Leave of Absence

Students who must interrupt their studies for adequate reason, such as sustained ill health or military service, may be granted a leave of absence for semester. Notre Dame of Maryland University’s academic leave of absence policy does not meet certain federal Title IV requirements; therefore a Notre Dame leave of absence after the semester starts will be treated as a federal withdrawal and would be subject to Title IV return of funds calculation.

Return of Federal Student Aid

To remain eligible for federal student aid during the semester, the student must be attending classes, taking exams and completing required course work.

Federal Regulations require the University to calculate a return of federal student aid funds for students who withdraw (officially or unofficially) from all classes on or before the 60 percent attendance point in the semester and for students who withdraw from any module-based courses.

If the student officially withdraws, the determination date is the date NDMU determines the student began the withdrawal process. If the student does not provide official notification of his/her intent to withdraw, the determination date will be determined as the date NDMU became aware the student was not attending class. For official withdrawal, NDMU uses the date the student provided official notification to withdraw as the withdrawal date; for unofficial withdrawals, the last date of academically related activity as given by a professor is used as the withdrawal date. 

The calculation required determines a student’s earned and unearned Title IV aid based on the percentage of the enrollment period completed by the student. The percentage of the period that the student remained enrolled is derived by dividing the number of days the student attended by the number of days in the period. Calendar days (including weekends) are used, but breaks of at least 5 days are excluded from both the numerator and denominator.

Until a student has passed the 60% point of an enrollment period, only a portion of the student’s aid has been earned. A student who remains enrolled beyond the 60% point is considered to have earned all awarded aid for the enrollment period.

The unearned portion of federal student aid funds will be returned to the appropriate aid program(s). The funds are returned in the following order:

  • Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
  • Federal Direct Subsidized Loan
  • Federal Perkins Loan
  • Federal Graduate PLUS Loan
  • Federal PLUS Loan
  • Federal Pell Grant
  • Federal SEOG Grant

If your federal financial aid has not disbursed to your account at the time of your withdraw, and if your eligibility is in place at that time, your federal loans will disburse within 30 days and your federal grants within 45 days.  In the event that disbursement of financial aid results in a federal Title IV financial aid credit balance, that balance will be released to you with 14 days. 

Students withdrawing from classes are responsible for payment of any balance due after the required return of federal student aid funds.

Earned aid is not related in any way to institutional charges. In addition, the University’s refund policy and return of Title IV funds procedures are independent of one another. A student who withdraws from a course may be required to return unearned aid and still owe the University for the course. For more information on Notre Dame of Maryland University’s withdrawal and institutional charges policies, please consult the catalog.

Students who stop attending all classes without officially withdrawing will be subject to a return of federal student aid funds at the end of the semester based on the last documented date of attendance as determined by Notre Dame of Maryland University.

The responsibility to repay unearned Title IV aid is shared by the University and the student. For example, the calculation may require Notre Dame of Maryland University to return a portion of federal funds to the federal Title IV programs. In addition, the student may also be required to return funds based on the calculation. A student returns funds to the Federal Direct Loan program based on the terms and conditions of the promissory note of the loan. A student who receives federal grants may be required to repay 50% of the funds received.

How to Handle a Grant Overpayment

Students who owe funds to a grant program are required to make payment of those funds within 45 days of being notified that they owe this overpayment. During the 45 day period students will remain eligible for Title IV funds. If no positive action is taken by the student within 45 days of being notified, Notre Dame of Maryland University will notify the U.S. Department of Education of the student’s overpayment situation. The student will no longer be eligible for Title IV funds until they enter into a satisfactory repayment agreement with the U.S. Department of Education.

During the 45-day period, the student can make full payment to Notre Dame of Maryland University to cover the overpayment. The University will forward the payment to the U.S. Department of Education and the student will remain eligible for Title IV funds.

If a student is unable to pay their overpayment in full, they can set up a repayment plan with the U.S. Department of Education. Before doing this please contact our office at 410-532-5369. You will need to make sure we have referred your situation to the U.S. Department of Education before any repayment plan can be set up.

Contact the U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education
Student Financial Assistance Programs
P.O. Box 4222
Iowa City, IA 52245
Phone: 1-800-621-3115
E-Mail: DCS_HELP@ed.gov

For examples of the return of Title IV funds calculations or questions regarding the overpayment policy, please contact the office of financial aid.