Dropping Courses

What happens when you drop one or more classes?

The overall consequences of dropping courses depend on EACH of the following:

  • The aid you have been awarded
  • The number of credits you retain
  • The point in the semester you drop and the tuition refund period in effect

You could owe additional money to the university (which would be due immediately) or you could have additional funds returned to you from the university in the form of a refund. In some cases, your eligibility for aid could be impacted for future semesters. Refer to the satisfactory academic progress (SAP) policy for more information. 

Students must check with the office of financial aid before dropping from any and all courses to determine if their aid will be impacted.

Withdrawal

What happens when you withdraw from all classes?

Withdrawing from the University may have both academic and financial aid consequences.  You are encouraged to understand the consequences before you decide to withdraw.

If you complete 60 percent or less of the term prior to withdrawing, you may be required to repay a substantial portion of your financial aid.

As with dropping a class, the specific financial consequences for you depend on several factors:

  • The amount and type of financial aid you have been awarded for the term
  • The amount of initial charges, as well as adjusted charges
  • The point in the term you withdraw (including the refund period in effect)

You could owe additional money to the university (which would be due immediately), or you could have additional funds returned to you from the university in the form of a refund. In some cases, you could have aid adjusted for future terms.

Notre Dame of Maryland University is required to review a student’s account and recalculate eligibility in the following situations:

  • A student completely withdraws from all classes during the semester, or,
  • A student never attend any classes during the semester, or,
  • A student does not complete all modules (classes that do not span the entire length of the semester) for which he/she has registered for during the semester

Recalculation Process

The office of financial aid is responsible for reporting in the calculation the last date of attendance as determined by the institution using the last date of attendance or the last date of academically related activity. If neither of these dates are available, then the date the student initiated the withdrawal process will be used.

Confirmation of future enrollment within the same semester will prevent the recalculation process from being initiated. If a student decides that dropping a single course during the semester is necessary, but expects to complete the subsequent module courses during the same semester, he or she will be given the option to confirm that intention by responding to email notice from the office of financial aid. Without documented confirmation by the student, our office will assume that the student ceased attendance and will begin the return of Title IV funds process.

The federal recalculation is determined on a pro-rated basis taking into consideration the actual number of days that a student is in attendance. Once the recalculation is completed, the student will receive notification from our office of any change to his/her financial aid.

Please note that due to complexity of this federal policy, each Return of Title IV funds calculation is dependent on individual student circumstances.

Examples of when our office is required to perform the Return of Title IV calculation:

  1. A final award letter was based on 6 credits- a student withdraws from both classes on October 1, 2011. We are required to complete a Return of Title IV Funds process.
  2. A final award letter was based on 6 credits-one class starts in September and the second class is supposed to begin in late October. A student completes  the first class and drops the second class. The student does not respond to our letter to confirm enrollment in another fall class. We are required to complete a Return of Title IV Funds process.
  3. A final award letter is based on 12 credits-a student stops attending the classes in October and receives all failing grades. Our office is required to complete a Return of Title IV Funds process.

If you are considering withdrawing and have any questions about the financial aid consequences, please contact our office.

Note

All students should be aware that dropping or withdrawing from courses could also impact their state and/or institutional aid. Eligibility for state aid is determined based upon enrollment at the time of census. If a return of funds calculation is required, institutional aid will be adjusted according to Notre Dame's tuition adjustment percentages. Review the catalog for more information about the tuition adjustment policy.