Withdrawal, Refund, & Repayment

Withdrawing or dropping courses can impact your financial aid eligibility. The informational scenarios below may be of assistance. If you have additional questions, we advise you to visit the office to discuss your situation.

Aid Disbursed & then drop a class

If you drop a class on or before census date (the 20th day of instruction) and your enrollment status changes as a result, you may be required to repay part or all of the funds received. For example, if you receive a full-time Federal Pell Grant payment (100% of the awarded amount) and you drop to 9 units by the start of the fifth week of the semester, your enrollment status changes from full-time to three-quarter time and you may have to repay 25% of the paid amount.

Your enrollment status is “frozen” on census date and you are expected to earn credit for all classes in which you were enrolled. Therefore, if you drop a class after that date, you may jeopardize your future financial aid for failure to meet satisfactory academic progress requirements. However, your enrollment status is not adjusted and you are not required to repay funds received.

AId Disbursed Part-time & Later INcreased Enrolled Units

It is possible to receive several disbursements at the beginning of the semester if your enrollment status changes. For example, if you are enrolled in 6 units when initial payment is made, you may receive only 50% of your Federal Pell Grant award. If you add a class for a total of 9 units, your eligibility will be recalculated for three-quarter time status and a supplemental payment will be prepared. If you add another class for a total of 12 or more units, you will qualify for a full-time payment and another supplemental payment will be prepared. Payments occur at least twice a week; supplemental payments will be processed in the next disbursement cycle after you add a class.

Complete Withdrawal

If you completely withdrawal from the university or cease attending classes on or before the 60% point in the semester and you received financial aid for the semester, we will determine how much of the financial aid you “earned” based on the number of days you attended classes. You may be required to return part/all of the unearned portion. Refer to the semester Class Schedule, Financial Aid information pages, for specific dates, deadlines and fee refund policies.

Student Financial Services will perform a calculation to determine if part of your fees must be refunded. If a refund is made, it will first be applied toward your “unearned” financial aid. Any unearned aid will be returned to the program in the following order:

  • Unsubsidized Direct Loans
  • Subsidized Direct Loans
  • Federal Perkins Loans
  • Direct PLUS Loans
  • Federal Pell Grants
  • FSEOG
  • TEACH Grants
  • Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant