Revised: November 11, 2022

1. Background

The University, in special situations, enters into agreements with extramural sponsors to provide instructional credit services to a particular group of students. The agreements may provide for reimbursement of special instructional and administrative costs of the program plus an allowance to pay the tuition and segregated fees of the students. Alternatively, the agreement may pay all of the direct costs of the program including instructional costs plus part or all of the indirect costs. In the latter case, it is clear that the payment by the students of any part of the normal tuition and segregated fees would be inappropriate as it would involve a double payment to the University for the same services. A policy is needed to ensure consistent and fair treatment of the sponsors and students of these special programs.

2. Constraints

The Board of Regents has the authority to set tuition and segregated fees paid by the students. Any variation from the authorized Tuition and Fee Schedules would need to be approved by the Board of Regents.

3. Policy

It is the policy of the UW System to accept extramural support for instructional credit programs. Extramural sponsors include the federal government, state government, school districts, private industry, agencies and other organizations. All extramural support for instructional programs must go through the institutional review process prior to acceptance. The sponsor should reimburse the University for direct program costs. Indirect costs shall be reimbursed consistent with UW System Administrative Policy 342 (SYS 342), Extramural Support Administration. Segregated fees for off-campus programs may be waived with the approval of the chancellor or designee.

4. Procedures

Frequently, sponsors provide support for special credit courses designed and offered to meet recognized regional or national needs. In other instances, they provide support for existing credit courses which are regularly offered as part of the University’s degree programs. Both types of course work are sometimes extramurally funded for a designated group of student participants or for all the students who are qualified to enroll in it.

Proposals for extramural support of all sponsored credit course work shall budget reimbursement to equal or exceed the amount that would normally be paid as tuition and appropriate segregated fees (based upon the anticipated regular part-time per credit Schedule of Student Fees and Tuition) by the estimated number of designated students to be enrolled in the course work. Subsequently, if the granted extramural support is at least equal to the amount budgeted within the proposal, then tuition and segregated fees shall not be charged to the students designated for the sponsored course work. If the sponsor’s support is less than both the budgeted request and the amount that normally would be paid as tuition and appropriate segregated fees by the designated students (based upon the regular part-time per credit Schedule of Student Fees and Tuition), then special tuition and fee schedules shall be established to recover the balance from the designated student participants. In any case, students who enroll in the sponsored course work, and are not part of the sponsor’s designated group, shall be assessed tuition and segregated fees under the regular Schedule of Student Fees and Tuition.

For example, when a school district, agency, or other organization arranges with the University through special contract or memorandum agreement to offer specific off-campus or on-campus credit instruction for a designated group of individuals, the charges for such instructional program shall be at no less than the per credit rate in the regular Schedule of Student Fees and Tuition and may be paid either by the school district, agency, or organization, by the student, or by a combination of these sources.

Credits for special courses reimbursed by extramural sponsors shall be treated as the first credits enrolled for in determining the total credits for fee assessment purposes.

Any modifications or exceptions to the above policies must be approved in advance by the Vice President for Finance and Administration or delegated designee.