Tulane University

Academic and Tuition Issues for Fall 2005

September 13, 2005 - 6 p.m.
As Tulane University responds to the challenges posed by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, there are many decisions to be made surrounding academic issues. In the particular area of tuition, room and board, and fees, decisions for the fall term are shaped by guidelines designed by nine of the leading educational associations in the United States to provide an extraordinarily generous form of assistance to Tulane in a time of critical need.

It was their intent for Tulane University and other Gulf Coast affected universities and colleges to retain all tuition from their students regardless of where the students attended college in fall 2005. While some state statutes prohibit some schools from enrolling Tulane students without assessing some form of tuition, it was never the intent of the guidelines to provide lower cost alternatives or impose an added financial burden on students; rather, their intent was to provide immediate relief, on a temporary basis, during this challenging period.

In the questions and answers below, tuition is defined as the published tuition minus Tulane funded grants and scholarships that you may have received for the fall term.

If I am not attending Tulane University in New Orleans this fall and I am attending classes elsewhere, why am I being asked to pay my fall tuition to Tulane?
Your tuition should be paid to Tulane because you are a Tulane University student regardless of where you are attending classes this fall. In an extraordinary and unprecedented gesture of generosity due to the tragic effects of Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of colleges and universities around the country graciously opened their doors to you as visiting students.
Without their generosity, most of our students would have been unable to attend any college this fall. This arrangement allows affected colleges including Tulane to maintain their long-term viability without having to deplete their endowments and other resources. Regardless of an institution’s insurance coverage or other resources, this tragedy will have a long-term financial impact.
Under this extraordinary visiting student arrangement, students will be able to obtain a Tulane degree with the least amount of disruption to their lives and graduate on time. It will also allow Tulane to retain the faculty and staff it needs to resume classes in the Spring. In addition, Tulane is waiving its normal transfer credit policies and procedures and ensuring the continuation of financial aid for all students who meet aid requirements.
If you are not attending classes this fall and decide you do not want to return to Tulane for the Spring semester, the university will refund all dollars that you may have paid for the fall semester, as soon as is practical.
We will later take steps to ensure that your total expenditures for tuition ultimately will not exceed the sum of what you were supposed to have paid at Tulane for the fall semester.
If I am not attending classes this fall semester at any institution, what happens to the tuition I already paid to Tulane?
If you paid Tulane tuition, room and board, and fees, and are returning to Tulane in the Spring, you will be issued a credit to your Spring bill.
If you paid Tulane tuition, room and board, and fees, and are not returning in the Spring, you will be issued a refund in due course.
What if I am attending classes at another institution and I have not yet paid Tulane University tuition to Tulane?
If your host institution did not charge tuition, and you are returning to Tulane in the Spring, you should send your fall Tulane tuition no later than May 1, 2006 to:
Tulane University
Suite 218
6823 St. Charles Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70118
If your host institution charged tuition and you are returning to Tulane University in the Spring, you should pay your fall Tulane tuition no later than May 1, 2006. We will later take steps to ensure that your total expenditures for tuition ultimately will not exceed the sum of what you were supposed to have paid at Tulane for the fall semester.
What if I am attending classes at another institution and I already paid Tulane University tuition?
If your host institution did not require tuition and you plan to return to Tulane in the Spring, you don’t need to do anything. You paid your Tulane tuition and therefore your credits will transfer and your bills will have been paid.
If your host institution is charging tuition and you intend to return to Tulane University in the Spring, Tulane will credit that amount to your student account for the Spring semester.
What if I have paid tuition to Tulane as well as to my host institution?
You should contact the financial aid office at your host school and ask if the host institution agreed to abide by the tuition agreement. If the host institution agreed to abide by the tuition agreement, you should ask for a refund. If a refund is not forthcoming, please keep an itemized tuition receipt from your host institution to substantiate the tuition that you paid. If you paid amounts exceeding your Tulane tuition please submit your itemized tuition receipt to:
Tulane University
Suite 218
6823 St. Charles Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70118
You will receive a credit on your Spring tuition statement.
By the conclusion of the fall semester and as our records are reconciled, you will be credited for any amounts paid exceeding Tulane’s tuition.
What about room and board and fees?
Returning students will not be charged for room and board or fees for the fall semester and those students who paid these charges will have those payments credited to their student account for the Spring semester.
If you do not return to Tulane, we will issue a refund of the amount paid in due course.
What if I paid my fall bill, will not attend classes anywhere this semester, and I decide to withdraw from Tulane University by December 15?
