Withdraw Refund Policy
Return to Title IV Funds and Muskingum University Withdrawal Policy
Undergraduate
Students departing the University after the add/drop period and until the end of classes, for whatever reason, are recognized as having withdrawn. The student is considered as officially withdrawn if the student initiated the withdrawal process with the Provost. The date the student signs the withdrawal form is used as the official date of withdrawal and will be used for purposes of financial aid Return to Title IV calculations (i.e. returning federal funds to the Department of Education). Students who stop attending all classes without earning a passing grade are considered to have unofficially withdrawn from the term and will have their aid recalculated in accordance with the federal Return to Title IV policy.
Students withdrawing or taking a leave of absence prior to the beginning of an academic term, or during the add/drop period of that term, receive 100% refund of tuition, fee and room charges (less deposit), and pro-rated board charges based on meals eaten. An early withdrawal fee of $100.00 will be assessed.
Financial aid awards to students who withdraw or take a leave of absence after the beginning of a term are recalculated on a basis consistent with written University and federal/state policies governing student financial aid in a withdrawal situation.
If any portion of a student's charges is to be refunded due to withdrawal, an adjustment must be made to the student's financial aid, since the family contribution must be applied first toward applicable charges.
The federal recalculation is based on a percent of earned aid for students who withdraw or take a leave of absence prior to completing 60% of a semester. The percent of earned aid is equal to the number of days completed up to the withdrawal date divided by total days in the semester.
The federal aid to be returned (unearned aid) is equal to [100% - percent earned] times the total amount of federal aid disbursed toward institutional charges.
Federal Title IV funds are returned to their respective accounts in the following order: Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans, Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and TEACH grants.
State grants are refunded in accordance with the guidelines of the specific state agency. Institutional aid is adjusted at the same rate as the percentage of tuition refund.
Funds that are due to be returned to the Department of Education are returned within 10 business days. The Department of Education requires funds to be returned within 45 days.
If a student withdraws prior to their federal aid being disbursed and the federal aid could have been disbursed, a post-withdrawal disbursement will be made. If the post withdrawal disbursement indicates that a disbursement is due of grant funds, the funds are automatically applied to the students account. If the application of grant funds to the account creates a credit balance, then a refund will be issued to the student within 14 days of disbursement.
If the post withdrawal disbursement calculation indicates that a disbursement is due from loan funds- the student is sent a letter within 3 business days notifying them of the amount available. If the student wants the loan funds disbursed to their account, they are given 14 days to request the disbursement by calling the Student Financial Services Office. Loans will not be disbursed if eligibility is $100 or less.
In determining if the aid could have been disbursed the following conditions must have been met:
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Pell Grant- Official ISIR received before withdrawal and student meets all other eligibility criteria.
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TEACH Grant- Official ISIR received before withdrawal and a valid Agreement to Serve and Counseling was completed before the withdrawal date
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Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant- The grant was awarded to the student prior to the withdrawal date.
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Federal Direct Loan and Federal Direct PLUS Loan- The loan had been originated before withdrawal and a Master Promissory Note was signed before the withdrawal date.
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Students who officially withdrawal, take a leave of absence (LOA) from Muskingum University (which is also considered an official withdrawal- see the Muskingum University catalog for LOA eligibility requirements) for any reason after the start of an academic term, or who are dismissed in mid-semester, are entitled to a refund of charges according to the following policy:
Withdrawal/LOA after the add/drop period will result in a refund of tuition, fees, and room charges (less deposit) according to the following schedule:
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within the first seven (7) days following the add/drop period - 60%
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within the next fourteen (14) days - 40%
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within the next fourteen (14) days - 20%
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thereafter, no refund of tuition, fees, or room charges (including deposit)
Board charges will be refunded based upon the following formula:
[Number of weeks remaining in the term divided by the number of weeks in the term, rounded down to the nearest 10%] times [Plan board charge for the term] = refund
A board week will be considered earned on each Monday’s reconciliation between Campus Services and Student Affairs.
If the resultant calculation of charges and financial aid indicates a refund is due the student, the refund will be paid by check within 30 days. If the calculations result in a balance due the University, payment will be expected in a reasonable time period.
An appeal process is available for students or parents who believe that individual circumstances warrant exception from this published policy. Appeals should be directed to the Director of Student Financial Services.
MAP
Students withdrawing or taking a leave of absence prior to the beginning of an academic term, or during the add/drop period of that term, receive a 100% refund of tuition.
Students departing the University after the add/drop period, for whatever reason, are recognized as having withdrawn. The student is considered as officially withdrawn on the date the student initiated the withdrawal process with the Graduate and Continuing Studies Office or their academic advisor.
This date will be used for purposes of financial aid Return to Title IV calculations (i.e. returning federal funds to the Department of Education). Students who stop attending all classes without earning a passing grade are considered to have unofficially withdrawn from the term and will have their aid recalculated in accordance with the Federal Return to Title IV policy.
