Withdrawals and Return of Federal Funds

Federal financial aid (Pell Grant, SEOG, Direct Loans, etc.) is awarded with the expectation that you will attend your classes and complete the semester. If you officially (W grade) or unofficially withdraw (WU grade) from all classes, federal regulations require the College to determine how much of your financial aid you actually earned.

Your earned aid is calculated based on the percentage of the semester you completed. This is done by comparing the total number of calendar days in the term to the number of days you attended before withdrawing.

  • If you received more financial aid than you earned, the unearned portion must be returned to the U.S. Department of Education. The College will return those funds on your behalf, and you will be billed for the amount returned.

  • If you received less financial aid than you earned, you may qualify for a Post-Withdrawal Disbursement, which means you could receive additional funds.

Withdrawing can have serious financial consequences, including owing money back to the College. It is strongly recommended that you speak with your academic advisor and a Financial Aid representative before dropping or withdrawing from any classes.

Unofficial Withdrawal (WU)

If you stop attending classes during the semester and do not officially withdraw, you will be assigned an unofficial withdrawal grade of “WU.”

At the end of the session, instructors report students who stopped attending. If you receive WU grades for all your courses (or a combination of WU and W/WD grades), the Office of Financial Aid is required to complete a Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation to determine how much federal financial aid you earned based on your actual attendance.

If it is determined that you did not earn all of your financial aid, a portion may need to be returned to the U.S. Department of Education, which could result in a balance owed to the College.

Students are strongly encouraged to speak with their professors, academic advisors, and Financial Aid representatives before stopping attendance or withdrawing from courses.

Failure to Attend One or More Courses (WN Grades)

If you receive a WN grade in one or more courses, it means your instructor has reported that you never attended the course.

A WN grade:

  • Is not eligible for financial aid

  • Does not count toward enrollment for aid purposes

  • May reduce your financial aid eligibility

If a WN grade causes your enrollment status to drop (for example, from full-time to part-time), your financial aid award may be adjusted, and you may owe a balance.

If you have questions about attendance or enrollment status, contact your instructor and the Office of Financial Aid as soon as possible.

Revised: February 26, 2026