Title IV Federal Student Aid eligibility is based on the percentage of time you are enrolled for the semester. If a Title IV Federal Student recipient withdraws for an entire semester, their student aid will be adjusted according to the Federal Return of Title IV formula, state grant refund calculation, and institutional policy. Tuition may be adjusted, and a student will most likely owe money to the University after the withdrawal adjustments are complete. This does not pertain to a student that does not receive Title IV Federal Student Aid.
For more information, see the following.
- Temple University’s Withdrawal from Classes Policy
- Temple University Undergraduate Bulletin (Tuition and Fees Policy)
- Temple University's Student Financial Responsibility Agreement
For student financial aid purposes, 12 or more credits is considered full-time enrollment for undergraduate students; 9 or more credits is considered full-time for graduate students.
Withdrawing from the University will cancel your financial aid for future semesters. If you process a re-enrollment request for an upcoming semester, please contact the Student Financial Services office to request consideration for reinstatement of your aid.
Your student aid for the future academic year may be in jeopardy if you fall below the minimum completion percentage expectation for satisfactory academic progress, which affects eligibility for most student aid programs.
If the Student Financial Services office receives information that you did not attend the semester, your financial aid will be cancelled except for federal direct loan funds disbursed directly to the student.
Withdrawing Terminology
Drop: The term “drop” refers to an action taken by a student during the first two weeks of the fall, spring semester or summer sessions (applies to courses that meet the standard schedule) to remove a course from his/her transcript. A student is not financially responsible for dropped courses.
Unofficial Withdrawal: If you stop attending all of your classes without officially withdrawing (a.k.a. an unofficial withdrawal), you are considered to be "walking-away." Federal aid you received during the semester will be subject to the federal return calculation based on the effective date of withdrawal. The withdrawal date is your last documented date of attendance, as determined by the instructor.
Withdraw: The term “withdraw” refers to an action taken by a student to discontinue enrollment in a course after the drop period. The course is recorded on the transcript with the notation of "W." A student is financially responsible for courses from which he/she has withdrawn.
Withdrawal with Approved Excuse: The term “withdrawal with approved excuse” refers to an approved petition to withdraw from a course due to medical, catastrophic or other circumstances beyond the student’s control. The course is recorded on the transcript with the notation of “WE.” A student is financially responsible for courses from which he/she has withdrawn with an approved excuse.
Post-withdrawal Disbursement: Some aid programs may be available to you after you withdraw. In some cases, a portion of your Federal Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Perkins Loan, and/or Federal Direct Loan may be available.
You may receive a letter from us requesting that you submit documents to our office to verify the information on your FAFSA. You will also be notified upon withdrawal if you are eligible for "post-withdrawal disbursement" of any aid funds. You may be required to confirm that you want to accept the disbursement.
Grants will be disbursed within 45 days. Loans will be offered within 30 days, allowing a student at least 14 days to respond.
Post-withdrawal Credit: A post-withdrawal disbursement will be applied to a student’s Temple University account first, and any resulting credit balance would be disbursed as soon as possible to the student and no later than 14 days after the calculation of return of Title IV financial aid funding.
Return of Federal Student Aid
To remain eligible for Title IV Federal Student Aid during the semester, the student must be attending classes, taking exams and completing required course work.
Federal Regulations require the University to calculate a return of federal student aid funds for students who withdraw (officially or unofficially) from all classes on or before the 60 percent attendance point in the semester and for students who withdraw from any module-based courses.
If the student officially withdraws, the determination date is the date Temple determines the student began the withdrawal process. If the student does not provide official notification of his/her intent to withdraw, the determination date will be determined as the date Temple became aware the student was not attending class. For official withdrawal, Temple uses the date the student provided official notification to withdraw as the withdrawal date; for unofficial withdrawals, the last date of academically related activity as given by a professor is used as the withdrawal date.
