Full Withdrawal from Bellin College and Financial Aid
Students who wish to fully withdraw from Bellin College are expected to contact the Academic Advisor, Registrar, Program Director, or other representative of the College to begin the official withdrawal process. By definition, a withdrawal occurs when the student does not complete all of the days in the period of enrollment (semester, term, etc) that the student was scheduled to complete. The process is outlined in the Student Guide located on the www.bellincollege.edu website. The policy below is in compliance with federal regulations (34 C.F.R. § 668.22).
Withdrawal Date Determination
The withdrawal date for a student who ceases attendance at Bellin College prior to the end of an enrollment period (i.e., semester) will be:
• A student who wishes to withdraw from all courses prior to the end of an enrollment period is expected to provide official notification of the intent to withdraw to the Advisor and Accommodations Coordinator in accordance with College policy (per Bellin College Student Guide). Notification may be made in person, in writing, by phone, or via e-mail. The withdrawal process begins with the student’s notification of the intent to withdraw. The student is expected to meet with the Advisor to ensure that all documents are completed. The Exit form is initiated by the Academic Advisor and is completed/reviewed as part of the exit/withdrawal process. If the student is not able to meet in person with the Advisor, the process may be completed remotely (via one or a combination of the following: phone, Zoom or Teams meeting, e-mail, US mail).
- The official withdrawal date will be the date the student provided notification of his/her intent to withdraw or
- If the student notifies the Advisor of an intent to withdraw at a later date (ie. will complete the semester), the official withdrawal date will be the last date of attendance in an academically-related activity (ie. last day of classes or the date the student indicates will be his/her last day of attendance).
- The Date of the Institution’s Determination that the student has withdrawn will be the withdrawal date or the date of notification, whichever is later.
• If a student ceases attendance in all courses but does not notify the College:
- The official withdrawal date will be the date the school determines is related to the circumstance beyond the student’s control which led to the student ceasing attendance or the midpoint of the payment period/period of enrollment if no last date of attendance is documented
- The Date of the Institution’s Determination that the student has withdrawn will be the date the school became aware that the student has ceased attendance.
• If a student fails to earn a passing grade in at least one course over an enrollment period, that student is considered to have unofficially withdrawn unless the College can document that the student completed the enrollment period. Bellin College is not required to take attendance therefore, official attendance records may not be available. If a student receives an F in all courses, the Registrar and Advisor will contact the appropriate faculty in an effort to determine when the student last participated in an academically related activity. Examples of this may be the last course assignment the student submitted, the last date the student completed a graded assignment/quiz/test, or the last time the student logged into an online component of the course, if applicable (log in dates, etc. are available through the Bellin College IT Department).
- The withdrawal date will be the midpoint of the enrollment period unless the College can document the student’s last date of an academically related activity.
- If the institution cannot document that the student began attendance (never began academically related activity for the enrollment period), the student will be considered to have never enrolled
- The Date of the Institution’s Determination that the student has withdrawn will be the date the final grades are posted.
It is important to note that the College may choose to use the student’s documented last date of attendance in an academically related activity as the withdrawal date, as appropriate. An example of this may be if a student notifies the Advisor of his/her intent to withdraw at a future date but continues to attend one or more classes until that date.
Even though Bellin College is not required to take attendance, the faculty and staff are very proactive in efforts to ensure a student’s success in the program. If a student simply ceases to participate in one or more courses, the applicable faculty will notify the Academic Advisor, Registrar, or appropriate Program Director of the student’s lack of participation. In this case, the Advisor, Registrar, etc. will attempt to document the student’s last date of attendance through documented information available from the faculty or the Bellin College IT department. Examples of this may be date of the last course assignment the student submitted, the last date the student completed a graded assignment/quiz/test, or the last time the student logged into an online component of the course, if applicable (log in dates, etc. are available through the Bellin College IT Department). This same process will be followed at the end of the semester if a student receives a grade of F in all courses.
