Description of Fee
The Maintenance Fee is a charge to students enrolled in credit courses. It is an enrollment or registration fee and is calculated based on the number of Student Credit Hours (SCHs) for which the student enrolls. A student is considered enrolled full-time if he/she is enrolled in twelve credit hours or more. Fees are established by the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR).
The same fee is applicable to courses for which the student is enrolled on an audit basis.
Rates
Rates are established by the TBR and incorporated in a fee schedule.
Maintenance fees may not be waived. However, specific exceptions are provided in the following instances:
- Pursuant to TCA 49-7-113, exceptions exist for certain disabled and elderly students, as well as state service retirees. For audit courses, no fee is required for persons with a permanent, total disability and persons 60 years of age or older and domiciled in Tennessee, and persons who have retired from state service with 30 or more years of service, regardless of age. For credit, a reduced fee found in TBR Policy 4.01.03.00 may be charged to persons with a permanent, total disability, and persons who will become 65 years of age or older during the academic semester in which they begin classes and who are domiciled in Tennessee. This fee includes maintenance fees, student activity fees, technology access fees, and registration fees. It does not include the application fee, late fee, campus access fee, special course fee, etc. This only applies to enrollment on a space-available basis.
- Pursuant to TCA 49-7-102, certain statutory fee exceptions exist for dependents and spouses of military personnel killed, missing in action, or officially declared a prisoner of war while serving honorably as a member of the armed forces during a period of armed conflict. If these provisions are invoked by a student, the correct applicable law should be determined.
Exceptions
Exceptions to the rules regarding the applicability of maintenance fees and approval of exceptions in instances of unusual circumstances may be granted by the president or a designee.
Appeals
Appeals concerning maintenance fees may be made to the president or a designee.
Refundable Status
Maintenance Fees are refundable based on the VSCC refund policy (IV:07:09).
TBR Source: December 2, 1977 TBR meeting. Revised March 14, 1980 TBR meeting; November 13, 1991 presidents meeting; November 8, 1982 presidents meeting; July 1, 1984; November 1, 1988; May 15, 1990 presidents meeting; August 14, 1990 presidents meeting; November 10, 1992 presidents meeting; August 10, 1993 presidents meeting; November 9, 1993 presidents meeting; August 9, 1994 presidents meeting; May 8, 1995 presidents meeting, August 8, 1995 presidents meeting, November 8, 1995 presidents meeting, February 6, 1996 presidents meeting, May 14, 1996 presidents meeting, November 12, 1996 presidents meeting, May 6, 1997 presidents meeting, July 16, 1997 called Board meeting, November 5, 1997 presidents meeting, February 17, 1998 presidents meeting via conference call, August 25, 1998 presidents meeting, May 9, 2000 presidents meeting, August 8, 2000 presidents meeting, November 8, 2000 presidents meeting, February 13, 2001 presidents meeting, August 21, 2001 presidents meeting, May 21, 2002 presidents meeting, February 11, 2003 presidents meeting, May 20, 2003 presidents meeting, February 10, 2004 presidents meeting, August 17, 2004 presidents meeting, February 8, 2005 presidents meeting, May 17, 2005 presidents meeting, February 8, 2006 presidents meeting, May 16, 2006 presidents meeting, August 16, 2006 presidents meeting, May 15, 2007 presidents meeting, August 21, 2007 presidents meeting, November 6, 2007 presidents meeting , February 17, 2009 presidents meeting; May 12, 2009 presidents meeting; August 11, 2009 presidents meeting; November 10, 2009 presidents meeting; February 16, 2010 presidents meeting; February 15, 2011 presidents meeting; May 17, 2011 presidents meeting; August 16, 2011 presidents meeting; May 16, 2012 presidents meeting; August 21, 2012 presidents meeting; Revised at Presidents Meeting, February 4, 2014; Revised at Presidents Meeting, August 18, 2015; Revised at Presidents Meeting, November 10, 2015; Presidents Meeting February 2, 2016; August 8, 2017; Guideline B-060 merged into Policies 4.01.03.00 and 4.01.03.10 at Board Meeting June 17, 2022
VSCC Source: March 11, 1997, January 2, 2003, President; November 10, 2008, President’s Cabinet; July 24, 2009, President; April 09, 2025
