Exceptions to Refund Policy

Please Note: The exceptions to the refund policy do not apply to non-refundable tuition deposits. Deposits remain non-refundable and will not be refunded regardless of whether a student’s situation falls within the parameters detailed below. The non-refundable deposit will always be retained, even if a refund policy exception is approved.

College policy is that deposits are non-refundable, and regular fees are not refundable after Day 10 of each term. In some circumstances, students who withdraw after the refund deadline may be evaluated for an exception to the refund policy in specific situations.

The College recognizes that there may be many unfortunate situations that lead a student not to proceed with their studies. These situations may involve personal decisions or unfortunate events outside the student’s control. The decision or inability to proceed with studying does not necessarily qualify for consideration for a refund policy exception.

Exceptional circumstances that can be considered for a refund policy exception include:

• Serious medical situations that fundamentally prevent the student from completing the term. Generally, this is defined as hospitalization.
• Death of the student, parent, spouse or child (not including extended family, e.g., grandparent).
• Life-threatening illness to spouse, parent or child (not including extended family, e.g., grandparent).

Experiencing one of the above situations does not guarantee that a refund policy exception will be approved. Furthermore, these situations do not qualify you for any refund of the $500 non-refundable deposit.

For consideration under the exceptional refund process, students are required to:

1. Officially withdraw from the program of study. No refund policy exception will be considered while the student is enrolled. Refund policy exceptions cannot be provided in advance of a withdrawal, and a denied refund policy exception does not cancel the withdrawal.
2. Submit a written exceptional circumstance request. Submit via email to refundexception@algonquincollege.com. Submissions need to include:
   • Full Name
   • Algonquin College Student Number
   • Reason for the exceptional refund request
   • Attach relevant supporting documentation (e.g. medical notes verifying inability to continue studies, death certificate)

Please do not submit graphic photos of injuries or accidents. These do not strengthen your case.

Medical documentation

Medical documentation must be more than a simple doctor’s note. The Refund Exception Committee will specifically be looking for the following details in medical documentation to support your refund policy exception request:

• Medical establishment and doctor identification. The documentation should be on official letterhead and clearly indicate who the doctor is and where the medical facility or office is located. Contact information should be included.
• Indication that the medical professional has assessed the student and determined that the student cannot complete their studies that term.
• The medical documentation must be dated indicating when it was written following evaluation of the student’s situation.
• Clear date when the medical situation started. This date must be after the withdrawal deadline (i.e., after the 10th day of term). Any medical situation that began before the withdrawal deadline will not be considered.
• If the student has enrolled or plans to enroll in a future term, the Refund Exception Committee may require medical documentation to show that the student has been re-assessed and is well enough to resume studying.

It is the student’s responsibility to present a full and complete refund policy exception request. Insufficient submissions may be automatically refused.

Requests must be submitted within six months from the start of the term (for example, for the Fall term the deadline to submit would be the end of February). The Refund Policy applies to most circumstances. Exceptional circumstance refund requests are considered on a case-by-case basis by the Refund Exceptions Committee which includes the Coordinator of Fees, Student Accounts Officer, and additional Student Service representatives as required. Decisions can take up to 10 business days for a response. The decision made regarding your case is in no way a reflection of the legitimacy of the hardship you have endured. However, not all hardships experienced by students will qualify for an approval of a refund policy exception.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please visit the following resources. In some cases, it may be a wise choice to withdraw based on mental health reasons. However, this does not necessarily mean a refund policy exception will be granted.

Caution regarding the use of AI and false submissions

Students requesting refund policy exceptions must submit fully true statements and documents. Any misrepresentation of the student’s situation may result in an automatic refusal of the refund policy exception and/or action taken under the student code of conduct.

If a student chooses to use AI tools to prepare a refund policy exception request, the student does so at their own risk. AI-generated messages tend to be generic and therefore require closer scrutiny by the Refund Exception Committee. Furthermore, by submitting any AI-generated material, the student is declaring it to be true. Any false submissions will be taken seriously, and the student will be held responsible.

What to Expect if your Request is Approved as a Full-time Student:

* Students approved for a refund policy exception are not entitled to refunds for certain supplies and items that cannot or have not been returned after purchase.

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