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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 fall, spring and summer terms. It 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. USC has contracted with A.W.G. Dewar, Inc. to provide this program.

PLEASE NOTE: Claims need to be filed within 1 year from the end of the semester in question and listed by the student as part of their claim. For example, if a student has withdrawn from all courses in Fall 2019, the student has until the end of the Fall 2020 term to file a claim, per the policy of the insurance company.

What Tuition Refund Insurance Covers

This insurance covers 85 percent of the tuition and mandatory fees (excluding the student Health Insurance Fee) for the semester if a student withdraws from all classes due to injury, sickness or mental health withdrawals. USC grants and scholarships are credited back to the university.

Please note: Claims made for Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 will cover 100 percent of tuition and mandatory fees (excluding the student Health Insurance Fee) 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 80 percent.

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

By default, at the time you register, Web Registration will enroll you in Tuition Refund Insurance. This will result in a charge equal to approximately .32 of 1 percent of your tuition and mandatory fees, which will be added to your student account.

Enrolling and Opting Out of Tuition Refund Insurance While Registering for Classes

The Web Registration system automatically enrolls students in Tuition Refund Insurance.

The student may decline Tuition Refund Insurance up until the 20% deadline of the session (week three for general semester sessions) by clicking on the Tuition Refund Insurance tab in Web Registration.

Enrolling and Opting Out of Tuition Refund Insurance After Registering for Classes

Students may opt to purchase or decline Tuition Refund Insurance up until the 20% deadline of session 001, or the end of week three of the fall and spring semester. The deadline to purchase or decline Tuition Refund Insurance for Summer 2021 is Tuesday, June 22, 2021. For the exact date, please visit the Schedule of Classes at www.usc.edu/soc and click on the term, then click on Registration Calendar. Students who wish to change their Tuition Refund Insurance setting may do so on Web Registration by clicking on the Tuition Refund Insurance tab and following the system prompts.

Coverage Periods

Tuition Refund Insurance provides coverage for one semester. (For instance, insurance purchased for the fall semester covers courses taken only in 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

Follow the steps below to file a claim for a tuition refund. Please note that claims must be filed within one year of the end of the semester from which you withdraw.

  1. Contact the Registrar One Stop Center to verify that you purchased Tuition Refund Insurance for the semester in question. Only students who have purchased Tuition Refund Insurance may file for a tuition refund from Dewar Insurance, Inc.
  1. Withdraw from all your courses as soon as possible after the occurrence of illness or injury and before the withdrawal deadline (80 percent into the respective session). To withdraw from classes, please use one of the following options:
    1. Access Web Registration through myUSC and withdraw from courses.
    2. Email us 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 from the classes on your behalf. This can be in the form of a handwritten document. Your authorization 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. Please include a copy of your USC ID or other government-issued ID with the authorization.
  1. Request a College Medical Withdrawal Certificate packet from the Registrar One Stop Center. Registration staff will provide the forms after you have withdrawn from courses and it has been verified that you have purchased Tuition Refund Insurance.
  2. Complete the student portions of the College Medical Withdrawal Certificate forms. Email the completed Student Information Release form to the Registrar One Stop Center.
  3. Have your physician complete the Student Medical Authorization form, which you will need to provide. Your physician must then mail the document to Dewar Insurance, Inc., using the address listed on the form. If you received medical treatment for the illness or injury at a USC Student Health Center, please send the Student Medical Authorization form to the address below so that your physician may fill it out:

    4. 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 return to good health. The Registrar One Stop Center will work in collaboration with the Cashiers Office to certify your claim and forward the claim to Dewar Insurance, who will send a check to the university. Benefit payment is made to USC to be credited to the student’s account. USC grants and/or scholarships will be credited back to the University. Benefit payments not required to settle your student account with USC will be refunded to you through the Cashiers Office.

    Contact Us

    If you have questions regarding the Tuition Refund Insurance program or if you need assistance filing your claim, please contact The Registrar One Stop Center or by phone at (213) 740-8500.