Withdrawing from SDSU: Refunds

If you must withdraw from SDSU, refer to the Class Schedule or the Office of the Registrar for withdrawal procedures.

Refunds

Depending on the date you withdraw and how many days you attended classes, you may:

• Be granted a refund of your registration fees.
• Be required to repay some or all of the financial aid you received for that semester.

Federal regulations under Title IV require the university to determine if a refund must be made to the student or if financial aid that has already be disbursed to you must be returned to the federal government accounts. The university’s Refund Policy contains information regarding refunds for Title IV financial aid recipients.

Once you withdraw:

• If you received funds for which you are no longer eligible, the University Bursar will send you an electronic billing notice for the amount you owe.
• If the University Bursar determines that you are eligible for a refund of some or all of your basic tuition and fees or out-of-state tuition, federal regulation requires the refund amount be returned to financial aid accounts.
• Any remaining refund amount will be deposited to your bank account.
• If you borrowed student loans, contact the Loan Servicer as soon as you withdraw to determine when you must begin repaying your loans.

Note: Withdrawing may impact your future aid eligibility (see Grades and Units Affect Aid).

Withdrawing from classes

You could owe for funds that you've already received. 

Withdrawing from classes could also affect the minimum units you are required to complete to remain eligible and continue receiving financial aid.

Refund and Return of Title IV Financial Aid Policies 

Because we administer federal financial aid funds, we must have a written policy regarding financial aid recipients who withdraw or otherwise fail to complete the term for which they received financial aid.  

Federal financial aid is governed by Chapter IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and administered by the U.S. Department of Education. This federal law, also known as Title IV, holds San Diego State University accountable for the funds it disburses. According to regulations, the University must have a written policy regarding Title IV recipients who withdraw or otherwise fail to complete the term for which their financial aid was disbursed. This policy addresses the establishment of a withdrawal date, post-withdrawal disbursements, and the calculation of the amount of funds to be returned to the federal government by San Diego State University and by you, the student.  

The following provides a full explanation of the terms and policies regarding withdrawal, refunds, and repayment.

Date of Withdrawal 

The date of withdrawal is determined by the date the student began the official withdrawal process by notifying Office of the Registrar of their intent to withdraw, or the verifiable date the student attempted to drop all classes, or was administratively withdrawn by the University.  The official withdrawal process begins with the Office of the Registrar; details and forms are available through their website. The SDSU withdrawal policy is available on the Office of the Registrar website, as well as in the Withdrawals section of the University Catalog.

Unofficial Withdrawal 

A student who ceases to attend without officially withdrawing is considered an unofficial withdrawal. In the absence of an official withdrawal date, the midpoint of the semester will be used to calculate earned and unearned Title IV aid. Financial aid recipients who are unofficial withdrawals may reduce or eliminate the amount owed to the University if they can provide documentation of a later withdrawal date.  

According to the University’s grading policy, the WU grade symbol represents “withdrawal unauthorized,” and indicates that an enrolled student did not officially withdraw from the course and also failed to complete course requirements. The WU grade is used when, in the opinion of the instructor, completed assignments or course activities, or both, are insufficient to make normal evaluation of academic performance possible. For the purpose of GPA computation, this symbol is equivalent to an F.

Institutional Refund Policy 

The state refund policy maintains that students must officially drop all classes before the first day of classes for the term in order to receive full financial credit of their registration fees and tuition (if applicable) and a full refund (less an administrative fee). A student who drops all classes on or after the first day of the term up to the 60 percent point of the semester will receive a pro-rata refund of registration fees and tuition (if applicable). If classes are dropped or a student withdraws after the 60 percent point of the semester, there will be no financial refund of fees. Students who are unable to continue a class due to compulsory military service are granted an exception to this policy. Financial Aid students who withdraw prior to the first day of classes are not eligible for any financial aid and will be required to repay any aid received.   

Review the full San Diego State University policy regarding Refund of Tuition and Mandatory Fees, Including Nonresident Tuition.

 

Calculation of Earned and Unearned Title IV Aid 

Both Title IV aid recipients who complete the official withdrawal process or have decided to unofficially withdraw from San Diego State University, will be subject to a pro-rata calculation of earned federal aid based on the withdrawal date and the requisite return of Title IV funds to the appropriate accounts. Responsibility for repayment of these funds will be shared by San Diego State University and the student according to the federal formula for pro-rata refunds of unearned Title IV aid.  

