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Undergraduate Tuition Waiver Instructions

In some circumstances Evanston-campus undergraduates may be eligible for Undergraduate Tuition Waiver should it take more than 12 quarters to complete their degree.  Undergraduates who wish to pursue a petition (previously referred to as an appeal) and have received Financial Aid Office or believe their financial circumstances may have changed, should first consult with Undergraduate Financial Aid to see what options might be available before petitioning for Undergraduate Tuition Waiver.  Students should also review the policy for submitting a petition as described on the Registrar’s Undergraduate Tuition Waiver page.  Once an undergraduate has determined they understand the policy and the criteria for a petition and believes their circumstances are eligible for review, they must follow the procedure below to write and submit a petition.    

Writing and Submitting a Petition for Undergraduate Tuition Waiver

  • An undergraduate may seek guidance in writing their petition letter from their academic adviser/Undergraduate Engineering, school representative, or anyone identified on the Petitions Overview page.      
  • The petition letter should:    
    • Be written and submitted by the student.
    • Be addressed to the Undergraduate Enrollment Petitions Committee.   
    • Include your student ID number  
    • Start with a clear statement of what is being requested, ie. an undergraduate tuition waiver. 
    • Provide a clear and concise explanation for the request, including:   
      • the exceptional circumstances beyond the student’s control which led the student to not meet the expected graduation date; 
      • the financial burden of an additional quarter of tuition; 
      • the quarter in which the student intends to graduate;  
      • the number of credits to finish;  
      • what courses will be taken to meet those requirements, and  
      • whether there are outstanding incomplete grades and if so, whether and how they will be completed.  
  • Include documentation, if appropriate, of correspondence with instructors, advisers, or others that supports the explanation provided.
  • If health circumstances are identified as a factor in requesting an Undergraduate Tuition Waiver, include a letter from the health provider that verifies the explanation.  No treatment details should be included.
  • Additional materials the student feels support the petition.    
Petitions are reviewed by a panel of the Undergraduate Enrollment Petitions Committee as described on the Petitions Overview page.  Petitions received by the 15th of the month will be included for review in the following month Committee meeting, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Petitions should be sent to enrollmentexceptions@northwestern.edu.