Withdrawing (Partial, Complete, Medical, and Retroactive)
What happens if I withdraw from the University?
If you receive financial aid and withdraw from part or all of your classes within the first 60% of the semester, we must recalculate your financial aid eligibility according to a federal formula. Because funds are awarded based on your attending the entire semester, we must recalculate your aid based on the actual number of days you attended. The amount to be repaid, if any, is determined according to your withdrawal date.
Please contact Financial Aid before completing the withdrawal process to ensure that you understand the financial impact of your withdrawal. Your Financial Aid may be reduced or canceled and/or you may be responsible to repay Financial Aid funds to CSUN.
How will I know if my withdrawal affects my financial aid?
Your Financial Aid may be reduced or canceled and/or you may be responsible to repay Financial Aid funds to CSUN. You will be notified of any aid adjustments through your CSUN Webmail, instructing you to check your award on the myNorthridge Portal.
Any aid reductions will need to be paid to University Cash Services. If you owe a balance to the University, a hold will be placed on your academic records at CSUN. This will affect you in the following ways:
- You will not be able to register for subsequent semesters at CSUN
- You will not be able to obtain a copy of your academic transcript
- Your credit history may be adversely affected when we report your past due account to an outside credit agency
- You may not be able to receive Title IV aid at other institutions due to an overpayment owed to CSUN
What is the recalculation process?
The official withdrawal date is provided to our office by the University. The Financial Aid and Scholarship Department determines the percentage of the semester you attended. This percentage is used to determine the amount of the aid you are eligible to receive. If the amount disbursed to you is greater than the amount you are eligible to receive, these funds will have to be returned. The Title IV programs that are covered by this law are: Federal Pell Grants, Academic Competitiveness Grants, National SMART Grants, TEACH Grants, Stafford Loans, PLUS Loans, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOGs), and Federal Perkins Loans.
Aid will be returned in the following order:
- Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan
- Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan
- Federal Perkins Loan
- Federal PLUS loan (Graduate Student)
- Federal PLUS loan (Parent)
- Federal Pell Grant
- Academic Competitiveness Grant
- National Smart Grant
- Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
If you received (or CSUN or your parent received on your behalf) less assistance than the amount that you earned, you may be able to receive those additional funds. If you received more assistance than you earned, the excess funds must be returned.
The amount of assistance that you earned is determined on a pro-rata basis. For example, if you completed 30% of your payment period or period of enrollment, you earn 30% of the assistance you were originally scheduled to receive. Once you have completed more than 60% of the payment period or period of enrollment, you earn all the assistance that you were scheduled to receive for that period.
If you did not receive all of the funds that you earned, you may be due a Post-withdrawal disbursement. If your Post-withdrawal disbursement includes loan funds, we must get your permission before it can disburse you. You may choose to decline some or all of the loan funds so that you don’t incur additional debt. CSUN will automatically use all or a portion of your Post-withdrawal disbursement of grant funds for tuition and other fees, and room and board charges (as contracted with the school). CSUN will need your permission to use the Post-withdrawal grant disbursement for all other school charges. If you do not give your permission, you will be offered the funds. However, it may be in your best interest to allow the school to keep the funds to reduce your debt at the school.
In addition to Federal Aid, you also may be required to repay all or part of your State or Institutional funds received including Cal Grant, EOP and Tuition Fee Grant.
The return of funds by the school is paid from University resources, which may create an outstanding balance on your University account.
If you have questions about your Title IV program funds, you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FEDAID (1-800-433-3243). TTY users may call 1-800-730-8913. Information is also available on Student Aid on the Web at www.studentaid.ed.gov.
Example of the recalculation process
Mandy registered for spring semester which is 15 weeks, or 105 calendar days. It began on January 20, and its end date is May 16. For personal reasons, Mandy withdrew on February 9th, after completing 21 calendar days of the semester.
Mandy was awarded $2,025 in Title IV aid for her spring semester there. She was paid:
- $825 Federal Pell Grant
- 1,200 Federal Subsidized Loan
Mandy completed 20 percent (21 divided by 105) of the period of enrollment. Because she completed 20 percent of the semester, she also earned 20 percent of the Title IV aid the school awarded her for the semester.
This means that Mandy earned $405 in Title IV aid ($2,025 multiplied by 20 percent). It also means that Mandy didn't earn 80 percent (100 percent minus 20 percent) of her Title IV aid. As a result, $1,620 ($2,025 multiplied by 80 percent) is unearned aid that was disbursed and must be returned to Title IV program accounts. Federal funds must be returned in a specific order:
- First to Title IV Loans
- Then to Title IV Grants
That's pretty straightforward, isn't it? Of course, the actual calculation is a little more complex. So, now you get the basic idea.
Do I need to start repaying my student loans if I withdraw?
If your enrollment falls below half-time, you should contact your lender immediately to see how the withdrawal will affect your loan repayment. If your withdrawal takes you below half time status, you will start your grace period. If your grace period is over, you must begin repaying your student loans according to the terms of the promissory note.
What is an Unofficial Withdrawal and how will it affect my financial aid?
If you receive all “WU” grades for the semester, you are considered to have unofficially withdrawn. The University records the midpoint of the semester as your withdrawal date, and will use this date to determine your refund/repayment amounts. If you unofficially withdraw from a semester, you will also not meet satisfactory academic progress for the following semester. Your Financial Aid may be reduced and you may be responsible to repay Financial Aid funds to CSUN.
How will my withdrawal affect my Satisfactory Academic Progress?
Completing your classes is a necessary part of meeting the campus Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements; therefore, not completing your classes may affect your ability to receive aid in the next semester or academic year. Also, these units will be counted in calculating the total units attempted, even if the withdrawal is for medical reasons. This calculation is used to determine the maximum unit cap on financial aid and may affect your ability to receive financial aid in your final year(s) of study. Students must meet the campus Satisfactory Academic Progress to remain eligible for financial aid. To see a copy of the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy, please visit http://www.csun.edu/finaid/sap.html.
Where can I find information on the withdrawal process with the University?
For information on changes to your academic schedule after the start of classes including the University General Policy on partial and complete withdrawals and medical withdrawals please visit the Schedule of Classes Enrollment Guide: http://www.csun.edu/a&r/soc/adjsched.html.
If your petition for withdrawal is granted, you do not need to notify the Financial Aid and Scholarship Department. The University will make the necessary notification to the Financial Aid and Scholarship Department. If required, we will do the recalculation of aid for you.
Where can I find information on the refund policy with the University?
For information on the CSUN refund policy go to: http://www-admn.csun.edu/ucs/.
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