Fayetteville Policies and Procedures  515.0 

General Student Fee Waiver for Students Sixty Years of Age or Older

Overview

When an Arkansas resident sixty (60) years of age or older (a “senior citizen”) is admitted to and enrolls as a student, General Student Fees applicable to the enrollment may be waived on a space-available basis in existing classes. The General Student Fee waiver (“waiver”) is only applicable for courses organized to grant credit and recognized by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education for credit.

Eligibility Criteria and Waiver Application Process

To be eligible for the waiver, students must be residents of the State of Arkansas, meet generally applicable admission and academic standards and be admitted to the University, and must be age 60 or older on or before the last day of regular registration for the term the waiver will be applied. Participating students must submit a senior citizen waiver form prior to initial registration and provide sufficient documentation to verify their age.

Space Available in Existing Courses

In order to ensure that registration occurs on a space-available basis, students that wish to use the waiver must wait to register for classes until the last business day before classes begin for a given term. Further, if all waiver requirements have not been met prior to the last day of regular registration, the waiver will not apply and the student will be financially responsible for the balance owed.  Senior Citizens who sign up to use the fee waiver, but later wish to pay regular fees so they can register during assigned priority registration, should contact the Registrar’s Office for instructions.

There is no “space available” in classes that do not meet enrollment minimums and are cancelled, or in self-supporting classes until paid enrollment is sufficient to cover costs associated with offering the class. Enrollment minimums are established by Academic Policy 1640.10. This is applicable to campus, online and off-campus classes including study abroad.

Fees Eligible for Waiver and Limitation of Services

If the student qualifies for the waiver, the waiver will be applied to “General Student Fees,” as defined below.  All other fees will be charged at the published rate per student enrollment and are the financial responsibility of the student.

Non-resident tuition and program/service and college/course-specific fees, such as fees for course materials, fees designed to cover incremental costs of course participation that increase based on class enrollment size (including cost of instruction per student and proctoring charges), and fees for credit offerings at off-campus sites established under Fayetteville Policies and Procedures 514.0, are not General Student Fees and are not waived. Students remain responsible for such costs as textbooks and class supplies. Further, this policy may not be used in conjunction with other university policies that reduce tuition and fees.

The waiver does not apply to non-credit continuing education programs, self-paced courses, or courses offered through a consortium arrangement.

Senior citizens who receive the waiver receive classroom instruction but are not eligible for other university services or benefits.  Such students are not eligible for student health insurance, student health services, reduced student-rate admissions to athletic or university events, and similar services and benefits for which general-fee paying students are eligible.

Definition of General Student Fees

For purposes of this policy, “General Student Fees” mean base (resident) tuition, and certain fees that are generally applicable to all students regardless of academic program or major.  Specifically, General Student Fees include the college (TELE) fee, student health fee, transit fee, facilities fee, library fee, network and data systems fee, student activity fee, and the student media fee. In addition, the new student orientation fee, the first-year experience fee, the student ID card fee (excluding replacement cards), and the withdrawal fee, if applicable, are included in the waiver.

 References: Ark. Act 678 of 1975

Revised December 16, 2019
Revised June 1, 2016
Reformatted for Web September 8, 2014
Revised January 2012
Revised November 26, 1996
March 7, 1993