Day one means ‘no full refund’

During the transition back to school, students can expect more than mere change when switching classes for the semester.

A new rule effective for the fall term states that students will no longer be able to receive a full tuition refund once they have dropped their classes on the first day of the resumed semester.

In a mass e-mail sent to all students, the Office of the Registrar announced that as of 11:59 p.m., students who dropped courses were responsible for tuition and fees. Those who missed the deadline to rid their schedule of unwanted classes will find a decrease in the amount of refund that they will receive.

According to the updated Fall 2010 Information and Academics Policy, students will only get a 75 percent refund for dropped courses made on the first day.

As an alternative, the Office of Registrar is encouraging students to replace classes instead of dropping them, for a change fee of $18.

According to Senior Registrar Leslie Sutton-Smith, Baruch did not establish this tuition policy change; rather, the college follows a "central directive" on matters related to billing.

"The academic calendar, in terms of tuition refunds and percentages, is determined by the Central Registrar's Office at CUNY," said Sutton-Smith.

She also reported that the new tuition refund policy is in no way linked to the college's budgeting plan.

No one from the Office of the University Registrar at CUNY was able to comment on the matter.

"Students should be given a chance to take a deeper look into their classes before deciding whether or not to continue with the course without penalty," said senior Wilson Luo.

According to the policy, exceptions to the rule apply if the college cancels courses or a student's registration is cancelled. In those instances, the student can receive the full refund of tuition.

Junior Mark Shur expressed a different opinion about the new policy, stating that it would in no way impact their decision to drop a class since their tuition price remains constant as long as they do not take fewer than 12 credits.

"I will still be charged the same tuition rate as long as I am considered a full-time student, so I don't feel that this policy change is pertinent to me," said Shur.

Vladimir Lackovic, vice president of the Undergraduate Student Government stated the organization is not for the new policy and they plan to work with the administration to change it.

"We are going to do everything in our power to make sure that this policy is changed for future students."