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Withdrawals

What if I Withdraw?

The U.S. Department of Education has required institutions and students to repay or refund unearned student aid funds.  Student aid may be considered unearned if a student withdrawals completely during a term in which federal Title IV money was received.  Refund and repayment regulations specify, in complex formula, exactly how much is due back to the federal programs from the institution and/or the student. The Higher Education Amendments of 1998 adopted a new approach for the return of unearned federal funds. The new approach became law on October 7, 1998 and was implemented in the 2000/2001 year.

Federal Regulations require that all or a portion of a student's Title IV financial aid be returned to the appropriate aid program following the student's complete withdrawal from classes. Following withdrawal, any credit balance in the student's tuition and fees account will first be refunded to the aid programs from which funds were awarded. Any remaining credit balance will be refunded to the student. The student may owe the school money if funds were disbursed directly to the student.

Schools have certain responsibilities if a student with Title IV funds:

  • Officially Withdraws
  • Drops Out
  • Is Expelled
  • Unofficially Withdraws
  • Takes an unapproved leave of absence, or
  • Fails to return from an approved leave of absence.

A student's withdrawal date is:

  • the date the student began the institution's withdrawal process or officially notified the institution of intent to withdraw; or
  • the midpoint of the period for a student who leaves without notifying the institution; or
  • the student's last date of attendance at a documented academically related activity.
  • Oral notification may be acceptable if the institution has acceptable documentation to verify the intent to withdraw.

A student is considered an unofficial withdrawal:

  • if the student does not officially withdraw from classes and stops attending all classes. A pro-rated portion of the federal aid received, based on the documented last day of attendance, must be returned to the federal aid programs (Return of Title IV Funds calculation).  If the school is unable to document the last day of attendance, then the institution will use the mid-point of the term as the last day of attendance.
  • Please note: If all of your final grades post as “F”, “F#”, “U”, “UE”, “U#”, “NX”, "CC”, "DW", "SN", and/or “NC”, by Federal regulation we are required to assume you unofficially withdrew. Your earned aid will be calculated based upon 50% attendance of the term, thus, you have earned only 50% of your total aid and you must repay all or a portion of your unearned federal aid. You must repay a portion or all of your unearned federal aid.

The Office of Financial Aid's responsibilities in regard to the return of Title IV funds follow:

  • providing students with the information given in this policy;
  • identifying students who are affected by this policy and completing the Return of Title IV Funds calculation for those students;
  • returning any Title IV funds that are due the Title IV programs.

The student's responsibility in regard to the return of Title IV funds include:

  • returning to the Title IV programs any funds that were disbursed to the student and which the student was determined to be ineligible for via the Return of Title IV Funds calculation.

Return of Title IV funds to the Federal government will be in the following order:

  • Unsubsidized Stafford Loan;
  • Subsidized Stafford Loan;
  • Graduate PLUS Loan;
  • Federal Perkins Loan.