Tuition Surcharge

A twenty-five percent (25%) tuition surcharge will be imposed on students who take more than 140 degree credit hours to complete a baccalaureate degree in a four-year program or more than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the credit hours necessary to complete a baccalaureate degree in any program officially designated by the Board of Governors as a five-year program.

Effective Fall 1994, all new undergraduates seeking a baccalaureate degree at a constituent institution will be subject to the policies of the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina relating to tuition surcharge.

Effective Fall 2010 the Tuition Surcharge will increase to 50%.

Counted Credit Hours

The undergraduate credit hours to be counted for this requirement include: 1) all regular session degree-creditable courses taken at the institution including repeat courses, failed courses, and those dropped after the institution's official census date (normally the last date to add a course); and 2) all transfer credit hours taken during regular semesters accepted by the institution. However, the following credit hours shall be excluded from the calculation: (1) those earned through the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or similar programs; (2) those earned through institutional advanced placement, course validation, or any similar procedure for awarding course credit; and (3) those earned through the summer session or degree-credit extension division on the campus or at another UNC institution.

Students subject to the Surcharge

The surcharge should be imposed on all counted credit hours in excess of the threshold defined below for each of the following three categories of undergraduates:

1) For students earning a first baccalaureate degree in a program that requires no more than 128 credit hours, the surcharge shall be applied to all counted credit hours in excess of 140 hours.

2) For students earning a first baccalaureate degree in a board-approved program that requires more than 128 counted credit hours, the surcharge shall be applied to all credit hours that exceed 110 percent of the credit hours required for the degree. Such programs include those that have been officially designated by the Board of Governors as five-year programs, as well as those involving double majors, or combined bachelor's/master's degrees.

3) For students earning a baccalaureate degree other than their first, the surcharge shall be applied to all counted credit hours that exceed 110 percent of the minimum additional credit hours needed to earn the additional baccalaureate degree.

Students Exempt from the Surcharge

The surcharge should not be imposed on undergraduates who:

1) Complete a first baccalaureate degree program that has not been officially designated by the Board of Governors as a five-year program and whose counted credit hours were earned in eight (8) or fewer regular term semesters or the equivalent.

2) Complete a first baccalaureate degree program that has been officially designated by the Board of Governors as a five-year program and take their counted credit hours in ten (10) or fewer regular term semesters or the equivalent.

How to Calculate the Surcharge

The surcharge should be imposed on tuition charged in the current semester and in subsequent semesters where a student's cumulative credit hour total - with that semester's course load included - exceeds the threshold. The surcharge does not apply to required fees.

What do I do if I have questions about the surcharge on my account?

If you are assessed the surcharge and you feel an error was made in the administration of the above procedures, you may request a review of your record by contacting the Registrar's Office and completing a surcharge review form. The form requires that you state the specific error you believe justifies a review.

(Example: I believe my summer school transfer credits from UNC-A were not calculated correctly.)

Your record cannot be reconsidered without specific grounds for the review. Contact the Office of the Registrar at 704-687-5505.

Is there an appeal process?

The Tuition Surcharge is a fee required by the General Administration of the University of North Carolina System and it is not a UNC Charlotte fee. There is not an appeals process for this fee!