Drop/ Withdrawal and Return to Title IV Funds
If a student withdraws from Lake Land College, the school and/or the student may be required to return some of the federal funds awarded to the student. If the student received financial assistance from an outside source, then a portion of the refund will be returned to the grant, scholarship, or loan source from which the assistance was received.
Dropped Courses
Students may drop a course with no notation on their academic transcript and not be required to pay for the course (or receive a refund) during specific time periods dependent upon the length of the course.
Students may be administratively dropped from courses if they do not meet the required pre-requisites. An instructor may withdraw a student from class if the number of absences is detrimental to the student’s ability to meet the course objectives.
In order to drop a course with no record, students must either use the Internet Registration and Information System (IRIS) or submit a completed Change of Schedule form to Admissions & Records to inform them of their intentions. It is the student’s responsibility to drop courses according to policy and to secure proper documentation.
Withdrawn Courses
If a student begins the official withdrawal process or otherwise provides official notification to the designated office of his, her, or their intent to withdraw, the date of the institution’s determination that the student withdrew is the date the student began the official withdrawal process or the date of the student’s notification, whichever is later. This is true even if the student’s actual withdrawal date is the earlier of the two dates.
If the student is an unofficial withdrawal, the date of determination is the date that the institution became aware the student ceased attendance. For a student who withdraws without providing notification to the school, the school must determine the withdrawal date no later than 30 days after the end of the earliest of the (1) payment period or period of enrollment (as appropriate), (2) academic year, or (3) educational program. See 34CFR668.22(j)(2).
Lake Land College is not required to take attendance. Faculty are however required to verify that students have attended or participated in each course. Students must begin attendance to begin earning Title IV financial aid. The regulations under 34 CFR 668.21 require that all Title IV aid disbursed to a non-attending student for the payment period must be returned.
Students can drop/ withdraw from courses in one of the following ways:
For classes meeting eight weeks or longer, students can withdraw prior to four instructional days before the first day of the final examination period and receive a “W” on their academic transcript. For classes meeting less than eight weeks in length, students may withdraw prior to the date of the last class session and receive a grade of “W” on their academic transcript.
Students who do not officially withdraw may receive an “F” grade on their transcript. Once students take the final exam, they cannot withdraw from that class.
It is important to consider the following when withdrawing from a course:
Financial Aid Implications
The Federal “Return of Title IV Funds” formula dictates the amount of Federal Title IV aid that must be returned to the federal government by the school and/or the student. The amount of Title IV Program assistance earned is based on the amount of time the student spent in academic attendance; it has no relationship to the student’s incurred institutional charges. The federal formula is applicable to a student receiving Federal aid, other than Federal Work-Study, if that student withdraws on or before the 60% point in time in the semester.
The federal formula requires a return of Title IV aid if the student received federal financial assistance in the form of a Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Direct Student loan or Federal PLUS loan and withdrew on or before completing 60% of the semester.
The percentage of Title IV aid to be returned is equal to the number of calendar days remaining in the semester divided by the number of calendar days in the semester. Scheduled breaks of five or more consecutive days are excluded. If the amount disbursed to the student is greater than the amount the student earned, unearned funds have to be returned. If the amount disbursed to the student is less than the amount the student earned, the student is eligible to receive a post-withdrawal disbursement of the earned aid that was not received.
Lake Land College has 30 days from the date the institution determines that the student withdrew to return all unearned funds for which it is responsible. The school is required to notify the student if they owe a repayment. The school must advise the student or parent that they have 14 calendar days from the date the school sent the notification to accept a post-withdrawal disbursement. If a response is not received from the student or parent within the permitted time frame, or the student declines the funds, the school will return any earned funds that the school is holding to the Title IV programs. Post-withdrawal disbursement must occur within 90 days of the date the student withdrew.
You can read the entire Return of Title IV Funds policy here