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
The Financial Aid Office is required by federal statute to recalculate federal financial aid eligibility for students who withdraw, drop out, are dismissed, or take a leave of absence prior to completing 60 percent of a payment period or term. The federal Title IV financial aid programs must be recalculated in these situations.

If a student leaves the institution prior to completing 60 percent of a payment period or term, the Financial Aid Office recalculates eligibility for Title IV funds. Recalculation is based on the percentage of earned aid using the following Federal Return of Title IV funds formula:

Percentage of payment period or term completed = the number of days completed up to the withdrawal date divided by the total days in the payment period or term. (Any break of five days or more is not counted as part of the days in the term.) This percentage is also the percentage of earned aid.
Funds are returned to the appropriate federal program based on the percentage of unearned aid using the following formula:

Aid to be returned = (100 percent of the aid that could be disbursed minus the percentage of earned aid) multiplied by the total amount of aid that could have been disbursed during the payment period or term.

If a student earned less aid than was disbursed, the institution would be required to return a portion of the funds and the student would be required to return a portion of the funds. When Title IV funds are returned, the student borrower may owe a debit balance to the institution.

If a student earned more aid than was disbursed to him or her, the institution would owe the student a post-withdrawal disbursement which must be paid within 120 days of the student's withdrawal. The institution must return the amount of Title IV funds for which it is responsible no later than 30 days after the date of the determination of the date of the student’s withdrawal.
Refunds are allocated in the following order:
• Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
• Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans
• Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loans (other than PLUS loans)
• Subsidized Direct Stafford Loans
• Federal Perkins Loans
• Federal Parent (PLUS) Loans
• Direct PLUS Loans
• Federal Pell Grants for which a return of funds is required
• Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grants for which a return of funds is required
• Other assistance under Title IV for which a return of funds is required (e.g., LEAP)


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.