PDF reflects print Undergraduate Education
Withdrawal Implications for Recipients
of Financial Aid
During the Drop/Add Period
During the university's published drop/add period, students who withdraw or reduce their enrollment may be eligible for a 100% refund of tuition for classes dropped.A financial aid recipient must immediately notify the Financial Aid Office in writing when he or she withdraws from one or more classes during the drop/add period if the student's remaining enrollment differs from the enrollment plans upon which the student's financial aid eligibility was determined. The same applies if one or more classes are cancelled.
The Financial Aid Office will review the student's new enrollment and, if appropriate, revise the student's eligibility based on the new enrollment status.
If a financial aid recipient withdraws from all classes or to less than half-time status during the drop/add period, all financial aid awards must be returned to their respective programs.
If the student was given financial aid funds for other expenses, he or she will be expected to return those funds to the university.
After the Drop/Add Period
Students who are recipients of Title IV federal financial aid are also covered by federal policies. Title IV federal financial aid is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded and thereby "earn" the award. When a student ceases academic attendance prior to the end of that period, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of federal funds that the student was originally scheduled to receive.The federal policy requires the return of "unearned" Title IV federal financial aid to the U.S. Treasury if recipients withdraw from all classes on or before the 60% point in the term based on the student's last date of attendance, even if the student is not entitled to a refund of tuition.
A student is required to immediately notify the Registrar and the Financial Aid Office when he or she stops attending classes. If the student fails to notify either office, it is possible that the 50% point in the term will be used to determine the student's last date of attendance, in accordance with federal regulations. If a student withdraws from all classes, the Financial Aid Office will determine whether that student's period of attendance resulted in the earning of all of the federal financial aid that was originally awarded. If it is determined that not all of the scheduled federal aid has in fact been earned, then the Financial Aid Office will calculate the amount to be returned to the federal financial aid programs. The Financial Aid Office will bill the student on his or her university account for the amount returned. It is the student's responsibility to contact the Cashier's Office about settling the bill.
Additional Responsibilities of Students Who Withdraw
Any time a student withdraws from one or more courses, the student should consider the potential effect on his or her satisfactory academic progress (SAP) status. See Satisfactory Academic Progress for more information about SAP requirements.Whenever a student's enrollment changes to less than half time or the student withdraws completely, or if a student takes a leave of absence, he or she must notify the lender or holder of any loans. Student borrowers of federal or university loans must also satisfy exit loan counseling requirements.
It is also the student's responsibility upon withdrawal from all classes to notify the Student Financial Services Office, the Housing Services Office, the Transportation Services Office and/or the USCard Office, if the student has charges from these offices on his or her student account. Withdrawn students may be entitled to a prorated cancellation of charges from these offices.
Leave of Absence
Financial aid recipients considering a leave of absence should be aware of the financial aid implications. Although obtaining an approved Leave of Absence from their programs does allow students to re-enroll in the university without formal re-admission, it does not allow them to defer their loan repayment. The university reports student enrollment to the National Student Clearinghouse throughout the academic year. Lenders subsequently query this database to determine if a student has maintained continuous half-time or greater enrollment.If students are on a leave of absence from the university, their lender will move their loan from an "in-school" to a grace or repayment status as required. While they are on their leave of absence, they may be able to postpone repayment by obtaining a deferment or forbearance from their lenders as a result of unemployment or economic hardship. Students should contact their lenders for more information on repaying their loans. Once they re-enroll at a half-time or greater basis, they may be able to request deferment for "in-school" status.
Tuition Refund Insurance Plan
To complement its own refund policy, the university makes available to students the Tuition Refund Plan (TRP), an insurance policy designed to protect the investment students and their families make in education. The Financial Aid Office strongly encourages all financial aid recipients to take advantage of this plan. If a student formally withdraws from all classes after the end of the drop/add period and he or she is covered by TRP, the student may receive:- a credit to his or her student account equal to 100% of charges for tuition and mandatory fees, if the withdrawal is the result of documented personal illness or accident; or
- a credit to his or her student account equal to 60% of the charges for tuition and mandatory fees, if the withdrawal is the result of a documented mental/nervous disorder.
Brochures about TRP requirements and claim forms are available in the Cashier's Office and the Registrar's Office. All questions about the Tuition Refund Plan should be directed to these offices.
