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Tuition Appeal

Please Read Carefully Before Submission. A Tuition Appeal May Have Financial Consequences For You

A Tuition Appeal is a process through which a student may request failed or withdrawn courses and applicable grades (D, F, U or W grades) and tuition be removed from their student record due to experiencing a Qualifying Event during the semester that was through no fault of the student. If you have not yet received a grade in the course, please withdraw from the course through your student portal. If you have questions about how to withdraw, please contact Enrollment Services at 719-502-2000 or enrollment@pikespeak.edu. Grade post timelines can be viewed on the Instructional Calendar. The Tuition Appeal Application will be unavailable and Tuition Appeals will not be accepted each semester between the day after the final withdrawal date for the semester and the deadline for all final grades to be posted. After final grades are posted, the Tuition Appeal Application will reopen and students may resume submission of appeals.

Due to volume of cases, research and processing of each case, Tuition Appeals can take up to 4-6 weeks to fully process, so please plan accordingly.

Approved appealed courses, credit hours and grades are completely deleted from the record and will not reflect on the transcript. If the student specifies that they would like a retroactive withdrawal rather than a course deletion, those courses will appear on the transcript and a "W" will show as the grade. In the case of an approved retroactive withdrawal, the student will still be financially responsible for the course.

Questions regarding Tuition Appeals should be emailed to tuitionappeal@pikespeak.edu. 

Qualifying Events

Tuition Appeal FAQs

Qualifying Events

The student became a critical caregiver for a qualifying family member. The Family Caregiver Tuition Appeal Form must be completed in full by a licensed medical professional. The medical professional must discuss how the student played a critical role in direct care for this person.

Qualifying Family Member: Grandparent, Parent, Sibling, Spouse, In-laws, Partner, or Child. This includes step relatives, common law and legally adopted families. Other caregiving situations may be recognized on a case-by-case basis and may require additional documentation.

Instructions: You must submit the Tuition Appeal Application and attach the completed Family Caregiver Tuition Appeal Form at the bottom of the application as documentation. 

If you do not submit the requested documentation, your appeal will be denied for insufficient documentation.

The student became unexpectedly ill or injured during the semester. The Illness or Injury of Student Tuition Appeal Form must be completed in full by a licensed medical professional.

If you do not or did not have access to a medical doctor, please reach out to the Tuition Appeal Staff for further assistance.

Instructions: You must submit the Tuition Appeal Applicationand attach the completed Illness or Injury of Student Tuition Appeal Form at the bottom of the application as documentation. 

If you do not submit the requested documentation, your appeal will be denied for insufficient documentation.

Job Lay Off, Emergency Financial Support or Mandatory Work Hour Alteration 

The student was laid off from their job, acquired a new job or extended their current job hours to provide emergency financial support for themselves or their family, or their employer required an alteration in work hours that interfered with class hours or reduced pay. Voluntary job changes and firing from a job do not apply. 

Instructions: You must submit the Tuition Appeal Application and attach the completed Job Lay Off, Emergency Financial Support or Mandatory Work Hour Alteration Tuition Appeal Form at the bottom of the application as documentation. 

If you do not submit the requested documentation, your appeal will be denied for insufficient documentation.

The student lost a qualifying family member during the semester.

Qualifying Family Member: Grandparent, Parent, Sibling, Spouse, In-law, Partner, or Child. This includes step relatives, common law and legally adopted families. Other family losses may be recognized on a case-by-case basis and may require additional documentation.

Instructions: You must submit the Tuition Appeal Application and attach BOTH the completed Loss of Family Member Tuition Appeal Cover Form AND Death Certificate for the deceased person to the bottom of the application as documentation.

If you do not submit the requested documentation, your appeal will be denied for insufficient documentation.

The student did not attend registered class(es) and did not drop the class(es) prior to the drop date. 

It is the student’s responsibility to contact the department in question and request that an administrator complete the Never Attended Class(es) Tuition Appeal form so the student may upload it as Tuition Appeal documentation.

Instructions: You must submit theTuition Appeal Application and attach the completed Never Attended Class(es) Tuition Appeal Form to the bottom of the application as documentation.

