When a student receiving federal financial aid fails to complete a term or trimester by failing or withdrawing from courses for any reason, they may be subject to a Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) calculation.
Student’s “earn” their financial aid by participating in classes. If a student withdraws (W), is attendance withdrawn (WA), or failed all of their courses in a term or trimester and their last date of attendance is less than 60% of the way into the trimester or term, the school is required to return the “unearned” portion of financial aid to the Department of Education. This often results in a student owing a balance to the University.
A withdrawal can also affect a student’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) by lowering the completion rate. Please reach out to your student advisor before withdrawing from a course to make sure you understand how the withdraw will impact you.