Special Course Fee Approval Procedures

Special Course Fees are defined as charges in addition to the regular instructional fee (tuition) and segregated fees. These fees are assessed to all students enrolled in a course with an approved Special Course Fee. Special Course Fees must be used solely for support of the course involved. Difficulty in securing adequate regular budget support shall not be the determining factor in the decision to charge a Special Course Fee. Special Course Fees can only be used to cover cost of special fees related to a course. Special Course Fees cannot be used for expenditures that are unrelated to the original Special Course Fee request (i.e., capital purchases, faculty travel to workshops, etc.). 

When filling out the Request for Approval of Special Course Fee Form, be sure to complete the "Reason for Special Course Fee" section. The justification needs to be specific and fit within the guidelines of UW System FAP Policy G29. Please refer to this policy paper for detailed information and clarification. For example, class handouts is not adequate, specify what the handouts will be; studio supplies is not adequate, specify type of supplies; and "study tours" should show a breakdown of lodging, meals, airfare, miscellaneous, etc. Explain why there is a charge. If all students in the class will not be paying the special course fee, contact the Accounts Receivable office prior to submitting the Request for Approval of Special Course Fee Form. 

All Special Course Fees for GPR courses for a particular term/session must be approved prior to the beginning of registration for that term/session. In order to allow processing time, the following deadline dates have been set and need to be adhered to:

    Fall - March 1
    J-Term - October 1
    Spring - October 1
    Summer - February 1

If the approval for a Special Course Fee is not received by the above deadline date, the department will have to wait until the next term to charge the Special Course Fee.
All Outreach/Extension courses must be approved by the academic dean (Outreach Course Addition Form and/or Course/Instructor Appointment Form) before the course is put on the web and open for enrollment, but can be approved at any time during the term. At the same time as the course is entered on the web, but before it is opened for enrollment, the Special Course Fee Form must be completed and forwarded to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance. 

1. A Request for Approval of Special Course Fee Form must be completed for each special course fee. There should only be one Special Course Fee per course. Separate forms must be completed for GPR and Outreach/Extension courses at this time.

2. If there is ANY change from the original request, a new request must be processed (i.e., amount of fee, section #, term, component, etc.). If changes are made to the course set up in eSIS and a new form is not submitted, the Special Course Fee will not be assessed to the students. Special course fees will be rolled from Spring to Fall to Spring, etc. until a change is processed or the three-year renewal period expires. Summer and J-Term special course fees do not roll over automatically. A form is required EACH Summer and J-Term session that the fee should be charged.

3. Enter "All" in the section field if all sections of a course should be assessed the Special Course Fee. If the fee is NOT for all sections of a course, please indicate the section numbers on form (i.e., 1 & 2 - 4, 5, 6 & 7, etc.). The section number is important because the Special Course Fee Table will be rolled over automatically for future terms (unless otherwise indicated); therefore, once a Special Course Fee is approved, it will continue to be charged to all sections or the section(s) specified until a request for a change has been processed with renewals being required every three years. However, if a future term course has a different section number than on the original request, the Special Course Fee will not be charged to the students.

4. The completed Request for Approval of Special Course Fee Form should be forwarded to your Department Chair/Unit Head.
    a. Department Chair/Unit Head denies the request and returns the request to the person submitting the request, or
    b. Department Chair/Unit Head approves the request and forwards it to the Dean.

5. Dean receives the approved Request for Approval Special Course Fee Form.
    a. Dean denies the request and returns the request to the Department Chair/Unit
            Head, or
    b. Dean approves the request and forwards it to the Vice Chancellor for Administration
            and Finance.

6. Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance receives the approved Request for Approval of Special Course Fee Form.
    a. Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance denies the request and returns the request to the Dean, or
    b. Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance approves the request, and
        1. Sends the original to the Accounts Receivable Office for processing, who in turn will code request, update eSIS system, send information to the Registrar's Office, and send a copy of the completed form(s) back to Vice Chancellor's Office. The Registrar's Office will update the class notes with the fee amount.
        2. Sends a copy back to the Dean, who has the responsibility of notifying or making copies for anyone in the department/area that is deemed appropriate.
        3. Vice Chancellor's Office will retain a copy. Upon receipt of completed form(s) from the Accounts Receivable Office, Vice Chancellor's Office will update Excel spreadsheet and keep file of all Special Course Fees.
        4. Vice Chancellor's Office will work with Dean's Offices on renewing Special Course Fees every three years as decided by the Leadership Council.

7. Refunds: A 100% refund will be issued for Special Course Fees to students who withdraw or drop a course within the first two (2) weeks of a ten-week or longer course and during the first week of a course lasting nine or fewer weeks. After that time, no refund will be issued. The student may appeal to the course instructor and obtain a written note from the instructor granting an exception to the above refund policy. This note should be sent to the Accounts Receivable Office for processing.

8. All study tours must be coordinated and approved by the Director of Global Connections, who will sign off instead of the Department Chair. This form is then forwarded to the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for academic approval so advertising can be done for the tour. Once the tour (course) has been entered on eSIS, it is forwarded to the Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance for signature/processing.