Financial Aid

Federal law (34 CFR 668.22(a)(1)) requires institutions to monitor the grades of students who received all F’s in their semester coursework to determine if the student stopped attending all classes before completing 60% of the semester; thus, unofficially withdrawing from their courses.

This means that at the end of each semester the university will review any student who receives a 0.0 GPA and follow-up with faculty to determine if the student received the F because they stopped attending/participating in class. If the student stopped attending/participating in all courses before 60% of the semester is completed, and the student received federal aid, then the university will determine that they “unofficially” withdrew from all of their classes.

Based on Muskingum policy, students who withdraw from all courses during a semester, for any reason, will have their financial aid recalculated based on the Federal Return to Title IV regulations and Muskingum University Refund Policy. This means that if it is determined that a student unofficially withdrew from all courses before the 60% point of the semester, their financial aid will be re-calculated based on the last date of attendance (date confirmed by faculty).

A student in this situation may not be eligible for all of the federal aid they were initially receiving, thus only receiving a portion of their financial assistance; however, the student will be charged for the entire semester. This means that a student will owe a balance to the university and not be able to use of all their aid eligibility to reduce or cover the balance. It also means that students in this situation will not be able to register for courses for an upcoming semester until the balance is paid in full. Students who wish to transfer to another school will not be able to receive transcripts until the balance is paid. A 1% finance charge will be assessed monthly to a balance due until the balance is paid in full. If arrangements for payment are not made within 120 days, it will be placed with a collection agency.

The bottom line is to make sure you attend and participate in your classes! If you have any concerns about your courses please be sure to contact your academic advisor.

If you have any questions about this policy please contact Student Financial Services at 740-826- 8139.