The calculation required determines a student’s earned and unearned Title IV aid based on the percentage of the enrollment period completed by the student. The percentage of the period that the student remained enrolled is derived by dividing the number of days the student attended by the number of days in the period. Calendar days (including weekends) are used, but breaks of at least 5 days are excluded from both the numerator and denominator.
Until a student has passed the 60% point of an enrollment period, only a portion of the student’s aid has been earned. A student who remains enrolled beyond the 60% point is considered to have earned all awarded aid for the enrollment period.
The unearned portion of federal student aid funds will be returned to the appropriate aid program(s). The funds are returned in the following order:
- Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
- Federal Direct Subsidized Loan
- Federal Graduate PLUS Loan
- Federal PLUS Loan
- Federal Pell Grant
- Federal SEOG Grant
- Federal TEACH Grant
Students withdrawing from classes are responsible for payment of any balance due after the required return of federal student aid funds.
Earned aid is not related in any way to institutional charges. In addition, the University’s refund policy and return of Title IV funds procedures are independent of one another. A student who withdraws from a course may be required to return unearned aid and still owe the University for that course. For more information on Temple University’s withdrawal and institutional charges policies, please see here.
Students who stop attending all classes without officially withdrawing will be subject to a return of federal student aid funds at the end of the semester based on the last documented date of attendance as determined by Temple University.
The responsibility to repay unearned Title IV aid is shared by the University and the student. For example, the calculation may require Temple University to return a portion of federal funds to the federal Title IV programs. In addition, the student may also be required to return funds based on the calculation. A student returns funds to the Federal Direct Loan program based on the terms and conditions of the promissory note of the loan. A student who receives federal grants may be required to repay 50% of the funds received.
How to Handle a Grant Overpayment
Students who owe funds to a grant program are required to make payment of those funds within 45 days of being notified that they owe this overpayment. During the 45 day period students will remain eligible for Title IV funds. If no positive action is taken by the student within 45 days of being notified, Temple University will notify the U.S. Department of Education of the student’s overpayment situation. The student will no longer be eligible for Title IV funds until they enter into a satisfactory repayment agreement with the U.S. Department of Education.
During the 45-day period, the student can make full payment to Temple University to cover the overpayment. The University will forward the payment to the U.S. Department of Education and the student will remain eligible for Title IV funds.
If a student is unable to pay their overpayment in full, they can set up a repayment plan with the U.S. Department of Education. Before doing this please contact our office at 215-204-2244. You will need to make sure we have referred your situation to the U.S. Department of Education before any repayment plan can be set up.
If you want to contact the U.S. Department of Education, their address is listed below.
U.S. Department of Education
Student Financial Assistance Programs
P.O. Box 4222
Iowa City, IA 52245
Phone: 1-800-621-3115
E-Mail: [click-for-email]
For examples of the return of Title IV funds calculations or questions regarding the overpayment policy, please contact the Student Financial Services office.
Notification upon decision to withdrawal
When you withdrawal for the semester, the grace period prior to loan repayment will begin (nine-months for Perkins and six-months for Federal Direct Loans). If you re-enroll before your grace period ends, you will have a new grace period when you leave school. If a student re-enrolls they need to request an in-school deferment.
Federal Direct Loan Recipients: Notify your federal loan servicer. You can obtain the contact information for your federal loan servicer on the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) website.
Complete the Loan Exit Interview
Students who withdraw from Temple University, even for just one semester, will be required to complete the "Exit Interview" online with the Bursar's Office to comply with university policy and federal regulations. Students who do not complete the “Exit Interview” may have registration and transcript holds placed on their academic records.
Withdrawing for Military Reasons
If you are a Temple University student serving on active duty in in the U.S. Armed Forces or a reservist who has been called to active duty for a purpose other than training, you are eligible for special provisions that protect your enrollment and financial aid eligibility for future semesters.
For more information, access, please see Temple University Policy for Students Called to Active Military Service (PDF).