All financial aid is awarded to you under the assumption that you will attend school for the entire term. When you withdraw, you may no longer be eligible for the full amount of funds that you originally were scheduled to receive. Cancelling enrollment or dropping classes may impact you academic progress.

Federal aid adjustments—when you withdraw from school

If, as a recipient of federal financial aid funds, you withdraw from school before the 60% point of the term, the amount of the financial aid you earned must be determined. All unearned aid, or a portion of the unearned aid, must be returned (cancelled from your account). The earned and unearned aid is determined by a daily prorated ratio. Basically, if you cancelled enrollment at the 20% point of the term, you earned 20% of the assistance you were originally scheduled to receive. Eighty percent of the amount of unearned federal aid or a portion of the 80% of unearned aid will be returned (cancelled from your account). Once you have completed more than 60% of the term, you have earned all the federal assistance you were scheduled to receive.

Non-federal aid adjustments—when you withdraw from school

If enrollment is cancelled on or prior to Census (10th day of classes) all state aid will be canceled for the term. If student withdraws after census but prior to the 60 percent date, the calculation for each individual award is as follows:

1. The state grant award is to be multiplied by the unearned aid percentage; this gives the “unearned amount”.
2. The unearned amount is then reduced by 50 percent (grant protection).
3. The remaining calculation is the repayment due (amount to reduce).

Institutional Grant and Cougar Commitment Grant are adjusted based on the federal return of title IV calculation.

Contact our office to determine how your scholarship(s) will be cancelled.

Charges, credits, and post-withdrawal loan offers

If a charge is created after your account has been adjusted, WSU will send you a bill. If a credit results after all adjustments are made, your account will be credited for the difference.

WSU will send a Direct Deposit for this amount to your bank account (if set up) or a check to your campus/mailing address.

You may be eligible for what is called a “post withdrawal disbursement.” This occurs if you were eligible to receive Federal Aid that was not disbursed to you prior to your withdrawal. If you are eligible for a post withdrawal, Federal Grant funds, those funds you were eligible for will be credited to your account. If you are eligible for a post withdrawal concerning your federal loans, you will have the opportunity to accept or reject any portion of them.

 

Policy for canceling aid for unofficial withdrawals

If you unofficially withdraw, you may no longer be eligible for the full amount of aid funds you were originally scheduled to receive.

An unofficial withdrawal is when you leave a school and do not notify the school of your withdrawal.

Two categories of these unofficial withdrawals exist for purposes of this calculation:

1. If the school determines that you did not begin the withdrawal process or otherwise notify the school of the intent to withdraw due to illness, accident, grievous personal loss, or other circumstances beyond your control, the withdrawal date is the date the school determines that you ceased attendance because of the aforementioned applicable event.
2. Encompasses all other withdrawals where official notification is not provided to the school. This rule applies only to schools that are not required to take attendance. For these withdrawals, commonly known as “dropouts”, the withdrawal date is the midpoint of the payment period or period of enrollment, as applicable, or the last date of an academically related activity for which you participated.

Determining withdrawal date for an unofficial withdrawal

For unofficial withdrawals, the withdrawal date is assumed to be the midpoint of the term. A school must process aid adjustments for unofficial withdrawals within 45 calendar days from the earlier of:

1. The end of the payment period or period of enrollment
2. The end of the academic year; or,
3. The end of your educational program [34CFR 668.22(j)(2)]

At the end of each term, the SAP committee will identify students (graduate or undergraduate) who did not successfully complete any courses. Our office will attempt to contact you if you did not earn a passing grade in any course by mail and through myWSU will ask for verification from an instructor of yours for the last date of attendance at an academically related activity.

Proof of academically related activities may include:

• Examinations
• Quizzes
• Tutorials
• Computer-assisted instruction
• Academic advising or counseling
• Academic conferences
• Completing an academic assignment, paper, or project
• Attending a study group required by the institution where attendance is taken

If no proof of attendance at an academically related activity is received, 100% of your aid will be canceled. If proof of attendance at an academically related activity is received with a date prior to the 60% point of the term, an unofficial withdrawal date at 50% point of the term will be assumed for you.

In addition to federal aid adjustments for unofficial withdrawals, 50% of Washington College Grant and/or Educational Grants will be cancelled.