A portion of Title IV, State Grants, and/or loan funds, but not Federal Work-Study funds, may be returned to the appropriate programs upon a student’s withdrawal.
The withdrawal date is the day the student withdraws, and is determined by Tri-County as the date that:
- The student begins the withdrawal process prescribed by the school;
- The student otherwise provided the school with official notification of the intent to withdraw; or
- For the student who does not begin the school’s withdrawal process or notify the school of his/her intent to withdraw, the last date that the student attended classes.
Students formally withdrawing from a program must inform the Adult Education office in writing of their decision to withdraw.
If a student fails to earn a passing grade, Tri-County must assume an unofficial withdrawal and perform R2T4 calculation.
Calculating Title IV Assistance Earned
To calculate the amount of Title IV assistance earned by the student, Tri-County determines the percentage of Title IV aid the student earned. The percentage of assistance earned is equal to the percentage of the payment period (based on contact hours) for which it was awarded that was completed as of the day the withdrawal occurs. If the percentage is greater than or equal to 60%, then the percentage is 100%.
Percentage of payment period (contact hours) completed: The percentage of payment period (contact hours) for which financial aid was awarded that was completed is determined by dividing the total number of contact hours into the number of contact hours completed in the period as of the withdrawal date determined by Tri-County.
The earned percentage applies to the total amount of Title IV grant or loan award that was disbursed (or could be disbursed) to you for the payment period for which it was awarded as of the day you withdrew.
Calculation of Title IV Assistance Not Earned
Differences between amounts earned and amounts received: If the student has or will receive more grant than the amount earned, the unearned amount shall be returned by the school or the student, or both.
If a student withdraws during a term, Tri-County calculates, according to a federally-mandated formula, the portion of the total scheduled financial assistance earned, and therefore entitled to receive, up to the time of withdrawal. If the student or college receives more assistance than is earned, the unearned excess funds must be returned to the US Department of Education. On the other hand, if less financial assistance is received than the amount earned, additional funds may first be applied toward outstanding institutional charges and any excess paid to the student.
Examples of refund computations are available to prospective students upon request from the Adult Education Office.
All refunds are calculated on an hours basis. Upon withdrawing from Tri-County, students are encouraged to complete all the necessary paperwork at the Adult Education office.