Brown Hall, Suite 206
105 West O Street
Russellville, AR 72801
Phone: (479) 968-0399
Email: fa.help@atu.edu
Federal student aid, including Pell Grant, SEOG, Work-Study, Direct Loans, and Parent PLUS Loans, is awarded to Arkansas Tech students with the understanding the student will attend school for the entire term. If a student withdraws or stops attending before completing at least 60% of the term, a portion of their federal funds may need to be returned. Federal regulations require us to determine how much, if any, of the funds must be returned at the time of withdrawal.
The calculation for the amount returned is based on the date of withdrawal, the amount of aid received, and institutional charges. The purpose of the calculation is to determine the amount of federal aid a student earned based on the total time a student was enrolled for the term. The amount students are eligible to receive is pro-rated until 60% of the term has passed. Students who withdraw after 60% of the term has passed earn all their federal aid. Keep in mind, some state or institutional aid may still have to be returned.
Funds are returned to the federal aid programs in the following order: Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct Subsidized Loans, PLUS Loans, then federal grants (Pell and SEOG) within 45 days of the student’s withdrawal date.
If a student is employed in the federal work study program, their employer is notified. A student cannot continue to work once they have withdrawn from all classes.
The Financial Aid Office processes the return of aid calculation based on the date of withdrawal received from the Registrar’s Office. If the student was enrolled less than 60% of the award term, an adjustment to their financial aid award(s) will be made on the student account. The Financial Aid Office will notify the student of the calculation results with a certified letter through the mail.
After the student account is adjusted, the student may owe a balance to Tech. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the Student Accounts Office for any balance owed to ATU.
If a student drops courses prior to the end of the 100% reduction of tuition and fees period, which is generally the 5th class day of each regular term, all federal, state, and institutional aid will be returned. Any refund the student may have received must be paid back to the school. If a student drops courses prior to the 80% tuition reduction period, the tuition will be reduced before the federal calculation is processed. These dates can change the amount a student will owe. Students should pay attention to the reduction dates of the terms, especially if they are enrolled in a late-start course which will have different 100% and 80% reduction periods. Students can view the reduction dates for each regular term on the Registrar’s site by clicking on the Academic Calendar.
Students are encouraged to talk to their academic advisors, student accounts, and financial aid to discuss withdrawing to make sure it is the best decision for them. Sometimes, other options are available to prevent losing the work already done for the term.
It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw and to make sure it was completed. Information about how to officially withdraw can be found by going to the Registrar’s Office site and clicking on Schedule Changes.
When a student does not complete the official withdrawal process and stops to participating in classes, this is often called an unofficial withdrawal. In terms of federal aid and according to policy, a student is considered to have unofficially withdrawn from a term if each grade earned is either F, I, W, or a combination of these grades for all courses attempted.
The calculation is processed at the end of the term on all students who receive grades of all F, I or W, or a combination of the three at the end of the term. The instructor provides the last educational activity when grades are posted. This is the date we use in the calculation, just like we would in an official withdrawal
situation. If the professor does not provide a date of last attendance, we are required
to use the mid-point of the term. If any federal aid must be returned, an adjustment to the student’s financial aid award(s) will be made on the student’s account. The Financial Aid Office will notify the student of the calculation results
with a letter through the mail.
After the student account is adjusted, the student may owe a balance to Tech. It is
the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the Student Accounts Office for any balance owed to ATU.
