Fee Waivers
| Effective: | N/A | Approved By: Senior Associate Vice President for Financial Affairs and Chief Financial Officer | |
| Revised: | 08/19/2023 |
For Assistance Contact: Assistant Vice President of Financial Services & University Bursar
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Purpose/Scope
Undergraduate applicants looking for application fee waivers, please visit the freshman admissions Fee Waivers page. Application fees are out of this guideline’s scope.
This guideline provides faculty and staff an overview of UTSA mandatory fee waivers based on Texas Education Code (TEC) Section 54.216 — Students Enrolled in Course for Concurrent High School and College-Level Credit; Optional Waiver, Texas Education Code (TEC) Section 54.218 — Distance Learning or Off-Campus Courses; Optional Waiver and Texas Education Code (TEC) Section 54.5035 — Waiver of Fees, and to provide guidance for requesting those waivers.
Authority
- Texas Education Code (TEC) Section 54.216 — Students Enrolled in Course for Concurrent High School and College-Level Credit; Optional Waiver
- Texas Education Code (TEC) Section 54.218 — Distance Learning or Off-Campus Courses; Optional Waiver
- Texas Education Code (TEC) Section 54.5035 — Waiver of Fees
- UT System Regents' Rules and Regulations — Rule 40401: Assessment, Collection, Delegation, and Waiver of Tuition and Fees
- UTSA Handbook of Operating Procedures (HOP) 5.20 — Authorization for Waiver of Mandatory or Incidental (Discretionary) Fees for Qualifying Academic Programs
University Guidelines
Table of Contents
A. Overview
The Texas Education Code provides statutory authority for the optional waiver of fees in certain instances, and the UT System Board of Regents has delegated authority to university presidents to grant exemptions and waivers. Accordingly, the UTSA president has established a "blanket" pre-authorization for waivers of some of the fees related to out-of-county programs (see Qualifying Educational Programs) and a process for requesting the waiver of fees related to dual credit and other programs when certain conditions are met (see Other Fee Waivers). Because the approval authority is delegated to the president, it cannot be delegated by the president to another university official.
B. Qualifying Educational Programs
Educational programs such as study abroad or internships where students are required to be out of the county for the duration of the course may qualify for the waiver of certain fees because the students are not able to use the activities, services or facilities on which the fees are based. These waivers are authorized by Texas Education Code Section 54.218.
The waiver cannot materially impair the ability of UTSA to service any debt on which the fee is based or to offer or operate the activity, service or facility supported by the fee.
UTSA’s president has granted a blanket authorization for this type of waiver, subject to certain criteria. The Request for Fee Waiver for Qualifying Educational Programs is used to request the application of this blanket authorization to a specific program or course. The request requires approval by the appropriate dean and the provost. For more information on this type of waiver, see UTSA Handbook of Operating Procedures (HOP) 5.20 — Authorization for Waiver of Mandatory or Incidental (Discretionary) Fees for Qualifying Academic Programs.
C. Other Fee Waivers
Requests for fee waivers that are not based on out-of-county programs are at the discretion of the president and are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. These waivers must meet the criteria set by Texas Education Code Section 54.216 (dual credit programs) or Section 54.5035, which allows fee waivers
- For a student who is not reasonably able to participate in or use the activity, service or facility for which the fee is charged; or
- For a category of students if the waiver is in the best interest of UTSA or is critical to the viability of an academic initiative.
The waiver cannot result in UTSA’s inability to service a debt to which the fee revenue is obligated or to support the activity, service or facility for which the fee is charged.
Students who receive fee waivers are not allowed to participate in or use the activities, services or facilities supported by those fees.
This type of waiver is not automatically granted or pre-authorized, and must be requested via the Request for Fee Exemption form. The request requires approval by the appropriate dean, vice president(s) and the provost, after which it is forwarded to the Office of Financial Services and University Bursar for further routing. The Office of Budget and Financial Planning then reviews the form for fiscal impact, after which it is sent to the president for final approval. If approved by the president, the request is returned to the Office of Financial Services and University Bursar for processing.
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 08/19/23 | Purpose/Scope section updates to clarify intended audience and scope. |
| 10/25/21 | Editorial updates throughout including clarification of Purpose/Scope and changes to form references and Texas Education Code references. |