Funds paid to Tulane University will be returned to you as soon as is practical. However, at that point you will no longer be a Tulane student and it will be necessary to reapply for admission to Tulane University . In this case, credits will be considered under our normal transfer credit guidelines which require a grade of "C" or higher for courses fully equivalent to Tulane University courses.
If I am not taking a full course load (defined as 12 or greater semester credit hours for undergraduates and generally 9 for graduate students) this fall semester, will my tuition charges be prorated?
Yes, but the specific amount of the adjustment will have to be determined based on the facts and circumstances of your individual situation and it may affect the financial aid offered by Tulane University because your cost of attending has been changed.
If I am attending a host institution, how will my coursework credits be applied towards my Tulane degree?
Assuming a student has achieved a passing grade, Tulane will accept the coursework completed at host institutions and apply the course credits to Tulane degree requirements.
I did not pay Tulane my tuition, but paid my host institution. How do I ensure that Tulane receives the funds and that my account is credited properly?
Under the agreement that the nine leading higher education associations have put into place, your host school will remit whatever they collect to Tulane at a later date.
Please retain an itemized tuition receipt from your host institution to substantiate the tuition that you paid.
We will later take steps to ensure that your total expenditures for tuition ultimately will not exceed the sum of what you were supposed to have paid at Tulane for the fall semester.
If you pay more than your Tulane tuition, please retain your itemized tuition receipt and you will receive a credit on your Spring tuition statement.
I signed up for the monthly payment plans. Now what happens?
You should continue to make these monthly payments to your plan.
I did not receive a tuition statement from Tulane. Have I been charged for the fall semester?
If you registered, Tulane charged you for the tuition even if you did not receive a tuition statement.
Tulane will send a second series of tuition statements once we are able to restore our computerized systems, which will be no later than mid-October.
If I paid my tuition by check and it has not cleared my bank yet, what should I do?
Please do not issue a stop payment order, since mail service for Tulane will resume in the next couple of days.
If you have already placed a stop payment, please send a new check to:
Tulane University
Suite 218
6823 St. Charles Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70118
I am a University College part-time student. I already paid the tuition for my fall classes, and I plan to return to University College. What will happen to my account?
Your account will be credited and you will be able to use these funds toward your future tuition costs.
I am a University College part-time student. I already paid the tuition for my fall classes, and I do not plan to return to University College. Can I get a refund?
A credit will be posted to your account and a refund will be issued in due time.
I understand that the withdrawal date has been extended until December 15. I have already withdrawn, but now would like to reconsider. Is that an option?
Yes, provided you notify Tulane of your request to be reinstated prior to the December 15 deadline.
What about the undergraduate residency requirements?
Coursework completed at accredited institutions during this fall term can be used to satisfy the residency requirements.
How can I get a copy of Tulane’s catalogue/schedule of classes?
We will provide copies of the online catalogue as soon as possible.
We will provide the online course schedule for Spring 2006 as soon as possible.
How do I get my credits from courses taken elsewhere applied to my Tulane academic record?
You should request an official transcript from your host institution.
Direct your host institution to send the transcript to:
Tulane University
Registrar/Transcripts
110 Gibson Hall
New Orleans, LA 70118
I enrolled at an institution that follows the quarter system. How are these credits treated?
There is an established formula for converting quarter hours to semester hours. Quarter hours are equal to two-thirds of a semester hour; therefore 12 quarter hours would be transferred as 8 semester hours. A small number of institutions like Louisiana Tech at Ruston operate on a quarter calendar but award semester hours based on longer than usual class meeting times. If you are attending an institution such as Louisiana Tech, your hours will transfer to Tulane on a one for one basis.
The semester credits will then be posted to your Tulane transcript.
Can I graduate in December?
If you complete all of your degree requirements during the fall, you will be able to graduate with a Tulane degree. More details on graduation will follow.
Will online courses count?
Since there is considerable variation in the types of online courses, these courses will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Contact a college/school advisor via the call center as soon as possible to discuss your proposed online course (phone toll-free, 866-502-7264, or in New Orleans, 504-865-4111).
Is there a difference between the classifications that host institutions use for students, such as visitor, guest, temporary, non-matriculating, etc.?
Tulane students attending colleges and universities may be classified in a variety of ways. Regardless of how you are classified you are considered a Tulane student by your host institution.
The terminology used is not particularly important. What is relevant is that Tulane students attending these classes are expected to return to Tulane for the Spring semester and have their courses posted to their transcripts.
How do I contact my advisor/faculty mentor?
The call center number is, toll-free, 866-502-7264, or in New Orleans, 504-865-4111. It is staffed Monday - Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. central.
Those calls relating to academic advising will be forwarded to the school/college advisors.
Will the courses taken at my host school be computed into my GPA?
Courses will be recorded as either pass/fail and will not impact your Tulane GPA.