If you do not submit the requested documentation, your appeal will be denied for insufficient documentation.

This is applicable only when PPSC changes policy due to a regional/national disaster or large scale emergency. Tuition Appeal Applications will be required. However, acceptable documentation will vary depending on the situation and PPSC temporary Tuition Appeal policies. 

The student was self-employed and their business closed which rendered them unemployed or reduced funding they expected to have to pay for classes. 

Instructions: You must submit the Tuition Appeal Application and attach the completed Self-Employed Student Business Closure Tuition Appeal Cover Form AND Certificate of Document Filed with the Office of the Secretary of State of The State of Colorado to show delinquency of business to the bottom of the application as documentation.

If you do not submit the requested documentation, your appeal will be denied for insufficient documentation.

A student with a special set of skills was called to serve in an emergency or unexpected situation that removed them from courses or a qualifying family member's semester was interrupted due to this unexpected call to service.
Timeline Exception: The student has 2 years from completion of service to submit this Tuition Appeal.

Definitions:
Military: Active, Retired or Reserved members of the Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and Army
First Responders:  Active, Retired or Reserved medical personnel, law enforcement, firefighters, and public health professionals responding to a large-scale emergency. The definition of "First Responders" may vary depending on the emergency.
Qualifying Family Member:  Grandparent, Parent, Sibling, Spouse, Partner, or Child. This includes step relatives, common law and legally adopted families. Other family deployment situations may be recognized on a case-by-case basis and may require additional documentation.

Instructions: You must submit the Tuition Appeal Application and attach ONE of the following to the bottom of the application as documentation:

Deployment Orders OR
Letter from employer/superior stating that the student's presence was required and/or deployment interfered with student's studies/attendance

All documentation must include student’s full name, employer's name and contact information for verification, date of receipt of order to serve and dates of service.

If you do not submit the requested documentation, your appeal will be denied for insufficient documentation.

The student suddenly experienced homelessness and/or was not expecting an eviction prior to the drop date of the semester.

If the student was evicted from their home and they do not have proof of eviction and/or are not living with someone or know someone who can attest to their situation under oath for a notarized letter, they will need to visit a community resource to ask an administrator to complete the Unexpected Homelessness Tuition Appeal Form to authenticate their status. Please visit the 211 website or call 211 for helpful resources.

Instructions: You must submit the Tuition Appeal Application and ONE of the following:
Unexpected Homelessness Tuition Appeal Form OR
Notice of Eviction OR
Notarized letter from a person they lived with after experiencing homelessness and/or was a witness to the circumstances

If you do not submit the requested documentation, your appeal will be denied for insufficient documentation.

The student was the victim of a crime and/or violence, harassment, stalking, etc.

Law enforcement, a counselor or therapist, medical personnel, court administrator, victim advocate agency or social worker are examples of 3rd party entities that can complete documentation on behalf of the student. Please visit the 211 website or call 211 for helpful resources. The sworn statement on the notarized letter may be given by a witness of the crime and does not have to be from an organization. 

Instructions: You must submit theTuition Appeal Application and ONE of the following:
Victim of a Crime Tuition Appeal Form OR
Police report OR
Notarized statement from a witness of the crime

If you do not submit the requested documentation, your appeal will be denied for insufficient documentation.

Tuition Appeal FAQs

1. Make sure you have the course information for all classes you are appealing and that the classes are either withdrawn or have a grade posted

Active Students can check their course/grade information by accessing their unofficial transcript or Degree Check on the student portal dashboard.
To access Unofficial Transcripts
Log into your My Pikes Peak Portal
Go to the Dashboard 
Under Student Tools
Select "Transcripts" and "View/Print Unofficial Transcripts"
Transcript type: "PPCC Unofficial Web Transcript"
"Submit"
Inactive Students can contact Records for more information. 

2. Gather Your Documentation
Find the required documentation under your Qualifying Event below. Follow the instructions regarding completion. Alternative documentation cannot be considered. Forged documentation will be automatically denied and further reporting action may follow. Please email the Tuition Appeal Support Staff if you have questions about the required documentation.