The federal recalculation is based on a percent of earned aid for students who withdraw or take a leave of absence prior to completing 60% of a semester. The percent of earned aid is equal to the number of days completed up to the withdrawal date divided by total days in the semester. The federal aid to be returned (unearned aid) is equal to [100% - percent earned] times the total amount of federal aid disbursed toward institutional charges.
Federal Title IV funds are returned to their respective accounts in the following order: Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, Federal Direct Subsidized Loan, Federal Direct PLUS Loan, Federal Pell Grant, and Federal TEACH Grant.
State grants are refunded in accordance with the guidelines of the specific state agency. Funds that are due to be returned to the Department of Education are returned within 10 business days. The Department of Education requires funds to be returned within 45 days.
If the resultant calculation of charges and financial aid indicates a refund is due the student, the refund will be paid by check within 30 days. If the calculations result in a balance due the University, payment will be expected in a reasonable time period.
If a student withdraws prior to their federal aid being disbursed and the federal aid could have been disbursed, a post-withdrawal disbursement will be made. If the post withdrawal disbursement indicates that a disbursement is due of grant funds, the funds are automatically applied to the student’s account. If the application of grant funds to the account creates a credit balance, then a refund will be issued to the student within 14 days of disbursement.
If the post withdrawal disbursement calculation indicates that a disbursement is due from loan funds- the student is sent a letter within 3 business days notifying them of the amount available. If the student wants the loan funds disbursed to their account, they are given 14 days to request the disbursement by calling the Student Financial Services Office. Loans will not be disbursed if eligibility is $100 or less.
In determining if the aid could have been disbursed the following conditions must have been met:
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Pell Grant- Official ISIR received before withdrawal and student meets all other eligibility criteria.
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TEACH Grant- Official ISIR received before withdrawal and a valid Agreement to Serve and Counseling was completed before the withdrawal date
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Federal Direct Loan and Federal Direct PLUS Loan - The loan was originated before withdrawal and a Master Promissory Note was signed before the withdrawal date.
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Financial aid awards to students who withdraw or take a leave of absence after the beginning of a term are recalculated on a basis consistent with written University and federal/state policies governing student financial aid in a withdrawal situation.
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An appeal process is available for students or parents who believe that individual circumstances warrant exception from this published policy. Appeals should be directed to the Director of Student Financial Services.
Graduate
Students who wish to withdraw from a class may do so any time prior to the last day of class. Students who withdraw from some or all classes following the end of the add/drop period are responsible for paying all tuition and fees for the courses.
Financial aid awards to graduate students who withdraw from all classes after the end of the add/drop period but prior to the completion of 60% of the session will have their federal financial aid adjusted in accordance with federal regulations. Graduate students who wish to withdraw from a class after the add/drop period must submit a written request to the Vice President of Graduate and Continuing Studies. Graduate students who withdraw from a course receive a grade of “W,” which is not included in the GPA computation.
Federal Title IV funds are returned to their respective accounts in the following order: Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, Federal Direct PLUS Loan, and Federal TEACH Grant. Funds that are due to be returned to the Department of Education are returned within 10 business days. The Department of Education requires funds to be returned within 45 days.
If the resultant calculation of charges and financial aid indicates a refund is due the student, the refund will be paid by check within 30 days. If the calculations result in a balance due the University, payment will be expected in a reasonable time period.
If a student withdraws prior to their federal aid being disbursed and the federal aid could have been disbursed, a post-withdrawal disbursement will be made. If the post withdrawal disbursement indicates that a disbursement is due of grant funds, the funds are automatically applied to the student’s account. If the application of grant funds to the account creates a credit balance, then a refund will be issued to the student within 14 days of disbursement.
If the post withdrawal disbursement calculation indicates that a disbursement is due from loan funds- the student is sent a letter within 3 business days notifying them of the amount available. If the student wants the loan funds disbursed to their account, they are given 14 days to request the disbursement by calling the Student Financial Services Office. Loans will not be disbursed if eligibility is $100 or less.
In determining if the aid could have been disbursed the following conditions must have been met:
-
-
TEACH Grant- Official ISIR received before withdrawal and a valid Agreement to Serve and Counseling was completed before the withdrawal date
-
-
Federal Direct Loan and Federal Direct PLUS Loan - The loan was originated before withdrawal and a Master Promissory Note was signed before the withdrawal date.
Financial aid awards to students who withdraw or take a leave of absence after the beginning of a term are recalculated on a basis consistent with written University and federal policies governing student financial aid in a withdrawal situation.
An appeal process is available for students or parents who believe that individual circumstances warrant exception from this published policy. Appeals should be directed to the Director of Student Financial Services.
Note: Provisions explained above are subject to final interpretation of federal Return of Funds regulations for federal Title IV financial aid.
Effective August 29, 2010. Updated March 12, 2020.
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