Course Drops

Students who reduce their course load (except for full-time undergraduates maintaining 12 credit hours or more) by dropping courses during the refund period of the semester will have the course tuition cancellation calculated as of the date of the course drop. The student's account must show a credit balance before a refund will be processed.

MBA modules and other courses on nonstandard schedules have different refund policies, percentages, and dates. In addition, tuition and fee refund policies and deadlines for study abroad and other special programs may differ by program and location. Students should check with the appropriate office for specific guidelines.
Discontinuing attendance in class or notifying an instructor does not constitute an official course drop.

Withdrawal

Students who completely withdraw from the university must submit the appropriate forms to the Office of the Registrar and Housing and Dining Programs. The amount of tuition to be canceled will be calculated as of the date which the withdrawal forms are received in the Office of the Registrar and in accordance with the tuition cancellation schedule, below. If the withdrawal results in a refund, the request for refund should be made in Student Accounts. The student's account must show a credit balance before a refund will be processed.

Discontinuing attendance in classes or notifying instructors does not constitute an official withdrawal. Students who do not officially withdraw during the cancellation period by submitting the appropriate forms to the Office of the Registrar will be responsible for payment of the full amount of the applicable tuition and fees.

Tuition Cancellation Schedule

The cancellation percentage is based on the date of the course drop or withdrawal:
Drop/Withdrawal through the second calendar week
of classes .....................................................................................100%
Drop/Withdrawal through the third calendar week
of classes .......................................................................................50%
Drop/Withdrawal through the fourth calendar week
of classes .......................................................................................25%
Withdrawal after the fourth calendar week
of classes .....................................................................................NONE
Note: the calendar week for cancellation of tuition ends on Friday (adjustments are made for legal holidays that fall within the first four weeks of the semester). Students should check the Academic Calendar for specific dates for each semester.

Housing

Requests for cancellation of room charges must be initiated by the student in writing to Housing and Dining Programs, Rockwood Building, by the withdrawal deadlines. The student must then request any applicable refund through Student Accounts.
The cancellation percentage is based on the date of withdrawal:
Withdrawal through the first calendar week
of the semester ...............................................................................75%
Withdrawal in the second calendar week
of the semester ...............................................................................50%
Withdrawal in the third calendar week
of the semester ...............................................................................25%
Withdrawal after the third calendar week
of the semester ............................................................................NONE
Note: academic dismissal will result in a prorated charge for the weeks the student resided in university housing.

Meal Plan

Students will only be permitted to decrease or drop their meal plan during the first 15 days of the semester. Meal plan adjustments are made on a daily prorated basis, not by the number of meals used. Requests for meal plan cancellations must be initiated in person at one of the Housing and Dining Programs locations, Rockwood Building or Anderson Hall. Students then request any applicable refund through Student Accounts. Meal plan increases or sign-ups may be done at any time during the semester.

Federal (Title IV) Financial Aid Recipients Return of Title IV Funds Policy
As federally-mandated, Federal (Title IV) aid recipients who withdraw from classes are subject to the following refund policy:

Complete withdrawal from all classes:

University charges are prorated per the university tuition cancellation schedule, based on the date of the course drop.

Students who withdraw from all of their classes before completing the first 60 percent of the semester will have a portion of their financial aid prorated, based on their length of attendance during the semester. Based on this proration, all or a portion of the student's financial aid will be returned to the appropriate Title IV financial aid program.

Partial withdrawal from classes:

Students who withdraw from some but not all of their classes, at any point during the semester, will have their financial aid recalculated based on the final number of credit hours enrolled.

Students withdrawing before the end of the semester may also need to repay funds received for non-institutional costs (off-campus room, board, books, and personal expenses) under a Title IV program. In this case, the university determines whether or not the student received an overpayment. If the monies disbursed for non-institutional costs are more than the amount determined to be the actual non-institutional costs for the period of enrollment, the student received an overpayment and may be responsible for returning funds to American University.

Questions about how the refund and repayment regulations may affect a student's financial aid should be referred to the student's Financial Aid counselor prior to withdrawing from the university.

Medical Withdrawal Policy

No special waiver or refund of tuition and fees is made when a student discontinues attending classes due to medical reasons. However, when a student is hospitalized on an emergency basis and is therefore unable to formally withdraw from classes, the Registrar is authorized to process a retroactive withdrawal based on the last date that the student attended class. The student must present evidence of his or her hospitalization and the date of last attendance in class as verified by the instructor. Provided that the retroactive withdrawal date falls within the tuition cancellation period, the student's account will be adjusted accordingly.

Tuition Refund Insurance

The Tuition Refund Plan can minimize financial loss incurred in a medical withdrawal from the university. This elective insurance plan provides coverage for tuition and housing charges. The plan extends and enhances the university’s published refund policy. To participate, applications and fees must be returned before the first day of fall semester classes. For specific benefits and limitations, premium, and other information, contact the student health insurance coordinator at 202-885-3298.