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USC Tuition Refund Insurance Program

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General Information

Tuition refund insurance is an optional insurance that students may purchase for a small fee during the fall and spring semesters. Tuition refund insurance provides a refund of tuition and fees to a student who must withdraw from all classes due to an illness or accidental injury. Tuition refund insurance protects the significant financial investment a student makes in tuition at USC. The insurance carrier with whom USC has contracted to provide the tuition refund insurance program is A.W.G. Dewar, Inc.

What Tuition Refund Insurance Covers

The insurance covers 100% of the tuition and fees for the semester if a student withdraws from all classes due to injury or sickness. For withdrawals from all classes due to a psychological or emotional condition (as defined in the DSM-IV manual), the coverage is 60%. The plan covers payments made directly by the student, loans, grants or scholarships. USC grants and scholarships are credited back to the university.

What Tuition Refund Insurance Does Not Cover

Tuition refund insurance does not cover the following: war or any act of war, declared or undeclared; the use of any drug, narcotic or agent which is similarly classed or has similar effects, unless it is prescribed by a doctor; taking part in a riot; failure to attend classes for any reason other than injury or sickness; withdrawal, if the student receives full or partial credit for an incomplete term, or due to completion of academic requirements, or early graduation; suicide or intentionally self-inflicted injury or sickness; or nuclear reaction, nuclear radiation or radioactive contamination.

Cost

The cost of tuition refund insurance is approximately $4.70 per unit enrolled per semester. For example, a student who enrolls for 16 units will pay approximately $75 each semester, while a student who enrolls in 4 units will pay approximately $19 each semester.

Enrolling and Opting out of Tuition Refund Insurance while Registering for Classes

The first time a student logs into Web Registration to register for fall and spring semester classes, the system will prompt the student to choose whether he/she wishes to decline tuition refund insurance. To protect the student’s financial investment, the Web Registration system defaults to purchase tuition refund insurance. The student may decline tuition refund insurance by choosing the corresponding option.

Enrolling and Opting out of Tuition Refund Insurance after Registering for Classes

Although the Web Registration system only prompts students to choose to accept or decline tuition refund insurance the first time they login to the system in the fall and spring semesters, students may enroll or opt out of tuition refund insurance up until the end of week 3 of the semester or the week 3 equivalent in special sessions through the assistance of the Registration Department by sending an email request to register@usc.edu. The email request must: 1) originate from the student’s USC email account, 2) contain the student’s USC ID number and 3) include a brief statement requesting enrollment or cancellation of tuition refund insurance.

Coverage Periods

Tuition refund insurance provides coverage for one semester. Insurance purchased for the fall semester only covers courses taken during the fall. The insurance becomes effective at the start of the semester and extends until the end of the final exams period.

How to File a Claim

  1. Verify that you purchased tuition refund insurance for the semester in question. To obtain the information, you may contact the Registration Department by email or by telephone (213.740.8500). Only students who purchased tuition refund insurance may file for tuition refund from Dewar Insurance, Inc.


  2. Withdraw from all your courses as soon as possible after the occurrence of illness or injury and before the withdrawal deadline (end of week 12 of the semester or the week 12 equivalent in special sessions). If the onset of the medical problem occurs after week 12, please see the Special Circumstances section. To withdraw from classes you may use one of the following five options:

    1. Use Web Registration ( http://my.usc.edu and www.usc.edu/webregistration).


    2. Send an email from your USC email account requesting a withdrawal. Please provide your USC ID number in your request and state that you need to withdraw for medical reasons.


    3. Authorize another person to withdraw the classes on your behalf. Your authorization (this can be a hand-written document) must include your name, your USC ID number, the name of the person you would like to designate as your agent, a brief statement requesting withdrawal from all classes for medical reasons, and your signature.


    4. Fax your request to the Registration Department (213.821.3724). Please include your USC ID number, a copy of your USC ID card or driver’s license, a brief statement requesting withdrawal from all classes due to medical reasons, and your signature. To ensure immediate processing, please call the Registration Department (213.740.8500) after you send the fax.


    5. Mail your withdrawal request to the Registration Department. Your request must include your USC ID number, a copy of your USC ID card or driver’s license, a brief statement requesting withdrawal from all classes due to medical reasons, and your signature. Please mail your request to:


      University of Southern California
      Registration Department
      601 Exposition Blvd.
      Los Angeles, CA. 90089-0912.

  3. Request a College Medical Withdrawal Certificate packet from the Registration Department (register@usc.edu or 213.740.8500). The Registration Department staff will provide the form as soon as they determine that the student needs to withdraw for medical reasons and that the student purchased tuition refund insurance.


  4. Complete the student portions of the College Medical Withdrawal Certificate forms (white and yellow). Mail the completed white form to the Registration Department. Your physician must mail the completed yellow form to the Dewar Insurance, Inc. at the address listed on the form. If you received medical treatment at the USC Health Center for the illness or injury in question, please mail the yellow form to the USC Health Center at the address below so that the physician may fill it out.

    Student Health Center
    Attention: Office of the Executive Medical Director
    Los Angeles, CA. 90089-0331

After You File a Claim

Your top priority is to attempt to return to good health. The Registration Department will work in collaboration with the Cashier’s Office to certify your claim and forward the claim to Dewar’s Insurance, Inc. Dewar’s Insurance, Inc. will send a check to the university. USC will forward to you by mail the funds in excess of the amount needed to settle your student account.

Special Circumstances

University policy states that students must withdraw from classes by the end of week 12 in the semester, or the week 12 equivalent in special sessions. If the onset of the medical problem occurs after the 12th week of classes, students should request grades of IN (incomplete) from each instructor. For more information, please see the USC Catalogue for definitions of IN and time limitations for completion.
If the medical problem occurred before the drop deadline, but it was impossible to officially withdraw because of incapacitation, contact the Academic Review Office in JHH 113, (213) 740-7741, to explore possible problem resolution. The process to seek exception to the university’s withdrawal policy involves both academic and medical documentation. The university does not guarantee approval of such requests. Only students who purchased tuition refund insurance may file for tuition refund from Dewar Insurance, Inc.

Contact Us

If you have questions regarding the tuition refund insurance program or if you need assistance filing your claim please contact Carolyn Williams in the Registration Department by email at carolynw@usc.edu or by telephone at (213) 740-8500.

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