Withdrawal From Classes

Impact to the Current Semester

When a student withdraws from some, but not all classes, eligibility for federal grants will be adjusted to reflect the new enrollment status even if the grant has already been disbursed, unless it occurs after they have incurred full tuition liability (after the fourth week). Eligibility for federal loans is not affected in the current semester as long as the student remains enrolled in at least half-time when the loan funds are disbursed. If a student waits until after the semester has started to apply for aid their eligibility will be based on the enrollment status at the time of application or, if eligible for prior terms, based on the number of credits completed.

Impact to Future Semester(s)

Withdrawing from a class or the entire semester reduces the student's pace rate. Your pace is the percentage of credit hours successfully completed out of all those attempted. A pace rate of 66.67% is required to remain eligible for federal aid according to Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). requirements. A withdrawal is considered an unsuccessful attempt, this will negatively impact a student's pace. As a result, students could be placed on Financial Aid Warning or become Ineligible for aid in the next semester. 

Students considering withdrawing from all their courses are advised to consult with the Financial Aid Office before doing so. Be advised that all of the following types of withdrawals can impact the student's current and future semesters eligibility for financial aid.

• Medical Leave of Absence
• Leave of Absence
• Withdrawal from College
• Withdrawal from All Courses via Banner
• Unofficial withdrawal (stop attending and/or never begin attendance)

Withdrawal from Classes

If a student who has received financial aid funds withdraws, takes a leave of absence, or drops out during a semester, a portion of the financial aid may need to be repaid to the granting institution. In some situations, students may have incurred full liability for charges but only have "earned" a portion of the aid they were awarded. In such cases, the unearned portions of aid will be returned, but students will still owe the full balance to the college. Students who unofficially withdraw (i.e., stop attending classes without formally withdrawing from school) may also be subject to returning a portion of the aid they received. Students considering withdrawal should consult with staff in the Financial Aid Office before taking any actions.

Return of Title IV (R2T4) Fund

Federal regulations mandate a Return of Title IV Funds calculation when a student receiving Title IV financial aid (e.g. Direct Loans) completely withdraws. If a student never attends, ceases enrollment, or withdraws from all courses in the semester and received federal financial aid, the college must determine if these funds are required to be returned to the appropriate financial aid programs within 45 days.

R2T4 Calculation 

The R2T4 calculation may result in a reduction of the student’s federal loan(s) and grant(s) if they attended less than 60 percent of the semester. The R2T4 calculation is based on the following:

• The number of days the student attended
• The institutional charges assessed
• The total amount of federal Title IV aid awarded, accepted, and or disbursed

As a result, the school and the student may be required to return any "unearned" federal aid received.

Unofficial Withdrawal

Federal Title IV financial aid is processed for a student under the assumption that the student will attend courses for the entire period for which the financial assistance is provided. A registered student who failed to earn a passing grade in at least one course is presumed to have "unofficially withdrawn" for federal Title IV financial aid eligibility purposes.

Within 30 days of the term ending, the Financial Aid Office will work with the student and his/her faculty members to ascertain official proof regarding the student’s last date of attendance (known as the withdrawal date) for the semester and perform the R2T4 calculation to determine the "unearned" federal financial aid that must be returned to the designated program(s). The student will be notified regarding the results of the R2T4 calculation.

Academic Withdrawal

While there is no academic penalty associated with the ‘W’ grade, there may be financial aid implications regardless of the reason (e.g. medical; etc.). Any student who received federal Title IV financial aid funding will have their eligibility recalculated to determine:

• the amount of financial aid the student is eligible to retain
• the amount of "unearned financial aid" that must be returned

Additionally, the calculation will be based on the earliest date documented that the student provided official notification of his/her intent to withdraw.