Return of Unearned Aid
When a student withdraws from Bellin College prior to completing an enrollment period (semester, term) in which the student began attendance, the College must determine the amount, if applicable, of grants and loans the student earned as of the student’s withdrawal date. The amount of earned aid (and institutional charges) is based on the percentage of the enrollment term completed (completed calendar days of instruction divided by total calendar days of instruction in the term). Institutional charges will be adjusted based on this calculation for all students who fully withdraw. If the total amount of aid that the student earned is less than the amount of assistance that was disbursed to the student or parent, the difference must be returned to the aid programs from which they originated (in the order specified below). The student is not eligible to receive any additional disbursements of aid, if applicable, for that term of enrollment. The Director of Financial Aid uses the R2T4 calculator provided by the US Department of Education on the COD secure website to determine the official percentage of the period of enrollment completed/earned.
Bellin College will return unearned Title IV program funds as soon as possible but no later than 45 days of the College’s determining the student withdrew up to the amount of refunded tuition and fees charges for the term (institution’s portion). Returns of Pell and Direct Loans are recorded directly on the student’s record on the COD and, if necessary, processed through the G5. Aid returns in excess of the refunded tuition and fees charges become the responsibility of the student to return (student’s portion). Under federal regulations, any student who fails to return federal funds as required will remain ineligible for further federal financial aid until the total amount of funds has been returned or the student enters into an agreement with Bellin College or the U.S. Department of Education Secretary to repay the unearned aid.
Number of calendar days completed in the term
Percentage of Earned Aid/Charges: ---------------------------------------------------------------
Total number of calendar days in the term
45 days completed
Sample: ------------------------- = 36%
125 days in the term
In this example, the student withdrew 45 days into the term and therefore, earned 36% of Title IV aid received and incurred 36% of the institutional charges for that term. The institution will reduce the student’s charges by 64% and 64% of the federal aid disbursed to the student will be returned. If the amount of returned aid is in excess of the amount of reduced charges, the student is responsible to return/repay the difference.
Unearned aid will be returned to sources in the following order:
1. Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan
2. Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan
3. Federal Perkins Loan
4. Federal PLUS Loan
5. Federal Pell Grant
6. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
7. Other federal grant or loan assistance
8. WI Grant Programs
9. Institutional programs (merit scholarships, donor scholarships, admissions scholarships)
10. Other Aid (private scholarships and/or loans)
No return of financial aid funds is required from students who have completed at least 60% of the enrollment term as of the date of withdrawal as students who complete at least 60% of the term are considered to have earned 100% of the Title IV aid received for the enrollment term. There will be no reduction in institutional charges for students who complete at least 60% of the enrollment term.
The amount of federal grant funds to be returned by the student (student’s portion) must be returned within 45 days of the date the notification was sent to the student. The student’s portion of federal loan funds must be repaid by the student in accordance with the terms of the loan.
Notification to Student
Bellin College will notify the student, in writing, of the amount of tuition and fees to be refunded, as well as the amount, if applicable, of loans and/or grants (aid) to be returned to their sources by the College. The notification includes the amount the student is responsible for returning, if applicable, to Bellin College or the US Department of Education as well as instructions on how to do so and will be mailed to the student within 30 days of the date the College determined the student withdrew. If the student is required to return funds, the student will also be notified that his/her eligibility for further Title IV aid will end if satisfactory repayment arrangements are not made within 45 days of the date of the notification. If a student fails to enter into a satisfactory repayment agreement with Bellin College within the 45 days, the student will be referred to the US Department of Education’s Default Resolution Group for further collection.
Credit Balances (Refunds to Student)
If the withdrawal calculation results in a credit balance (retained aid or payments in excess of retained institutional charges), the College will issue a refund check to the student (or parent, if the credit balance is due to a Federal Parent PLUS Loan) for the full amount of the credit balance as soon as possible but no later than 14 days of the date the institution completed the R2T4 calculation. The check will be mailed to the student (or parent) via US Postal Service.
