Iris came to our office with a complaint that her tuition refund appeal after withdrawing from Vancouver Community College (the College) was denied. The Registrar’s reason for the denial was that Iris had withdrawn five days after the start of the program. The College’s Tuition and Refund Policy stipulated there is no refund of tuition or student fees if the withdrawal is after three days prior to the start date of the program. Feeling that it was unfair of the College not to refund her tuition fees since she didn’t attend any classes and had to pay for the full year up front, Iris asked us to investigate.

Through the course of our investigation we determined that Iris’s program, The Culinary Arts Diploma Program, is a standard cohort program and was eligible for a 50% tuition refund up to and including the fifth day after the start date of the program.

As the result of our investigation, Iris received a 50% tuition refund totalling $4,929.87 as well as a written explanation of why the refund was being made.