Calculating Withdrawal Refunds
When students register for courses, the College assumes full-year enrollment, provides facilities, and executes contracts to provide educational services for the entire year. Federally mandated refund calculations apply when students withdraw. When recipients of student financial aid withdraw, refunds must be returned to various financial aid programs as well as the individual student. Students who receive financial aid, and are subject to a refund, might not be eligible for a cash refund. At times, refunds may be reapplied to a loan, thus reducing student indebtedness. Upon withdrawal, any cash refunds due will be processed as quickly as possible, but requires a minimum of 14 days. Refunds are only calculated and based on charges for tuition, fees, room, and board.
No refunds will be made to students unless they withdraw from all courses in which they are registered. Charges and financial aid for students who change from full-time to part-time status during the drop/add period at the beginning of the semester will be revised on that basis. Students may use the first week of the semester to finalize registered courses without incurring additional fees. No refund is given for students who change from full-time to part-time status after the first ten days of the semester. Students defined as part-time who withdraw after the drop/add period will receive refunds under the same policy as full-time students.
For refund purposes, the date of withdrawal is the date that the withdrawal process is initiated, or College personnel are provided with notification of intent to withdraw. The withdrawal date for students who stop attending classes without formally withdrawing is based on the last date of academic activity. If a date cannot be determined, the midpoint of the semester may be used as the date of withdrawal. The act of attending any class for a given semester prior to withdrawing is considered to constitute a requirement for withdrawal calculations. Students who withdraw from all classes or who stop attending classes, but who receive permission to live in the residence hall, will be charged room and board for the time they remain in the residence hall and on a meal plan.
The amount of Title IV and other aid that must be returned to a program source will be calculated and charges will be adjusted by the aid earned in order to determine the total amount for which a student is responsible for payment to the College.
Return of Title IV Funds Calculation
Return of Title IV funds occurs when a student receives federal funds and then officially drops, withdraws or ceases attendance, with or without notifying the school. The amount of unearned Title IV aid must be calculated. This is determined by multiplying the percentage of term (based on calendar days including weekends and holidays) by the Title IV aid received. All types of Federal Aid–including loans–are used in this calculation. College work-study funds which have been earned will not be included. If a student attended more than 60% of the term, no return of funds will be required.
After the amount of Title IV aid to be returned is calculated, a determination of how much must be returned by the institution and how much must be returned by the student will be made. Any funds returned by the institution are credited in the order of loans, (Unsubsidized Stafford, Subsidized Stafford, Perkins, PLUS) Pell Grant, FSEOG Grant and other Title IV aid. If the student has any loans (Stafford and PLUS) which have been used in the calculation, this obligation will be due and payable by the terms of the promissory note. Any grant funds to be returned by the student will be reduced by 50%. For example, if a calculation determines that a student’s grant obligation is $300, the repayment will be $150.
Any return of Title IV funds required by a student must be paid prior to receiving additional financial aid at Maryville College or any other institution. Any funds returned by the institution on the student’s behalf must be repaid by the student to the College prior to receiving grades or attempting to register for subsequent terms. A complete and detailed explanation of this policy, along with examples, is available at the Financial Aid Office.
A copy of the Final Return to Title IV Refund Calculation form may be obtained from the Financial Aid Office for review.
Institutional, State and Outside Funds Refund Calculation
Maryville College follows an institutional policy for reductions to Institutional, State and outside financial aid. Aid will be refunded based on the charge reduction schedule (please refer to the Charge Reduction Policy located on the College website. After 30 calendar days of the scheduled semester start date, there will be no pro-rated Institutional, State, or outside aid determined.
After the refund calculations have been completed, any remaining outstanding charges will be added to the final bill.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) while pursuing a degree in order to receive financial assistance from federal and state programs. These programs include Federal Pell Grant, Federal Direct Loans, Federal Parent PLUS Loan, Federal Work Study, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal TEACH Grant, and the Tennessee Student Assistance Award.
SAP is reviewed at the end of each semester; fall, spring and summer. At each review, students must meet the GPA requirements applicable to their academic standing. Students must also complete at least 66.66% of all classes attempted. Finally, students must complete their degree within 150% of the published program length as stated in this Catalog. Failure to meet these requirements may result in suspension of federal and state financial aid as stated.
Note: Grades of F, I, U, or W are considered attempted but not meeting progress standards for the purposes of financial aid and are counted for SAP.
If SAP is not being met, the following process will be taken. All notifications will be sent to the student’s Maryville College email address and the student’s permanent address as noted on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Financial Aid Warning – Students who fail to meet SAP for the first time (excluding students that have attempted 150% of the credits required for their degree) will be placed in a Warning Status for one term and are expected to meet SAP requirements by the end of the following term of enrollment. Students who fail to meet SAP requirements at the end of the Warning Status will be placed on financial aid suspension.
Financial Aid Suspension – Students who do not meet the terms of their academic plan, the cumulative grade point average standard, and/or Pace will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension. Students on Financial Aid Suspension are not eligible to receive any Title IV Aid as outlined above and all aid will be cancelled for future semesters until the student has regained SAP. Students may appeal this suspension to the Maryville College Appeals Committee.
Financial Aid Probation (appeal approved) – Students who have successfully appealed their financial aid suspension are placed on Financial Aid Probation. Students on Financial Aid Probation are eligible to receive financial aid for one semester, after which they must meet SAP or meet the requirements outlined in their academic plan as approved by the Maryville College Appeals Committee.
Federal regulations allow for certain cases in which the school may waive the standards for satisfactory academic progress. Specifically, if a student fails to be in compliance with one or more of the satisfactory academic progress components due to events beyond the student’s control, such as extended illness, serious illness or death in the immediate family, or other significant trauma, and if such mitigating circumstances can be appropriately documented for the specific term(s) in which the deficiency occurred. Appeals must be made in writing to the Maryville College Financial Aid Office and the student should include appropriate supporting documentation. The appeal should be well presented with attention to spelling and grammar, and it should outline the extenuating circumstances that contributed to the student’s inability to meet SAP standards and what has changed that will allow the student to meet SAP at the next evaluation. A student whose appeal is approved will be required to follow an Academic Plan developed by the Maryville College Financial Aid Office. Failure to successfully complete all conditions during the probationary period (as defined in the academic plan) will result in loss of financial aid eligibility.