Financial Aid Status when Withdrawing from College
A student who withdraws beyond the 60% point of an enrollment period will remain eligible for federal financial aid provided all other eligibility criteria are met. A student who withdraws prior to the 60% point of an enrollment term and who is not required to return any federal aid in excess of the institution’s portion of a calculated return, remains eligible for federal financial aid provided all other eligibility criteria are met. A student who withdraws prior to the 60% point of an enrollment period and is required to return a portion of federal aid (student’s portion of the return) will remain eligible for federal financial aid provided if the student:
• Repays the overpayment (unearned aid) in full to the institution within 45 days of the date the College sends the notification to the student that a return of federal aid is required.
• Enters into a satisfactory repayment agreement with the College.
• Signs a repayment agreement with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, which will include terms that permit the student to repay the overpayment while maintaining eligibility for federal aid.
Bellin College will refer collection matters to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education if the student does not repay to the College the full amount of the overpayment or enter into a satisfactory repayment agreement with the College or the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education within 45 days from the date the College sent the student a notification of the overpayment.
Overpayment collection accounts will be referred to the U.S. Department of Education at any time the student fails to meet the terms of the repayment agreement with the College or the student fails to enter into a repayment agreement with the Secretary. Students whose overpayment collection accounts have been referred to the Secretary will be considered ineligible for federal financial aid until the student and the Secretary enter into a repayment agreement.
Repayment Agreement
A student who owes a repayment of federal financial aid (student’s portion) may choose to enter into an agreement with Bellin College. This agreement will specify minimum payments, frequency of payments and the maximum time allowed for repayment in full. Overpayments paid to Bellin College will be returned to the appropriate aid sources.
The College will require monthly payments of at least $50. The full amount of the overpayment must be repaid within two years of the date the College determined the student withdrew. If, at any time, the student fails to meet these terms, Bellin College will assign collection of the overpayment to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education at which time the student will become ineligible for further federal financial aid.
Post-Withdrawal Disbursement (PWD) of Aid
If the amount of grants and loans the student earned is greater than the total amount of grant/loan assistance that was disbursed to the student, or to the parent on the student’s behalf, the difference must be treated as a post-withdrawal disbursement (PWD).
Within 30 days of the date the College determined the student withdrew, a written notification will be sent to the student/parent to include the following:
• Identify the type and amount of aid eligible for/included in the post withdrawal disbursement.
• Explain that all or any portion of the disbursement may be accepted or declined.
• Inform the student or parent that no post-withdrawal disbursement of a federal loan will be made to the student or parent (or to the student’s account) without confirmation of acceptance of the disbursement
• Request a response indicating acceptance (or decline) of a federal loan disbursement; this must be received within 14 days of the date the notification was mailed to the student/parent. If no response is received within 14 days or a response is received after the 14-day deadline, no post-withdrawal disbursement of federal loan funds will be made.
• Inform the student or parent of the procedures for requesting/receiving the accepted post-withdrawal loan disbursement and that such a disbursement may be credited to the student’s account to pay institutional charges, if applicable, or disbursed directly to the student, or parent, if funds are from a PLUS Loan. The 14-day response deadline applies regardless of whether the disbursement will be to the student’s account to pay institutional charges or a direct disbursement to the student/parent.
•Inform the student or parent that accepted post-withdrawal federal loan funds must be repaid in accordance with the terms and conditions of the loan.
If a student is eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement, funds may be credited to the student’s account up to the amount of unpaid institutional charges, if applicable; remaining funds will be refunded directly to the student (or parent, if funds are from a Federal PLUS Loan). The direct disbursement will be mailed to the student or parent to the address on file:
- Available grant funds will be disbursed first as soon as possible but no later than 45 days of the date of the institution’s determination the student withdrew.
- Any remaining eligible post-withdrawal disbursement will be made from requested/accepted federal loan funds as soon as possible but no later than 180 days of the date of the institution’s determination the student withdrew; the disbursement will be made in accordance with the student’s or parent’s wishes as identified in the confirmation/acceptance of the post-withdrawal disbursement of loan funds.
Copies of all communication to the student/parent, response(s) from the student/parent, R2T4 calculations, disbursements and/or returns of aid, etc generated by or received by the Bellin College financial aid office will be placed in the student’s file.