3. Complete the Tuition Appeal Application AND submit requested/required documentation
Complete all sections of the Tuition Appeal Application and upload requested/required documentation with the application.

4. Watch for Communication from Us
Monitor the email address and phone number you put on your Tuition Appeal application for updates, committee decisions and/or requests for additional information. Please keep in mind that we are legally unable to speak with anyone outside of the student regarding the Tuition Appeal unless there is a FERPA release of information on file. Exceptions may exist for students who are medically incapacitated, deceased or constrained to a location where they are unable to use outside resources for an extended period of time. Please reach out to the Tuition Appeal Support Staff with questions.

5. What's Next?
Tuition Appeals are reviewed by a multi-disciplinary Tuition Appeal Advisory Board and Tuition Appeal Committee. Due to volume of cases, research and processing of each case, Tuition Appeals can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks to fully process. Once processed, you will receive an email with the committee's decision. This decision is final. 

Tuition Appeal
Requests the reversal/refund of tuition dollars or the cancellation of tuition debt due to a Qualifying Event. All applicable courses, credit hours and grades are also deleted with an approved Tuition Appeal. Non-refundable fees may still apply and only failing, and withdrawn courses are eligible for appeal.

Financial Aid Appeal
Requests reconsideration of future eligibility for Financial Aid resources. Loss of Financial Aid eligibility can happen for a variety of reasons, so it's best to contact Financial Aid to discuss details of your account. You can access Financial Aid appeals here.

These are 2 separate appeals and must be treated as such for processing purposes. If you have questions about which appeal you need to complete, it is best to start with Financial Aid .

Students have 1 academic year to submit a Tuition Appeal.
Example:  Spring 2024 appeals must be submitted by the first day of Spring 2025.
If your appeal is older than 1 year, you must contact Student Accounts to set up a payment plan. The timeline has expired to submit a Tuition Appeal.
Exception:
Unplanned Military/First Responder Call to Service: These students and Qualifying Family Members have 2 years after the service end date to complete a Tuition Appeal.

Example: The student was called to service during the Fall 2024 semester and returned Fall of 2025. The Tuition Appeal must be submitted by the first day of Fall 2027. 

The Tuition Appeal Committee cannot address this issue. Please file the appropriate Maxient incident report to initiate an investigation into your situation. If you submit this issue as a Tuition Appeal, you will be denied and redirected to the appropriate resources.

PPCC Incident Reporting Forms will address faculty, staff, facility or course dissatisfaction, technology issues or discrimination/harassment complaints. You can access those forms online here or contact Human Resources at 719-502-2600.

CCCOnline Incident Reporting Forms can be accessed here. These forms will address faculty, staff, facility or course dissatisfaction, technology issues or discrimination/harassment complaints. for course numbers ending in C11, C21, C41, or C51.

The Tuition Appeal Committee cannot address this issue. Please file the appropriate Maxient incident report to initiate an investigation into your situation. If you submit this issue as a Tuition Appeal, you will be denied and redirected to the appropriate resources.

Accessibility Accommodation Concerns should be directed to Accessibility Services. It is also advised to file a PPCC Incident Report.

Accessibility Services can be reached here. 

PPCC Maxient Incident Reporting Forms will address faculty, staff, facility or course dissatisfaction, technology issues or discrimination/harassment complaints. You can access those forms online here or contact Human Resources at 719-502-2600.

CCCOnline Incident Reporting Forms can be accessed here. These forms will address faculty, staff, facility or course dissatisfaction, technology issues or discrimination/harassment complaints. for course numbers ending in C11, C21, C41, or C51.

The Tuition Appeal Committee cannot address this issue. Please file the appropriate Maxient incident report to initiate an investigation into your situation. If you submit this issue as a Tuition Appeal, you will be denied and redirected to the appropriate resources.

PPSC Maxient Incident Reporting Forms will address faculty, staff, facility or course dissatisfaction, technology issues or discrimination/harassment complaints. You can access those forms online here or contact Human Resources at 719-502-2600.

CCCOnline Incident Reporting Forms can be accessed here. These forms will address faculty, staff, facility or course dissatisfaction, technology issues or discrimination/harassment complaints. for course numbers ending in C11, C21, C41, or C51.

