If a student receiving Federal Title IV funds completely terminates enrollment (i.e. begins the official withdrawal process) or ceases to attend classes (unofficially withdraws) before the end of a payment period, then a recalculation of Federal Financial Aid is required by federal regulations to determine earned and unearned portions of Title IV aid (Federal Student Loans, Pell Grant, and/or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)).
Official Withdrawal from Classes
A student may officially withdraw from Mesalands Community College by completing a Withdrawal Form obtained from the Student Affairs Office. The student must complete and sign the form. The form must also be signed by an advisor, the Financial Aid Office and by the Business Office. The form should then be turned into Student Affairs for processing. This process must be completed by the published withdrawal deadline on the Institutional Calendar which may be found in the College Catalog or current Course Schedule. A copy of the form is sent to Financial Aid, the instructor, and the Business Office for notification. The date of withdrawal will be recorded as the date the form is processed by Student Affairs.
Semester Completion
- Up through the 60% point in the payment period, a pro-rata schedule is used to determine the amount of Title IV funds the student has earned at the time of withdrawal. The amount of Title IV aid earned or unearned is determined by using the Return of Title IV Funds software provided by the U.S. Department of Education. All calculations are based on credit hour term programs.
- After the 60% point in the payment period, a student will have earned 100% of the Title IV funds he or she was scheduled to receive during the period. There are no unearned funds for a student who withdraws after the 60% point.
Unofficial Withdrawal from Classes
When a student fails all of the courses they attempted in a semester, a R2T4 calculation must be completed to determine a student’s last date of attendance.
- The 50% point of the payment period will be used for the calculation for students who unofficially withdraw.
- If a student can prove that he or she attended an academic class after the 60% point, the provided date will be used in the calculation.
Notification
Letters are mailed to students to notify them that a recalculation has been performed. Any remaining amount due to the school and/or the United States Department of Education are included in the letter. A copy of the letter, along with recalculation worksheets and withdrawal information, is placed in the student’s financial aid file.
Return of Title IV Funds
The unearned aid portion due from the College is returned within 45 days of the determination of withdrawal date. The unearned aid will be returned in the following order:
- Unsubsidized Federal Student Loan,
- Subsidized Federal Student Loan
- Pell Grant
- FSEOG
Recalculation
The earned portion of the awards will be posted to the student’s account, thus reflecting the new amount owed. Students will be billed for the amount owed to the Title IV programs as well as any amount due to the College resulting from the return of Title IV funds used to cover College charges. If a student has a credit balance post calculation, they will be notified that they must pick up their check from the Business Office.
Holds
If a recalculation causes a student to have a balance at the Business Office, a hold will be placed on the student’s account. The student will have to pay the balance owed, before they are able to register for classes, request transcripts to be sent to another university or receive their diploma.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Regardless of a Return to Title IV calculation, student’s must meet all required satisfactory academic progress requirements. If a student fails to meet the requirements of satisfactory academic progress, he or she will be placed on Financial Aid Warning for one semester and will be able to receive financial aid the following semester. A student may be released from Financial Aid Warning or become eligible again by reestablishing satisfactory academic progress. If a student fails to meet requirements during the second semester, he or she will be denied financial aid and placed on Financial Aid Suspension.
Students placed on Financial Aid Suspension due to adverse academic progress may submit a Petition for Reinstatement of Financial Aid. The Petition should explain any unusual or mitigating circumstances that have affected the student’s academic performance. Examples of mitigating circumstance include—but are not limited to—prolonged and/or severe illness that results in the student or their dependent being placed under a doctor’s care, accidents requiring hospitalization, or death of an immediate family member. Documentation is required to support the circumstance(s). The petition will be presented to the Student Appeals Committee for a decision.
If an appeal is denied or the student does not have unusual or mitigating circumstances, the student will remain ineligible for financial aid. He or she may reestablish eligibility for federal and state financial aid programs by successfully meeting the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements based on their cumulative hours and GPA. The student will not be able to receive financial aid beyond 150% of the degree program until they have reestablished other requirements of satisfactory academic progress.
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