Fayetteville Policies and Procedures  504.2 

Student or Student’s Spouse Called Into Military Service-- Tuition and Fee and Enrollment Compensatory Options

1. Purpose
   

   The University of Arkansas acknowledges that students may be temporarily unable to attend classes or be required to suspend their studies to perform military service.  This policy addresses students’ ability to request refunds of applicable tuition and fees, be issued incompletes, or continue their current classes through distance education or other alternative formats during a semester they, or their spouse with dependent children in the home, are required to perform military service, in accordance with Arkansas Code § 6-61-112. In compliance with 34 C.F.R. § 668.18 and the Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), this policy also addresses tuition and fees assessed for qualifying students readmitted under Academic Policy 1520.40.

   Academic Policy 1520.30 addresses options for a student or student’s spouse who is called into military service to continue for the semester of activation through distance education, while Academic Policy 1520.40 addresses notification requirements and readmission procedures for students or student’s spouses called into military service.
   
   
2. Definitions
   The following definitions apply to this policy:
   
   Military service (or service in the uniformed services)—Voluntary or involuntary service in the armed forces, including service by a member of the National Guard or Reserve on active duty, active duty for training, or full-time National Guard duty under state or federal authority.
   
   Student’s Spouse—the legal spouse of a service member activated for military service who has dependent children residing in the household.
   
   Service member—someone who is a member of, applies to be a member of, performs, has performed, applies to perform, or has an obligation to perform, service in the uniformed services.
   
   Armed Forces—the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard.
   
   Active duty—full-time duty in the active military service of the United States. Active duty includes full-time training duty, annual training duty, and attendance, while in the active military service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary of the military department concerned.
   
   
3. Student Responsibilities-Notification RequirementsTo be eligible for compensation, the student must notify the University of Arkansas of their military service or spouse’s military service according to Academic Policy 1520.40.
   
   
4. Student Compensation Options for Semester of Activation or Deployment
   An eligible student shall choose one (1) of the four (4) following compensatory options. No option shall allow a student to recover any amount in excess of the student’s actual monetary loss due to military activation or deployment:
   1. The student may officially withdraw from the University of Arkansas and receive a full adjustment and refund of tuition and general student fees for the term(s) involved. Students electing this option will not receive credit for any courses for the semester(s) in question; however, the academic record will indicate enrollment until the official date of withdrawal.
   2. The student may remain enrolled and shall be issued a mark of “Incomplete” for each class for which they are enrolled. The student must be given twelve (12) months to complete all course requirements after an eligible deactivation. There is no refund of tuition and general student fees.
   3. The student may remain enrolled and complete their current classes through distance education or other alternative formats through the procedure in Academic Policy 1520.30. There is no refund of tuition and general student fees.
   4. The student may officially withdraw from the University of Arkansas with no refund of tuition and general student fees. Upon return to the University of Arkansas the student would receive one (1) free semester, equal to the amount of tuition and general student fees that would have resulted in an actual monetary loss for the student due to military activation or deployment, unless federal aid is available for the same purpose. Federal aid shall not include: Pell Grants, other federal grants, or other monetary benefits paid directly to the student or at the student’s direction.
      
      Student eligibility for state supported Financial Aid (scholarships, grants, loans) will not be affected by coursework not completed due to military activation or deployment.   However, options A and D may affect satisfactory academic progress and Federal aid eligibility. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for guidance.
      
      Proportionate refunds of room, board and other fees that were paid to the institution shall be provided to the student, based on the date of withdrawal as determined by the Office of the Registrar. If the University contracts for services from a third party, which have been paid by and refunded to the student, the third party contractor shall provide a like refund to the University.   The University does not have an institutional policy for the repurchase of textbooks. The student may contact the source of the textbook purchase to determine textbook compensation policies.
      
      Each fiscal year the University will report the type and amount of compensatory options provided to students to the Division of Higher Education.
      
      
5. Tuition and Fees for Eligible Students Readmitted under Academic Policy 1520.40:

Service members or spouses of service members readmitted to the University of Arkansas under Academic Policy 1520.40 shall be assessed tuition and fees as indicated in FPP 511.0 and 511.1 at the time of their readmission. 

However, in compliance with 34 C.F.R. § 668.18 and the Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the University of Arkansas will, for the first academic year (one fall semester, one spring semester, and one summer term in any consecutive combination) assess any readmitted service member who completes voluntary or involuntary service in the armed forces, including service by a member of the National Guard or Reserve on active duty, active duty for training, or full-time National Guard duty under federal or state authority for a period of more than 30 consecutive days under a call or order to active duty of more than 30 consecutive days, the tuition and fee charges that they would have been assessed for the academic year during which the student left the University of Arkansas. 

As per 34 C.F.R. § 668.18 and the Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), if the student’s veteran’s education benefits or other service member education benefits will pay the amount in excess of the tuition and fee charges assessed for the academic year in which the student left the University, the University of Arkansas may assess the prevailing tuition and fee rates.  If the student is readmitted to a different degree program, and for subsequent academic years for a student admitted to the same program, the University of Arkansas will assess tuition and fees as indicated in FPP 511.0 and 511.1. 

Revised December 2, 2024
Revised March 23, 2016
Reformatted for Web May 6, 2014
Revised February, 2008
Revised April 2005
Revised June 2003
February 2003