Notes on Federal Policy
Title IV Federal Financial Aid
Students are considered recipients of Title IV federal financial aid if they have used funds from one or more of the following programs to meet educational expenses for the semester in question: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Stafford Loan (Subsidized or Unsubsidized), or Federal Graduate or Parent PLUS Loan.Period of Enrollment
At USC, the periods of enrollment are generally measured using the session(s) the student enrolled in on a semester basis, starting on the first day of classes and ending on the final day of examinations for a given term. For purposes of Title IV federal aid, any scheduled break of five or more days will not be included in the measurement of the enrollment period.Measurement of Earned Title IV Federal Financial Aid
When a student withdraws from all classes, the Financial Aid Office will calculate the percentage of earned Title IV federal aid using the point of withdrawal. The earnings calculation is based on the number of days of enrollment, up to and including the day of withdrawal, divided by the total number of days in the enrollment period. In most cases, when a total withdrawal is determined to occur on or before the 60% point in a semester, some federal aid will need to be returned.Title IV Federal Financial Aid Returns
To satisfy federal regulation, returns to Title IV financial aid programs must be made in the following order:- Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
- Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan
- Federal Perkins Loan
- Federal PLUS Loan
- Federal Pell Grant
- Federal SEOG
- Other Title IV Federal Programs
Percentage of Return of Financial Aid Based on a Standard USC Term of 113 Days
| # Day in Term | % of Term Attended | USC Return of Aid Policy | Federal Return of Aid Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before the 1st day of class | 0% | 100% | 100% |
| 1st | 0.9 | 100% | 100% |
| 2nd | 1.8 | 100% | 100% |
| 3rd | 2.7 | 100% | 100% |
| 4th | 3.5 | 100% | 100% |
| 5th | 4.4 | 100% | 100% |
| 6th | 5.3 | 100% | 100% |
| 7th | 6.2 | 100% | 100% |
| 8th | 7.1 | 100% | 100% |
| 9th | 8.0 | 100% | 100% |
| 10th | 8.8 | 100% | 100% |
| 11th | 9.7 | 100% | 100% |
| 12th | 10.6 | 100% | 100% |
| 13th | 11.5 | 100% | 100% |
| 14th | 12.4 | 100% | 100% |
| 15th | 13.3 | 100% | 100% |
| 16th | 14.2 | 100% | 100% |
| 17th | 15.0 | 100% | 100% |
| 18th | 15.9 | 100% | 100% |
| 19th | 16.8 | 100% | 100% |
| 20th | 17.7 | 0% | 82.3% |
| 21st | 18.6 | 0% | 81.4% |
| 22nd | 19.5 | 0% | 80.5% |
| 23rd | 20.4 | 0% | 79.5% |
| 24th | 21.2 | 0% | 78.8% |
| 25th | 22.1 | 0% | 77.9% |
| 26th | 23.0 | 0% | 77.0% |
| 27th | 23.9 | 0% | 76.1% |
| 28th | 24.8 | 0% | 75.2% |
| 29th | 25.7 | 0% | 74.3% |
| 30th | 26.5 | 0% | 73.5% |
| 31st | 27.4 | 0% | 72.6% |
| 32nd | 28.3 | 0% | 71.7% |
| 33rd | 29.2 | 0% | 70.8% |
| 34th | 30.1 | 0% | 69.9% |
| 35th | 31.0 | 0% | 69.0% |
| 36th | 31.9 | 0% | 68.1% |
| 37th | 32.7 | 0% | 67.3% |
| 38th | 33.6 | 0% | 66.4% |
| 39th | 34.5 | 0% | 65.5% |
| 40th | 35.4 | 0% | 64.6% |
| 41st | 36.3 | 0% | 63.7% |
| 42nd | 37.2 | 0% | 62.8% |
| 43rd | 38.1 | 0% | 61.9% |
| 44th | 38.9 | 0% | 61.1% |
| 45th | 39.8 | 0% | 60.2% |
| 46th | 40.7 | 0% | 59.3% |
| 47th | 41.6 | 0% | 58.4% |
| 48th | 42.3 | 0% | 57.7% |
| 49th | 43.4 | 0% | 56.6% |
| 50th | 44.2 | 0% | 55.8% |
| 51st | 45.1 | 0% | 54.9% |
| 52nd | 46.0 | 0% | 54.0% |
| 53rd | 46.9 | 0% | 53.1% |
| 54th | 47.8 | 0% | 52.2% |
| 55th | 48.7 | 0% | 51.3% |
| 56th | 49.6 | 0% | 50.4% |
| 57th | 50.4 | 0% | 49.6% |
| 58th | 51.3 | 0% | 48.7% |
| 59th | 52.2 | 0% | 47.8% |
| 60th | 53.1 | 0% | 46.9% |
| 61st | 54.0 | 0% | 46.0% |
| 62nd | 54.9 | 0% | 45.1% |
| 63rd | 55.8 | 0% | 44.2% |
| 64th | 56.6 | 0% | 43.4% |
| 65th | 57.5 | 0% | 42.5% |
| 66th | 58.4 | 0% | 41.6% |
| 67th | 59.3 | 0% | 40.7% |
| 68th-113th | 60.2 | 0% | 0.0% |
Note: If the length of the academic term is either longer or shorter than the standard 113 day term, students may request their refund table from the Financial Aid Office. | |||