If a student changes their mind about taking a course, or circumstances prevent them from completing a course in which they are registered, they may consider requesting a course drop or withdrawal.
Before dropping or withdrawing from courses, students should be aware of the proper procedure for withdrawing from courses and can learn more by reading the following in the Student Handbook:
- Deciding Whether to Drop or Withdraw from Your Course
- How to Drop or Withdraw from Your Course
- Tuition Refund Schedule
Students should also be aware that any change to their enrollment status due to dropping, being administratively dropped, or withdrawing from courses may impact their financial aid as outlined below:
Pell Recalculation refers to the process in which Pell Grant students with enrollment changes during the semester may have their Pell Grant adjusted. Enrollment changes as the result of dropping courses may prompt a Pell Recalculation.
AMU/APU uses a Census date to determine Pell Grant eligibility. The Census date refers to the point at which your enrolled credit hours are locked for Pell Grant purposes. The Census falls on the first day of week two in each semester.
- Courses (credit hours) added after the census date will not be used to increase Pell Grant eligibility.
- Courses (credit hours) dropped after Census, and for which Pell was received will require a Pell Recalculation and may result in a loss of Pell Grant funding.
Students who elect to withdraw (disenroll) from the university during a semester must do so by dropping or withdrawing from all of their courses in the semester and then completing the Disenrollment Request Form. If a student withdraws or is administratively withdrawn from the university, they may be subject to a Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation.
As a result, financial aid may be adjusted based on the percentage of the semester they completed and a portion of the funds may be returned to the Department of Education. The outcome of an R2T4 calculation may result in student owing funds to the university, the government, or both.
One component of Federal Student Aid (FSA) eligibility is based upon the duration of a student’s schedule enrollment each semester. Title IV funds are packaged for a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which they have been deemed eligible for financial aid.
When a student who has actually received Title IV funds or has met the conditions that entitled the student to a late disbursement, is considered withdrawn from a semester, the university is required by law to perform a Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation to determine the percentage and amount of aid that the student earned up to the time of withdrawal. An R2T4 determination cannot be appealed.
The outcome of an R2T4 calculation may result in student owing funds to the university, the government, or both. For more information please read the full Withdrawal and Return of Title IV (R2T4) policy.