Flagler College

Financial Aid Adjustments Due to Failure to Attend or Withdrawal

A student who does not begin attending classes is not eligible for any type of financial aid. Also, as discussed later in this section, a student is not eligible for any type of aid sponsored by the State of Florida if he/she withdraws before the end of the drop/add period. In either case, each item of financial aid will be canceled and returned to its source.

When a student begins attendance and subsequently withdraws, the student's financial aid is subject to adjustment depending on the withdrawal date and the type of aid. The adjustment will involve a determination of how much of the student’s financial aid was "earned" and how much was "unearned." Earned financial aid will be retained in the student’s account to apply to student charges. If the earned aid exceeds the student’s adjusted charges, it can be retained by the student for other educational expenses. The financial aid that is unearned will be withdrawn from the student’s account and returned to the source(s). Students who begin the semester as full-time students, and subsequently reduce their academic hours to fewer than 12, will not be entitled to any tuition refund. Changing from full-time to part-time enrollment may jeopardize the student's financial aid awards.

It should be noted that there will be instances of withdrawal when the amount of earned aid will be disproportionately lower to the adjusted charges than the original amount of aid was to the original charges. In such instances, the student will be required to make payment using the student's own funds. Also, there will be instances when, before withdrawal, a student will have been given a refund by the Business Office because payments and financial aid in total exceeded the charges assessed, but upon withdrawing, the student will have to repay some or all of these funds.

The following paragraphs describe how each of the major sources of financial aid will be handled when a student withdraws:

A student who withdraws during the first 60 calendar days of a semester or 28 calendar days of the summer term (beginning with the first day of classes) will have his/her federal aid adjusted based on the amount of time the student was enrolled. The amount of federal aid a student "earns" will be directly proportional to the percentage of time enrolled. For example, a student with $5,000 of federal aid withdrawing on the 30th day of a 100-day semester will have earned 30% ($1,500) of his/her federal aid. A student with $3,000 of federal aid who withdraws on the 19th day of a 47-day summer term will have earned 40% ($1,200) of his/her federal aid.

There is no adjustment of federal aid after 60 calendar days in the semester or after 28 calendar days in the summer term.

The unearned amount of federal aid will be returned to the source using the following distribution priority: Unsubsidized Direct Loan, Subsidized Direct Loan, Perkins Loan, Parent Loan (PLUS), Pell Grant, and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG).

Example: A student has $5,000 of federal aid consisting of a $2,500 Subsidized Stafford Loan, $1,500 Pell Grant, and a $1,000 SEOG. The student earns 30% ($1,500) with 70% ($3,500) unearned. Using the prescribed distribution, the Subsidized Direct Loan of $2,500 would be returned, and then $1,000 of the Pell Grant would be returned.

The College will return unearned federal financial aid funds as determined by a Federal Refund Calculation Worksheet. If a student has received a refund which includes unearned federal financial aid, the student may also be responsible for the return of this unearned aid. In this instance, if loan funds are involved, the student can repay these funds to the lender in accordance with the original terms of the loan contract. If the Pell Grant or SEOG is involved, the student must make a cash payment to the College, which in turn, would be returned to the source or make a satisfactory repayment agreement with the U.S. Dept. of Education. It should be noted that the USDOE only requires the student to repay 50 percent of the unearned portion of the Pell Grant and the SEOG due from the student. The College will notify the student of any unearned federal aid the student is responsible for repaying.

As previously mentioned, a student is not eligible for any Florida-sponsored aid if the student withdraws before the end of the drop-add period. The drop-add period ends on the 17th calendar day for each semester and the 12th calendar day for the summer term.

A student who withdraws during the 18th through 60th calendar day time-frame in a semester, or 13th through 28th calendar day time-frame for the summer term, will have state aid adjusted on the same basis as federal aid. Specifically, the amount of aid a student earns will be directly proportional to the percentage of time enrolled. In determining earned and unearned aid, each Florida grant or scholarship will be addressed individually rather than on an aggregate basis, as is the case with federal aid. For example, a student with two $1,000 Florida scholarships who withdraws on a 50 % earned-aid basis would have each scholarship adjusted to $500, with $500 of each scholarship being returned to the state.

In returning Florida-sponsored aid to the state, if it is determined that the student had been given a refund of a state grant or scholarship prior to withdrawal, and some of that grant or scholarship needs to be returned, the student will be required to repay the College the specified amount.

Resident Advisor Grant. The amount of eligibility will be in direct proportion to the number of days served. For example, a student receiving a $1,200 Resident Advisor Grant who serves 40% of the semester will be allowed to retain $480 of the grant. The Dean of Student Services is responsible for making the final determination on the amount.

Employee Tuition Grant. The Vice President of Business Services, in consultation with the President, will make a determination of eligibility on a case-by-case basis.

Tuition Exchange Grant. Since the Tuition Exchange Grant covers the full cost of tuition, the amount of the grant that is earned will be directly proportional to the amount of the student’s adjusted tuition charges.

All other Flagler College aid will be handled on the same basis as federal funds. This aid includes need-based grants, memorial scholarships, Presidential Grant, Young Life Grant, President’s Council Scholarship, etc.