Dropping or Withdrawing and Financial Aid
Considering dropping or withdrawing from a course? Dropping classes and withdrawing from college can affect a student’s academic program, academic progress, financial aid awards, and student loan deferment status.
If you drop or withdraw before the Pell Recalculation Date (PRD) or before you attend the course, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships (OFAS) may pull back the funds associated with that course. You will be notified by OFAS and may need to pay back any refund that was sent to you.
If you receive financial aid and withdraw from all active Title IV (federal financial aid) eligible courses at Pima, you may not have earned the financial aid you received. Any unearned funds must be returned. Please note that Pima Community College will bill you for any unearned funds that we have to return to federal programs due to the required Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation.
Students should always meet with their instructor or an advisor before dropping or withdrawing. You are responsible for paying any balance on your student account resulting from a recalculation of aid.
For detailed information and required forms review the Student Financial Aid Handbook.
Pell Recalculation Date (Pell Recalculation Date)
Students who have completed all financial aid requirements and are enrolled in courses prior to the Pell Recalculation Date will have their enrollment status recaptured to determine the amount of Pell Grant they are eligible to receive.
Recalculation of Pell Grant
After financial aid eligibility is captured on the Pell Recalculation Date, a recalculation of Pell Grant funds is required for any student who never begins attendance in some of the courses required for their award. Please visit Class and Attendance & Participation for further information
Cancellation of Title IV Funds
Students who never attend any of the courses used to determine their federal financial aid award will have all federal funds pulled back from their account.
When a student withdraws from all active courses during a payment period (semester) for any reason, he/she may no longer be eligible for the full amount of Title IV funds that he/she was originally scheduled to receive. The return of funds is based upon the premise that students earn their financial aid in proportion to the amount of time in which they are enrolled. This includes students who are registered but not attending all active courses during the payment period.
Federal regulations established by the U.S. Department of Education require the financial aid office to perform a Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation to determine the percentage of federal financial aid a student has earned in the designated payment period. This is based on the last date of an academically related activity in all active courses during the payment period.
The following enrollment changes may initiate an R2T4 calculation:
- Complete withdrawal from all courses within a payment period.
- Complete withdrawal from all courses in which a student is receiving federal financial aid within a payment period.
- Course registration status changes to Registered Not Attending (RN) in all active courses.
- Withdrawing/dropping from part of term course (less than 16 weeks in length) without providing written confirmation of return to course later in payment period.
- Completing a part of term course within a payment period then dropping, not attending, or withdrawing from a course starting later in the payment period.
- Failure to earn a passing grade in the last course in a payment period even if a student completed a part of term course early in the payment period.
- Failure to earn a passing grade in all courses attempted in the payment period.
- Completing all courses before the scheduled last day of a payment period.
The only exemptions from the R2T4 calculation requirement apply to modules for the following situations:
- Students who complete all program graduation requirements before completing the days/hours in the period they were scheduled to complete.
- Successful completion of coursework with passing grades equal to or greater than half-time (6+ credit hours).
- Successful completion of 49% or more of the number of days in the payment period in one module, or combination of modules.
If a student is determined to have completely withdrawn from Pima Community College, the financial aid office must process a Return of Title IV calculation. Students who complete more than 60% of a payment period are considered to have earned 100% of the federal financial aid disbursed to them for the payment period. Students who do not complete more than 60% of the payment period will have all or a portion of disbursed funds returned to the federal government. Additionally, the last date of attendance is used to determine the students’ separation date for federal loan repayment purposes.
Students who have verified attendance, but have withdrawn prior to disbursement of Title IV funds may be eligible for a post withdrawal disbursement. Students may cancel their Title IV aid if they choose not to receive these funds, please submit the Federal Aid Cancellation Request form.
For more detailed information on the calculation review the Student Financial Aid Handbook.
Order of Return of Title IV Funds
Title IV funds will be returned to the appropriate federal programs in the following order:
- Unsubsidized Direct Loan
- Subsidized Direct Loan
- Direct PLUS Loan (parent)
- Federal Pell Grant
- Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant (IASG)
- FSEOG
- TEACH Grant
The College will return funds as soon as possible after the calculation is complete and no later than 45 days from the date of determination of the student’s withdrawal.
Treatment Of Title IV Funds When A Student Withdraws From A Credit-Hour Program Worksheet
Once the school has made any needed adjustments to a student’s Title IV funding, the student will receive notification within 30 days from the date of determination.
- Recalculations due to students never beginning attendance in some or all courses will receive notification through their PCC email address.
- Students who have withdrawn from the institution will receive notification through their PCC email address. This notification will outline the amount that needs to be repaid to the institution or to the Department of Education.
- If the student PCC email notification is bounced back, a paper notification will be mailed out to the permanent address on file.
Charges will be listed in the student’s MyPima account and must be paid directly to Pima Community College.
A registration status of "Registered Not Attending" (RN) in all active courses at Pima Community College is considered an unofficial withdrawal causing an Return to Title IV calculation. Students who return to courses and continue to participate may have the Return to Title IV reversed by resuming attendance.
If the Return to Title IV calculation determines that the student received less federal aid than the amount earned then the school must make a disbursement of the earned aid, as long as the student would have been eligible otherwise.
- If the earned aid is in the form of a Direct and/or PLUS, (or grant in some cases) then the school must make the offer in writing to the student or parent within 30 days after the date the school determined the student withdrew.
- The written notification must include the type and amount of Title IV funds that make up the post-withdrawal disbursement and an explanation that all or a portion may be declined.
- The notification must state that the student has 14 days from the date of the letter to respond or the disbursement will not be processed.
- If the student or parent does respond then the school must disburse the accepted funds within 180 days of the date the school determined that the student withdrew. Thus the sooner the school sends notification, the more time the school has to make the post-withdrawal disbursement.
- The school may use post-withdrawal disbursements to pay outstanding institutional charges. However, the school would have to obtain the student’s or parent’s authorization before a post-withdrawal disbursement could be used to pay discretionary educationally related expenses, like a library fine.
- No post-withdrawal disbursement of Title IV funds may be made to the account or estate of a student who has died.
The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships will review the credit balance and make the necessary adjustments, if any, as the result of a Return of Title IV calculation and/or the institution’s refund policy. Additionally, a Title IV credit balance will be applied to any grant overpayment owed by the student as a result of the withdrawal. The credit balance, if any, will be released in accordance with the College’s current refunding policy but no later than 14 days.
Please see our tuition and fee refunds page.