Course Withdrawals and Refunds

1. Withdrawal from a course

To withdraw from a course you must advise the Centre for Continuing Education in writing and return your student card sticker (if applicable). Non-attendance at classes does not constitute official withdrawal.

Students may submit their written withdrawal notification in any of the following ways:

  • Via email to conted@mcmaster.ca;
  • Via fax at 905.546.1690;
  • In person at the Centre for Continuing Education; or
  • By mail, postmarked by the appropriate date

Please include your name, student #, program of study, semester of course and year, course and section number, phone number, email address and reason for withdrawal

Please note that the refund calculation (if applicable) is based on the date that the Centre for Continuing Education receives written confirmation of your intent to withdraw.

2. Refund upon withdrawal from a course

In order to obtain a refund, you must officially withdraw before the applicable deadline. The deadlines vary based on the type of course (please see the refund schedule below). For example, distance education and block/workshop courses are subject to slightly stricter refund policies than in-class courses.

Students who pay their fees by credit card will automatically be refunded on their credit card (allow 2-3 weeks for processing). Students who pay their fees by cheque or debit card will be issued a cheque from the University (allow 4-6 weeks for processing)

3. Refund schedules

The following schedule of refunds applies to tuition. Supplementary and Technology fees are non-refundable after the first scheduled class (or the start of a distance education course). New Student fees is non-refundable.

(a) In-class courses

 

Certificate/Diploma Courses

Workshop & Block Courses

Computer Training/MVP

Withdrawal more than 5 business days prior to the first scheduled class 

95% refund

95% refund

Participants may withdraw or transfer to a different workshop at no penalty

Withdrawal less than 5 business days prior to the first scheduled class

80% refund

80% refund

$50 penalty for half-day workshop
$100 penalty for one-day workshop
$150 penalty for two-day workshop
Participant substitutions are welcome at any time without penalty

Withdrawal before third scheduled class

70% refund

No refund

n/a

Withdrawal after third scheduled class

No refund

No refund

n/a

(b) Distance Education courses

 

Paper Based Correspondence

On-Line Courses

Withdrawal more than 5 business days prior to the class starting date

90% refund

90% refund

Withdrawal less than 5 business days prior to the class starting date

90% refund

80% refund

Withdrawal less than 15 business days after class start date

70% refund

70% refund

Withdrawal more than 15 business days after class start date

No refund

No refund

 

4. Last Date to Withdraw from a Certificate/Diploma Course to Avoid Academic Penalty

To avoid academic penalty, students must withdraw by the specified date as follows:

Winter Semester: April 1 or the last day of class, whichever comes first*.
Spring/Summer: July 31 or the last day of class, whichever comes first*.
Fall Semester: November 30 or the last day of class, whichever comes first*.
*For block courses the last date to withdraw is the last day of class.

No withdrawals will be accepted after the posted withdrawal deadline date.