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Dropping or Withdrawing
and Financial Aid

 
Contact Financial Aid

E-mail: finaid@umgc.edu
Phone: 800-888-8682
Live phone support is available Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. ET.

Urgent Requests:
Jay Tinsley, Assistant Vice President of Counseling, Financial Aid
Phone: 844-399-8682
E-mail: AsktheFADirector@umgc.edu

Learn how dropping or withdrawing from courses affects your financial aid.

Federal financial aid is awarded based upon the dates and duration of your enrollment each semester. You earn the financial aid you have been awarded as you attend class during your scheduled enrollment period(s). If you have been awarded financial aid, but then change your enrollment and fail to attend class for the time period(s) originally specified, the University of Maryland Global Campus Office of Financial Aid is required to recalculate the financial aid award(s) you are eligible for based upon your adjusted enrollment. The calculation determines the percentage of the original award that was earned during the period you attended.

Changes to your enrollment include: dropping, withdrawing, failure to participate in classes, and receiving an FN grade. It's also important to note that disenrollment or class cancellations can also result in a change in your financial aid eligibility.

Return of Title IV (R2T4)

A Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation will occur when you make changes to your enrollment before completing more than 60 percent of your scheduled period of enrollment. An R2T4 calculation can also occur if you are disenrolled from your last class in a semester or if that class is cancelled. When you withdraw from UMGC before completing over 60 percent of your scheduled enrollment in any semester, UMGC must determine if you are considered withdrawn from the payment period. If withdrawn, UMGC will determine the earned portion of aid. Any unearned Title IV financial aid grant and/or loan funds you received will be returned to the respective federal financial aid program/s. The result is an immediate balance owed to UMGC.

UMGC will complete the R2T4 calculation and notify you within 30 days of the date that UMGC determined you withdrew, dropped, or stopped participating in a course. If you certify your intent to return at a later date during the same semester when you withdraw or drop, you will not require a calculation unless you do not return as indicated.

FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID RETURN OF FUNDS POLICY
 

Earned Aid

When considered withdrawn from the term, the Office of Financial Aid will use a federal formula created by the Department of Education to calculate the percentage of the term completed and the unearned amounts of Federal financial aid:

The number of days scheduled to complete / Total days in the period = Percent of the period completed

The calculated result reflects the portion of the payment period completed. If the percent is 60% or less, that figure is used to calculate the earned portion of Federal financial aid.

Period of Enrollment

Each student at UMGC has a specific enrollment period unique to their class registration. Because UMGC's classes are designed as modules within a term as opposed to standard semester-long classes, your period of enrollment is dependent upon your personal registration history.

Determining Your Enrollment Period

As mentioned above, students at UMGC have individualized enrollment periods due to the numerous session enrollment options available. If you need help predicting your enrollment period, please follow these instructions.

  1. Go to your Class Schedule in MyUMGC.

  2. Your Class Schedule displays your session dates.

60% Completion Dates

The Office of Financial Aid provides a chart of 60 percent enrollment participation dates for various class start times throughout the semester. These tables should be used as a guide to help you identify 60 percent completion dates for common enrollment scenarios. Contact the Office of Financial Aid if you need help identifying a 60 percent completion date for an unlisted enrollment scenario or if you need further information to determine whether dropping or withdrawing from courses will have R2T4 implications.

Please view the applicable semesters to review the 60 percent enrollment patterns:

Example of How Changes in Your Enrollment Affect Your Financial Aid Eligibility

 

Example: Student A was originally scheduled to attend UMGC from January 10 until May 7, for a total of 119 days. Since this student has a seven-day consecutive break between courses, we must subtract seven days from this, making the total enrollment period for this semester 112 days. Since the student drops online session 3 after completing online session 1, this enrollment change results in a R2T4 calculation. 

Changes in Enrollment and Pell Grant

Not all enrollment changes will result in an R2T4 calculation, but any change in your enrollment can affect your eligibility for a Pell Grant. By dropping or withdrawing from a class, you are changing your enrollment status. Even though you may have completed more than 60 percent of your enrollment period, your enrollment status has changed and therefore, your Pell Grant will adjust to match your new enrollment status.

 

Example: Student B is enrolled in three (3) credit courses: one in Online Session 1 (1/10 – 3/5) and two in Online Session 3 (3/ 13 – 5/07). The student withdraws from one of the Online Session 3 courses on April 15. Since this student is not withdrawing from both of the last classes for the semester, the enrollment period is not changing. Therefore, it will not trigger an R2T4 to determine if more than 60 percent of the enrollment period has been met.

However, the enrollment change will be reviewed by the Office of Financial Aid to determine if this change in enrollment affects the financial aid eligibility. Since the student is a Pell Grant recipient, the Office of Financial Aid will adjust the Pell Grant to reflect 6 credit hours of enrollment based on the remaining courses enrolled.

Dropping Classes and Financial Aid FAQs

Find answers to frequently asked questions about dropping classes and financial aid.
Dropping Classes and Financial Aid FAQs

Tips to Manage Your Financial Aid

Learn six tips for managing your financial aid.
Tips to Manage Your Financial Aid

Contact Us

Our helpful admissions advisors can help you choose an academic program to fit your career goals, estimate your transfer credits, and develop a plan for your education costs that fits your budget. If you’re a current UMGC student, please visit the Help Center.

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