The University offers an optional tuition refund plan for all students that will give them an 85-percent reimbursement for tuition and University room and board if they are unable to complete a term due to physical or psychological illness.
In both cases, medical documentation and a doctor’s verification are required before a claim can be processed.
The plan, which was purchased by 497 students in 2007-08, is available to all students at the Ann Arbor and Dearborn campuses, with Flint to follow suit in the future.
The estimated cost ranges from $99-$455 per term, depending on actual tuition and housing costs, graduate/undergraduate status and resident/non-resident status.
Last year seven students applied for and received tuition and housing reimbursement, says Dr. Robert Winfield, chief health officer and director of University Health Service. “Under ordinary circumstances, these students would have been liable for the total amount.”
The reimbursement plan was first suggested to Winfield by University Ombudsman Robert Holmes as a direct result of his personal dealings with students and parents in these types of situations.
U-M officials hope the tuition reimbursement program will help those with serious health conditions who are unable to complete a term. The plan also extends and enhances the University’s withdrawal policy and provides a safety net to pay back loans, grants, scholarships and other out-of-pocket expenses that would otherwise be lost.
“I think for the first year, purchase of 497 plans is quite a success. As word spreads about the value of this product, I expect it to be more widely used in future years,” Winfield says.
The plan is available on a semester-to-semester basis and covers a student from the first to last day of classes.
U-M is the latest of the 1,200 leading independent schools and colleges across North America to adopt a reimbursement plan through A.W.G. Dewar Inc.
Students can apply either online at www.collegerefund.com (select University of Michigan) or submit the paper application that was sent earlier this fall to each newly incoming student at Ann Arbor and Dearborn campuses.
The deadline to purchase a plan for the fall semester is Sept. 10.
For more information on tuition reimbursement plans go to www.uhs.umich.edu/tri.
