Tuition Charge Adjustments & Refund Policy
Drop, Add, and Withdrawal from Course(s):
The difference between a course dropped and a course withdrawal is explained in the following chart:
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Dropping a Course
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Withdrawing from a Course
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"Dropping" a course means you dropped it before the end of the drop/add period
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A student "withdraws" from a course after the end of the drop/add period
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Credit hours for dropped courses are not included in your hours of enrollment for financial aid
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Results in a grade of W or WF
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| Dropped courses do not count in your HOPE/Zell Miller or Undergraduate Admissions Academic Scholarship attempted hours |
Withdrawn courses count in your HOPE/Zell Miller or Undergraduate Admissions Academic Scholarship attempted hours |
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Dropped hours do not appear on your transcript
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Withdrawn hours appear on your transcript
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Repayment of financial aid may be required if it was previously disbursed to you based on planned enrollment and then you drop courses
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Students who withdraw from all of their courses may need to repay a portion of their student financial aid
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Dropped hours do not count toward Satisfactory Academic Progress calculations
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Withdrawn hours count toward Satisfactory Academic Progress calculations
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Tuition charges will be calculated based on hours of enrollment reported by the Registrar’s Office. Students are responsible for referring to and understanding the published Academic Calendar dates for drop/add and for withdrawal. A student must notify Student Accounts before dropping, adding, or withdrawing from a course to determine the effect on the student’s financial aid and subsequent account balance. The Academic Programs section of the Piedmont University catalog contains further information regarding these topics.
A student dropping all courses during the drop/add period results in the removal of all tuition charges. Charges other than tuition remain incurred by the student. Courses that are removed from a student’s schedule after the drop/add period are considered withdrawals. Tuition charges for withdrawn courses remain incurred and are payable by the student. Withdrawing from one or more courses and withdrawing from all courses have different effects on a student’s account due to adjustments in financial aid. From a billing perspective, medical withdrawals are treated the same as total withdrawals.
Total Withdrawal from University:
Course registration creates a financial obligation to the University. The tuition refund policy is only effective upon receipt of an official withdrawal notice. Non-attendance does not equate to a withdrawal. For additional details, refer to the section on Tuition Charge Adjustments.
When a student withdraws from all classes, written notification must be given to the University Registrar. Depending on the withdrawal date, the University may adjust tuition charges according to the schedule below. Dismissed students do not receive tuition adjustments. (Students who withdraw from all courses may fall under the Title IV Federal Aid Policy).
Fall and spring semester:15-week courses
- 60% of tuition charges will be refunded if a student totally withdraws during the second week of the term (days 8-14)
- 40% of tuition charges will be refunded if a student totally withdraws during the third week of the term (days 15-21)
- 20% of tuition charges will be refunded if a student totally withdraws during the fourth week of the term (days 22-28)
- No adjustments to charges will be made if a student withdraws after the fourth week of the term (after day 28)
For any session shorter than standard term of 15 weeks
- If # of days is 1-4 percent of the refund is 100%
- If # of days is 5-10 percent of the refund is 50%
- If over 10 days, percent of refund is 0
Room and Board Charge Adjustments:
Residential students who complete a total withdrawal during a semester do not receive tuition adjustments for residence hall charges; however, meal plan charges are pro-rated based on the withdrawal date of determination.
Credit Balance Refunds
Piedmont University adheres to Title IV regulation which requires credit balances be refunded within 14 days of the credit appearing on the student account.
Refunds for Excess Financial Aid
The University requires all students & parent loan recipients to sign up for Direct Deposit. Direct deposit allows students and parent plus loan recipients to receive excess funds quickly and securely. If Direct Deposit is not set up when refunds are processed, a refund check will be mailed to the student’s address on file in the Registrar’s office. If there is a Parent Loan on the student’s account, the excess aid is returned to the guarantor. The amount refunded to the parent will not exceed the balance of the parent loan. If there exists an additional credit balance due after the parent loan has been refunded, the remaining credit balance will be refunded to the student. Piedmont University adheres to Title IV regulation which requires credit balances be refunded within 14 days of the credit appearing on the student account. Any federal or state aid that is disbursed but not accepted by the student, or parent in case of parent loans, will be returned to the appropriate department within 240 days from the time the refund was first issued. The term “not accepted” includes refund checks which are issued but are not cashed by the student or are returned by the postal service as undeliverable if no forwarding address can be obtained from the student.