy

Students who wish to change a course registration after the start of a term may do so within the first seven days of the course by requesting a course add/drop through their advisor or submitting a Special Request Form. Students can drop a course within the first seven days without penalty. 

Dropped courses will not be displayed on the student’s transcript.

Course Withdrawal Policy

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must request a Course Withdrawal Form from their academic advisor or submit a Special Request Form for access to the Course Withdrawal Form

All withdrawal requests must be submitted by midnight Central Time (UTC -5) on the withdrawal deadline date published in the academic calendar. Course withdrawals result in a grade of “W” on the official transcript. Refunds of tuition will be calculated according to the university’s Refund Policy.

Students are not permitted to withdraw from a course after the 60% completion date. 

Refunds

When a student drops or withdraws from a course, the applicable refund (if any) will be credited to the student’s account according to the Refund Schedule*. The credit amount will be based on the original transaction amount (less any discounts) and the withdrawal date. 

*Note: The daily cutoff time is 11:59 p.m. Eastern

Students may use the credit toward future tuition charges or request a refund. To request a refund, email bursar@theartofeducation.edu and include the student ID number. Requested refunds will be issued to the same payment method as received and no later than 45 days from the withdrawal date. Tuition paid by a third-party sponsor will be refunded directly to the third-party sponsor via a paper check or electronic funds transfer. 

Students should email bursar@theartofeducation.edu with questions regarding refunds.

Refund Schedule

Sample Refund Calculations

Withdrawing from a 3-credit hour 8-week course (500-level) on the 32nd day would result in the following:

     Tuition paid: $1197.00
     Refund %: 50%
     Refund amount: $598.50

Withdrawing from a 6-credit 12-week course (600-level) on the 25th day would result in the following:

     Tuition paid: $2694.00
     Refund %: 70%
     Refund amount: $1885.80

 This refund policy complies with Iowa Code, Section 714.23, which states that students terminating courses after the first two calendar weeks of the course must receive a refund of not less than 95% of the amount of tuition charged multiplied by the ratio of calendar days remaining to the total number of calendar days in the course up until the 60% completion date, at which time the school is not required to refund tuition. In addition, Iowa Code, Section 714.23, states that any student who requests to withdraw after the 60% completion date of a course is not entitled to a refund, including students with documented medical exceptions to the withdrawal policy. 

California Student Disclosure

The State of California established the Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF) to relieve or mitigate economic loss suffered by a student in an educational program at a qualifying institution who is or was a California resident while enrolled or was enrolled in a residency program if the student enrolled in the institution prepaid tuition and suffered an economic loss. 

According to California code CCR Section 76215 

(a), A qualifying institution shall include the following statement on both its enrollment agreement and school catalog: “The State of California established the Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF) to relieve or mitigate economic loss suffered by a student in an educational program at a qualifying institution, who is or was a California resident while enrolled or was enrolled in a residency program, if the student enrolled in the institution, prepaid tuition, and suffered an economic loss. Unless relieved of the obligation to do so, you must pay the state-imposed assessment for the STRF, or it must be paid on your behalf if you are a student in an educational program who is a California resident or are enrolled in a residency program and prepay all or part of your tuition. You are not eligible for protection from the STRF, and you are not required to pay the STRF assessment if you are not a California resident or are not enrolled in a residency program.” 

(b) In addition to the statement required under subdivision (a) of this section, a qualifying institution shall include the following statement in its school catalog: “It is important that you keep copies of your enrollment agreement, financial aid documents, receipts, or any other information that documents the amount paid to the school. Questions regarding the STRF may be directed to the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, 1747 North Market Blvd., Suite 225, Sacramento, California, 95834, (916) 574-8900, or (888) 370-7589. 

To be eligible for STRF, you must be a California resident or enrolled in a residency program, prepaid tuition, paid or deemed to have paid the STRF assessment, and suffered an economic loss as a result of any of the following: 1. The institution, a location of the institution, or an educational program offered by the institution was closed or discontinued, and you did not choose to participate in a teach-out plan approved by the Bureau or did not complete a chosen teach-out plan approved by the Bureau. 2. You were enrolled at an institution or a location of the institution within the 120-day period before the closure of the institution or location of the institution or were enrolled in an educational program within the 120-day period before the program was discontinued. 3. You were enrolled at an institution or a location of the institution more than 120 days before the closure of the institution or location of the institution in an educational program offered by the institution as to which the Bureau determined there was a significant decline in the quality or value of the program more than 120 days before closure. 4. The institution has been ordered to pay a refund by the Bureau but has failed to do so. 5. The institution has failed to pay or reimburse loan proceeds under a federal student loan program as required by law or has failed to pay or reimburse proceeds received by the institution in excess of tuition and other costs. 6. You have been awarded restitution, a refund, or other monetary awards by an arbitrator or court based on a violation of this chapter by an institution or representative of an institution but have been unable to collect the award from the institution. 7. You sought legal counsel that resulted in the cancellation of one or more of your student loans and have an invoice for services rendered and evidence of the cancellation of the student loan or loans. To qualify for STRF reimbursement, the application must be received within four years from the date of the action or event that made the student eligible for recovery from STRF. 

A student whose loan is revived by a loan holder or debt collector after a period of non-collection may, at any time, file a written application for recovery from STRF for the debt that would have otherwise been eligible for recovery. If it has been more than four years since the action or event that made the student eligible, the student must have filed a written application for recovery within the original four-year period, unless the period has been extended by another act of law. However, no claim can be paid to any student without a Social Security number or a taxpayer identification number.” 

Note: Authority cited: Sections 94803, 94877, and 94923, Education Code. Reference: Section 94923, 94924, and 94925, Education Code.

Military Refund Policy

In cases in which a student is an active service member, reservist, government civilian, and government contractor of the United States and is ordered to National Guard duty or federal active duty, the student (or their spouse if the student has a dependent child) or eligible military spouse/dependent may choose to have The Art of Education University withdraw all or a portion of the student’s current and future registrations and provide a full refund of the tuition.

Students called to active duty who use a purchase order to pay for a course may withdraw before the course end date without restrictions. If the student requests a refund, the refund will be issued directly to the third-party sponsor who made the original payment for the course.

Additional policy information may be found in the current edition of the Graduate Catalog.


If you have specific questions or concerns not addressed here, contact help@theartofeducation.edu for clarification.