Withdrawals and Return of Funds
Official Withdrawal
If a student finds it necessary to withdraw from all classes during the session, the student must notify the Office of the Registrar and submit a withdrawal form. A grade of "W" will be assigned automatically when a student withdraws from all classes after the census date and by the published withdrawal deadline as indicated on the official University academic calendar. In sixteen-week terms, the withdrawal deadline will be the end of the 14th week of classes. After the withdrawal deadline, no withdrawals will be permitted except for students ordered to military active duty. If the student abandons courses without officially withdrawing, the student will receive a grade of "F" in each course, regardless of the date at which the student ceased to attend classes. Stop by the Enrollment Services Center to speak with a university representative to discuss all consequences of withdrawing including but not limited to the possibility of repaying funds, negative impact on Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), and drop limits (if applicable).
Unofficial Withdrawal
If a student stops attending all classes, does not officially withdraw, and fails to earn a passing grade in at least one course and/or has a 0.0 GPA for the term, the student may be considered an unofficial withdrawal. As a result, the student may be required to repay all or some of those funds to its original source. The U.S. Department of Education requires institutions to closely monitor the attendance of students who receive federal financial aid. At the end of every semester, grade evaluations are completed to determine compliance with federal regulations. In accordance with federal regulations, the Texas A&M
Determining a Withdrawal Date
The student's official withdrawal date will be determined by the University as:
- The date the student began the University's withdrawal process; or
- The midpoint of the semester if the student withdraws without notifying the University and the last date of attendance cannot be determined; or
- The student's last date of attendance at an academically-related activity as documented by the University.
Refund Policy
If a student withdraws from the University during the first twenty (20) days of classes during a long semester, six (6) days during a summer session, and two (2) days during the Inter-sessions the University will refund a portion of the Tuition and Fees charged to a student. For a list of percentages refunded visit the Student Business Services website.
Calculating Return of Financial Funds
The U.S. Department of Education also specifies how Texas A&M
The amount of federal financial aid earned or unearned is determined by the number of days the student completed in the term. In order for a student to have earned all federal financial aid, the student must be enrolled through the 60 percent of the term. However, if student withdraw, drop out, or stop engaging before this period, the student may only receive a prorated portion of their federal financial aid for that term. The financial aid percentage is determined by dividing the number of completed days by the number of total days in the semester. The number of completed days is calculated by subtracting the start of the semester from the day the student withdrew from the school by written notification. The earned percentage is multiplied by the amount that the student was eligible to receive to determine the amount of aid that the student has earned. If a student withdraws prior to the term’s scheduled disbursement, they are not eligible for any of that term’s aid.
*The percent earned is equal to the number of calendar days completed up to the withdrawal date, divided by the total calendar days in the payment period (less any scheduled breaks that are at least 5 days long)
*The payment period for most students is the entire semester. However, for students enrolled in modules (courses which are not scheduled for the entire semester or term), the payment period only includes those days for the module(s) in which the student is registered.
*The percent unearned is equal to 100 percent minus the percent earned
Post-Withdrawal Disbursements (PWD)
In compliance with federal regulations, an evaluation will be done to determine if all eligible aid had been disbursed as of the withdrawal date. If not, and the student meets the federal criteria for a PWD, the student will be notified of their eligibility within 30 days of determining the student’s date of withdrawal. After being notified of PWD eligibility, students, or parent for a Direct Parent PLUS Loan disbursement, must reply if they wish to accept the
Returning of Aid
Notification will be sent via email outlining the amount returned to the federal and institutional program(s). The University will return funds on the student’s behalf to the appropriate federal aid program(s) within 45 business days after determining the student’s withdrawal date. The student is responsible for all charges and overpayments resulting from a Return of Title IV Calculation. The refund will be returned to the student only if the student did not receive financial aid assistance from either Title IV programs or State programs. In the cases where the student did receive assistance from these programs, the refund will be returned to the programs, in the following order:
Order of Return of Title IV funds:
- Unsubsidized Direct Loans (other than Direct PLUS Loans)
- Subsidized Direct Loan
- Direct PLUS Loans
- Federal Pell Grants for which a return of Title IV funds is required
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) for which a return of Title IV funds is required
- Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant, for which a return of Title IV funds is required
Future Aid
Federal regulations require that all students who receive financial aid must maintain satisfactory academic progress toward an eligible degree. In addition, federal regulations require students advance towards their degree objective before reaching the 150% maximum timeframe limit. After one semester of not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements, students will be issued a warning and will be permitted to receive financial aid for the semester. (Warning status is not available for fall 2016.) After one semester of warning, students who fail to meet all SAP requirements will be ineligible for financial assistance. Students may appeal if there are extenuating circumstances contributing to the lack of academic progress.
Students not meeting all SAP requirements may be denied future aid. It is a student’s responsibility to check his/her SAP status on JagWire at the end of each semester to confirm eligibility.
Repayment can begin on student loans. Exit counseling must be completed.
Recipients of federal student loans must complete the Exit Counseling upon withdrawal, graduation, dropping below half-time enrollment, or period of non-enrollment. Online Exit Counseling must completed. Students will be provided an explanation of borrower rights and responsibilities, repayment options, and resources available should the borrower not be able to make a payment. Remember, student loans are given a six month grace period. Students that return to school (and are enrolled at least half-time) before the grace period is used will be able to use the grace period at a later time.
It is the student’s responsibility to complete Exit Counseling online and stay in contact with loan servicers regarding repayment. Contact information for the loan servicers can be found online at www.studentaid.gov.
Note: The procedures and policies listed above are subject to change without advance notice based on changes to federal laws, federal regulations, or school policies. If changes are made, students must abide by the most current policy. The Federal Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) regulation is very encompassing and the above is intended to be an overview.