FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT FINANCIAL AID
If an Incomplete grade (I) was granted, the course will not affect SAP until the end of the contract date, which will be no longer than the end of the following semester. No extensions will be granted.
Withdrawal - What is Withdrawal?
Dropping a class after the drop/add period has ended is considered a Withdrawal.
Withdrawal from a Course(s) after the Drop/Add Deadline on the published Academic Calendar
Dropping a class after the drop/add period has ended is considered a Withdrawal. Students may withdraw from classes after the first week and before the final week of the semester by completing a Withdrawal form, having it signed by the instructor of the course and their advisors, and submitting it to the Register's Office. Courses from which students have withdrawn will appear on their grade reports and transcripts with a “W” grade and are included in the total of attempted credits.
Tuition and fees are assessed on the number of credits for which students are enrolled on the census date, which is the end of the second week (your first disbursement date) of the Fall and Spring semesters. Withdrawing from a course after this date will not result in a tuition reduction and may result in having to pay back funds. Withdrawing from a course will affect satisfactory degree progress. Make sure to contact your advisor before the withdrawal deadline to discuss your withdrawal further, because after the deadline could result in paying back funds see below.
Withdrawal from a Course(s) after the Withdraw Deadline on the published Academic Calendar
Dropping a class after the drop/add period has ended is considered a Withdrawal. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to apply a formula established by the U.S. Department of Education, titled R2T4, to determine the amount of federal financial aid a student has earned as of the student’s withdrawal date. The amount of federal financial aid returned to federal aid programs is determined by the amount of time a student spends in an academically related activity. After 60% of the term has passed students have earned 100% of the federal financial aid disbursed to them. The 60% of a term mark is the second disbursement date which is also on the published Academic Calendar.
Students withdrawing from any course(s) in the term prior to the completion of 60% of the quarter/semester may find that funds are owed to the university as a result of the R2T4, returning funds.
Students who stop engaging in academically related activities during the term, without officially withdrawing from the courses, are subject to the R2T4 calculation. In such cases, the last date of academically related activity, as determined by the university, is used as the withdrawal date for the term. Other enrollment changes that may trigger an R2T4, returning funds:
- Withdrawal to zero credits.
- For consecutive enrollment within a term, withdrawal from an earlier course with no confirmation of return in a later course.
- For consecutive enrollment within a term, dropping, not attending, or withdrawing from a later course, even after the completion of an earlier course.
- For consecutive enrollment, failure to participate in more than 60% of the term along with the failure to earn a passing grade in the last course in the term.
- Failure to participate in more than 60% of the term along with failure to earn a passing grade in all courses attempted in the term.
- Prior to withdrawing, students should contact the Office of Financial Aid to determine the amount of federal aid that must be returned. Federal student aid may not cover all unpaid charges due to the university upon the student’s withdrawal.
To All Financial Aid Recipients: Financial Aid Recipients are encouraged to speak with the Financial Aid Office before withdrawing from a class as this can affect current and/or future financial aid eligibility.
Making the decision to Withdraw: First, always speak with your advisor for making sure you don't need a higher GPA for future continuing education or future aid or career opportunities.
Next, is contacting the FA Office which is great you are doing so. You did receive the PELL award, but as long as you participated in the class or classes you're considering dropping for more than 60% of the semester you won't have to pay back funds.
Taking a W, however, will affect your satisfactory academic progress (SAP) which accounts for your attempted course in ratio to your passed/completed courses. If your SAP goes below our accepted allowance of 67%, you will be subject to financial aid probation or suspension from Pell, FSEOG, and work-study funds.
Calculating your SAP - use your transcript find on your student portal:
Earned _ # Credits
Divided by
Attempted _ # Credits Failed, Withdrew, Incomplete # Credits
= must be equal or higher to 67% based on our policies allowance
When your SAP is near being low, a student will receive a warning at the beginning of the semester. If your SAP is below 67% then you are placed on Probation, see the probation details below. If you have a continued
When your SAP is near being low, a student will receive a warning at the beginning of the semester. If your SAP is below 67% then you are placed on Probation, see the probation details below. If you have a continued
Withdrawal from the College
Students needing to withdraw from the College during the course of the semester should meet with the Dean of Student Services to complete the necessary withdrawal form. Failure to complete formal withdrawals may result in the students receiving “F” grades in all their courses.
Students needing to withdraw from the College will have to return the unused portion of federal student aid as required by government guidelines. Receiving all “F’s” will trigger an investigation of whether funds were unused or earned. Withdrawing from the College will affect satisfactory degree progress.
Administrative Withdrawal
Administrative withdrawal is the termination of a student’s enrollment in a course by the College. It is used to assist students who are seriously ill or otherwise unable to carry out a normal withdrawal, for nonpayment of tuition and fees, or for disciplinary reasons. Student actions that might lead to administrative withdrawal include plagiarism, copying of another student’s work, or persistent disruption of classes, harassment, or violence.
Administrative withdrawal is the termination of a student’s enrollment by the College. Students who are administratively withdrawn will have to return the unused portion of federal student aid according to government guidelines. Administrative withdrawals will also affect satisfactory degree progress.
Registration Cancellation
Students who do not attend classes during the first week of a course will have their registration canceled. Students who are unable to attend in the first week due to an emergency may maintain their enrollment by notifying the Dean of Student Services, providing documentation of the emergency, and verifying attendance at the first possible class session. When a course registration is canceled, no financial aid will be awarded for that course, and no attempted credits will be recorded.
Adding or Dropping Courses
Financial aid will be based on students’ enrollment as of the census date. Adding or dropping a course within the drop/add period may create modifications to students’ estimated financial aid award. Dropped courses are not counted as attempted credits and do not appear on transcripts.
Students auditing a course will not be eligible for Federal Student Aid.
Financial aid will assist students to repeat a course one time providing that the previous grade was below a “C”. Credits for any course can be counted as progress toward the degree only once. Consequently, repeated courses only count as progress toward degree when the first grade was failing.
Students seeking an additional associate degree will be eligible for federal funding provided that the student has not yet obtained a higher degree. Federal funding at the associate’s level will not exceed two associate degrees.
Courses numbered 000-100 cannot exceed 50% of coursework per semester to be eligible for federal student aid.
Credits transferred from other institutions will be calculated toward satisfactory degree progress. However, grades are not transferred and do not affect GPA.