Withdrawal from Modular (Mini-Session/Term) Courses

A student who completes all the graduation requirements for a program will not be considered withdrawn if they fail to attend future summer module(s) for which they are registered. A student who successfully completes a module (passes at least one course) that comprises 49% of the total days in the payment period will not be considered withdrawn.  A student who successfully completes coursework (passes course(s) equal to or greater than the coursework required for half-time (6 credit hours) enrollment will not be considered withdrawn. Only courses that the student was enrolled in at the summer freeze file date will be used in the R2T4 calculation. All others will be considered as withdrawn for Return of Title IV (R2T4) purposes.

An exception is made if the student provides written notification affirming their intent to attend a future course (prior to the start of the course) within the payment period or the student provides affirmation of attendance by enrolling/registering in a future course within the same payment period after the original withdrawal date. Written notification MUST be received prior to the first day of the future course.

Notification of attendance in a future course must be made in writing by submitting the Affirmation of Future Attendance form. It is the responsibility of the student to provide complete, accurate, and timely information to the Financial Aid Office, Moot Hall, 230.

Unearned Aid

A determination regarding the percentage of the semester the student completed must be performed and this will reveal the percentage of the federal Title IV aid that the student has earned. The total amount of federal aid disbursed to the student, or that could have been disbursed to the student minus the amount of federal aid earned by the student equals the amount of federal loan(s) and grant(s) that is unearned and that must be returned: (688.22(e)).

Total Title IV Disbursable Aid
- (minus) Title IV Aid Earned
----------------------------------------------------------------
= Title IV Loan(s) and Grant(s) to be Returned

If the university is required to return any unearned aid, we will reduce or cancel the federal award(s), debit the student’s account and return the unearned portion of aid to the U.S. Department of Education.

This adjustment may result in a balance due to Buffalo State University. It is the student’s responsibility to repay the "unearned" portion of aid that was charged back to the student account. Students will receive notification of this action and will receive an updated student bill.

Post-Withdrawal Disbursement

A post-withdrawal disbursement of federal Title IV aid occurs when the amount of federal aid earned by the student is greater than the amount of the federal aid disbursed for the semester. Grants must be disbursed within 45 days. Loans must be offered to the student within 30 days, allowing the student at least 14 days to respond. All post-withdrawal disbursements are applied to the student account first. If the R2T4 calculation results in a credit balance on the student’s account, the credit balance must be disbursed as soon as possible and no later than 14 days after the calculation of R2T4.

A student eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement will receive written notification from the college. Students receive a notification via U.S Postal mail that they have the right to accept or decline, some, or all, of the offered post-withdrawal loan disbursement(s).

R2T4 Distribution of Financial Aid Refund

Refunds returned to the U.S. Department of Education on behalf of the student are distributed among the financial aid programs in the following order:

1. Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan
2. Subsidized Federal Direct Loans
3. Federal Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students
4. Federal Pell Grant
5. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
6. Federal Graduate PLUS Loans for Graduate Students
7. TEACH Grants

Notification

Students will receive official written notification indicating the type and amount of aid returned to the U.S. Department of Education.

Impact to Future Semester(s)

Withdrawing from the entire semester reduces the student's pace ratio. Pace is the percentage of credit hours successfully completed out of all those attempted. Since a withdrawal is considered an unsuccessful attempt, this will negatively impact a student's pace. As a result, students could be placed on Financial Aid Warning or become Ineligible for aid in the next semester. Review the Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress rules for additional information.

Current Semester Impact

To receive TAP a student must incur full tuition liability for a semester. This means that a student must be enrolled full-time through the fourth week of classes. Students who drop below full-time before the fifth week may have a reduced TAP award.  

Impact to Future Semester

Eligibility for TAP in a subsequent semester also is contingent on how many credits were completed in the prior semester. Therefore, withdrawing from a single course or the entire semester could result in the student's ineligibility for TAP the following semester. Refer to NYS Satisfactory Academic Progress for more.

Students who withdraw from classes may request that the corresponding tuition charges be removed in cases of exceptional circumstances.

If the appeal is approved the student may have to return the financial aid that they received for the semester. Appeals are filed with the Academic Standards Office.