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Enrollment

And Its Effects on Financial Aid




Withdrawal


The University recognizes that circumstances may arise that require students to drop some or all of their classes.

  • Dropping all classes before the semester begins:

    Any time a student withdraws completely from all classes, the financial aid office will require a return of refunds issued that were drawn from federal funds, since the student would have received an ineligible disbursement. If this process occurs before the start of the semester, the student is typically entitled to a refund of University charges.
     
  • Dropping all classes after the semester begins:

    If the student completely withdraws after the first week of classes, he or she will have to return a percentage of financial aid equal to the amount of the semester completed. For example, if the student withdraws after completing 30% of his classes, he is only entitled to 30% of his financial aid (and must pay back the remaining 70%).

    If this occurs, the office will return a portion of the federal aid money used to pay institutional charges (such as tuition, fees, or university housing) on a student's account. Sometimes this will leave some university charges unpaid, and the student will be billed for this amount. Second, if the student received federal aid funds directly (as a refund, for example) to be used for other educational expenses, the student may have to return some portion of that money. The amount due will appear on the student's bill in about 45 days after the withdrawal date.
     
  • Dropping some classes after the semester begins:

    Financial aid recipients are required to complete 67% of the classes originally attempted. (See also Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.) If the student falls below 67% completion rate, he or she will forfeit their eligibility for federal financial aid. It is critical to exercise discretion when deciding when to drop and add classes after the semester has already begun.

    Lastly, enrollment information is reported to the National Student Loan Data System, and previously borrowed loans may go into repayment if the student does not meet deferment criteria (half-time enrollment).

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Awards and Census Date


Certain types of financial aid and scholarships require full-time enrollment for disbursement. Students should monitor their award requirements to ensure that minimum enrollment criteria are satisfied. In addition, many need-based awards require that the Office of Student Financial Aid take a "snapshot" of student enrollment levels as of a certain date. In particular:

  • The Federal Pell Grant requires enrollment to be finalized on the 7th calendar day of the term. While part-time grants are available, the maximum amount of the award requires full-time enrollment.
     
  • The Frank O'Bannon Grant (also called the Indiana Higher Education Award), as well as several other state grants such as Twenty-First Century Scholars, require full-time enrollment on the 28th calendar day of the term.

In cases where enrollment monitoring is required, awards will be frozen as of the date specified for each award type. It is generally advisable to finalize student enrollment before the first week of the semester ends, in order to prevent uneven disbursements or cancellation of financial aid.

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Changes in the Cost of Attendance as a Result of Less Than Full-Time Enrollment


The Higher Education Opportunity Act (Title IV) requires that schools maintain accurate records of the institutional cost of attendance based on student enrollment status. Indiana State University recognizes four enrollment levels: less than half-time, half-time, three-quarter time, and full-time. The student's enrollment level impacts financial aid eligibility, as the budgeted cost of attendance shall be adjusted to reflect accurate tuition expenses based on enrollment.

The Office of Student Financial Aid packages aid to all students based on the assumption that the student will enroll full-time unless he or she notifies the office otherwise. Once the semester begins, the office will review budget components and make adjustments based on actual enrollment as of the census date—the 7th calendar day of the semester.

If a student notifies the office prior to the census date that he or she plans to enroll full-time for the following term, his or her budget may be adjusted on an ad hoc basis. Changes in enrollment after the census date, however, will not result in an updated cost of attendance.

A reduction in the cost of attendance due to less than full-time enrollment may result in an overaward, since students may not receive Title IV assistance in excess of their cost of attendance. If this occurs, undisbursed aid will be reduced when possible, but students may be asked to return a portion of their financial aid. Financial aid is subject to change at any time.

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Important Notice Regarding Repeated Coursework


Please be advised that federal regulations may prohibit students from receiving financial aid for repeating coursework. A student who has already taken a course and has questions whether financial aid will cover a repeat should contact the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Listed below are answers to frequently asked questions.

If I previously received an "F" (which is a failing grade) in a course, how many times can I retake that course and still receive federal financial aid?


If I received an "F" the first time I took a course, and then I passed with a "D", how many times can I take the course to improve the "D" grade and still received federal financial aid?


If I received a "D", then I retook the course and received an "F" while receiving federal financial aid, can I retake the course a third time and receive aid?

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Student Financial Aid
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150 Tirey Hall
Indiana State University
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