The Tuition Appeal Committee cannot address this issue. Please file the appropriate Maxient incident report to initiate an investigation into your situation. If you submit this issue as a Tuition Appeal, you will be denied and redirected to the appropriate resources.

PPCC Maxient Incident Reporting Forms will address faculty, staff, facility or course dissatisfaction, technology issues or discrimination/harassment complaints. You can access those forms here or contact Human Resources at 719-502-2600.

CCCOnline Incident Reporting Forms can be accessed here. These forms will address faculty, staff, facility or course dissatisfaction, technology issues or discrimination/harassment complaints. for course numbers ending in C11, C21, C41, or C51.

If your appeal is approved, you will be notified via email. The email will give you timelines and departmental contact information so you can follow up and discuss any refund/funding reversal processes, remaining balances and/or the effect of the approved appeal. Please let the person you're speaking with or writing to know that you had an approved Tuition Appeal and you are doing follow up on next steps. 

Please watch your email and/or phone in case staff try to reach out to you with follow up questions or discussions.  

Starting Spring 2023, all students are allowed 3 approved Tuition Appeals for each Qualifying Event over their lifetime of attendance at PPSC. Appeals submitted prior to Spring 2023, regardless of outcome, will not count towards your total. If you exceed your limit of approved Tuition Appeals for a particular Qualifying Event and you attempt to submit another one, you will receive notification from the Tuition Appeal Support Staff that you have reached your limit of Tuition Appeals for this event and you must contact Student Accounts to arrange a payment plan for your courses.

If your appeal is denied, you will be notified via email. The email will tell you why the appeal was denied and includes departmental contact information to follow up and discuss your current account balance and arrange a payment plan. The Tuition Appeal Committee decision is final.

Starting Spring 2023, all students are allowed up to 3 denied Tuition Appeals for each Qualifying Event over their lifetime of attendance at PPSC. This means that if your Tuition Appeal is denied, you may resubmit the appeal up to 2 more times for consideration. Please pay close attention to requested/required documentation and timelines. Appeals submitted prior to Spring 2023, regardless of outcome, will not count towards your total. If you have questions, please contact the Tuition Appeal Support Staff.

You still need to file a Tuition Appeal with application and required documentation. Please indicate in the narrative on the application that you are seeking a Withdrawal rather than a complete Tuition Appeal.

Withdrawal
Withdrawals do not affect GPA. Credit hours and courses still appear on transcript but the grade will show as "W". The student is still financial responsible for withdrawn courses. It is the student's responsibility to contact their funding sources and PPSC Financial Aid to determine if this is a good option prior to submitting a Tuition Appeal.

No. You must choose the event for which you have the strongest supporting evidence and file using that reasoning. If that gets denied, you are welcome to file using other Qualifying Events that may apply. If you need guidance, please email the Tuition Appeal Support Staff.

Starting Spring 2023, all students are allowed 3 approved Tuition Appeals for each Qualifying Event over their lifetime of attendance at PPSC. Appeals submitted prior to Spring 2023, regardless of outcome, will not count towards your total. If you exceed your limit of approved Tuition Appeals for a particular Qualifying Event and you attempt to submit another one, you will receive notification from the Tuition Appeal Support Staff that you have reached your limit of Tuition Appeals for this event and you must contact Student Accounts to arrange a payment plan for your courses.

Starting Spring 2023, all students are allowed up to 3 denied Tuition Appeals for each Qualifying Event. This means that if your appeal was denied, you may resubmit the appeal up to 2 more times for consideration. Please pay close attention to requested/required documentation and timelines. Appeals submitted prior to Spring 2023, regardless of outcome, will not count towards your total. If you have questions, please contact the Tuition Appeal Support Staff.

If your circumstance is not on the list, there is a high possibility that it does not fall under an appealable situation according to PPSC Tuition Appeal policy. If you have questions about your circumstance or anything else regarding Tuition Appeals, please contact the Tuition Appeal Support Staff.

Please email the Tuition Appeal Support Staff if you have any questions.