The portion of unearned Title IV funds that the student and San Diego State University must repay is calculated by the Financial Aid Office. The percentage of earned Title IV funds, excluding Federal Work-Study, is based on the number of calendar days you completed before withdrawing, divided by the number of calendar days in the semester. Official breaks in enrollment of five consecutive calendar days or more are excluded from the number of calendar days in the semester. No repayment of Title IV funds will be required for withdrawals occurring after the 60 percent point of the semester. After this point, Title IV aid is considered 100 percent earned.

Post-Withdrawal Disbursements 

A student may be due a post-withdrawal disbursement if the amount of Title IV funds earned is more than the amount disbursed at the time they withdrew.  

If a student has an outstanding balance on their account for current award year charges for tuition, San Diego State University may automatically credit a post-withdrawal disbursement of grant funds to the student’s account. Otherwise, San Diego State University must obtain the student’s written authorization before crediting the post-withdrawal disbursement for other current award year educationally related institutional charges.

Grant Funds: If a student does not have an outstanding balance on their account or the amount of the post-withdrawal disbursement is greater than the balance, San Diego State University must directly deliver any grant portion of the post-withdrawal disbursement to the student within 45 days of the date of the school’s determination the student withdrew. 

Loan Funds: If the post-withdrawal disbursement includes loan funds, San Diego State University may not credit the student’s account and the borrower may not receive the proceeds as a direct disbursement without first notifying the borrower and confirming they still wish to receive the loan disbursement. San Diego State University must send the notification within 30 days of the school’s determination that the student withdrew and allow the borrower at least 14 days to respond. A student may choose to decline some or all the loan proceeds to reduce indebtedness. If no response is received within 14 days of notification, the loan will be canceled.

Treatment of Unearned Title IV Aid 

If the amount of Title IV aid earned is less than the amount disbursed as of the date the student withdrew, the difference is the amount of unearned aid that must be returned to the Title IV programs by San Diego State University, the student, or both.  

The R2T4 formula is designed so all the unearned funds are returned by the school if the student’s institutional charges equal or exceed the amount of Title IV funds disbursed. It is also designed so the institution and the student must each return a share of the funds if the amount of Title IV funds disbursed exceeds the student’s institutional charges.

School Share  

San Diego State University share is determined first and is the lesser of the total amount of unearned aid or an amount equal to institutional charges multiplied by the percentage unearned. The percentage unearned is the complement of the percentage earned.  

San Diego State University must return the Title IV funds for which it is responsible no later than 45 days after the date of the determination of the date of the student's withdrawal.  

San Diego State University is responsible for allocating unearned funds to the Title IV programs from which the student received assistance in the following order, up to the net amount:

Aid will be returned in the following order (as required under regulation):  

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan 
Federal Direct Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan 
Federal Direct PLUS Loan (Graduate Student) 
Federal Direct PLUS Loan (Parent) 
Federal Direct Pell Grant Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

Federal Work-Study funds paid to recipients will not be included in the computation of earned Title IV aid, nor will these funds be refunded to the federal account from which they were paid.

Student Share 

The student’s share is the difference between the total unearned aid and San Diego State University share. San Diego State University must notify the student of any unearned funds for which they are responsible for repaying within 30 days of the date the school determined the student withdrew.  

If unearned grant funds are to be returned, it is referred to as an overpayment. Unearned portions of Title IV grant aid due from you will be repaid to the federal accounts by San Diego State University and will be charged to your student account for collection from you.  

If direct loan funds must be returned, the student must repay the funds according to the terms of the promissory note.

Credit Balances When a Student Withdraws 

San Diego State University must determine the correct Title IV credit balance, taking into account the results from both the Return to Title IV calculation and the institutional refund calculation. If after the Return to Title IV funds and the institutional refund calculations are applied to the student’s account and a credit balance results, the credit balance will be disbursed as soon as possible but no later than 14 days after the date of the Return to Title IV calculation is performed.

Treatment of Non-Title IV Aid 

Recipients of non-Title IV financial aid who withdraw from all their classes prior to the completion of 60 percent of the term will have a prorated portion of the total amount of aid received from those sources applied back to the accounts from which they were awarded. The prorated portion of aid to be credited back will be determined according to the same policy used within the institutional refund policy.

Refunds to the accounts will be made in the following order:  

Cal Grants 
State University Grant (SUG) 
Educational Opportunity Program Grant (EOPG) 

Aid received from private sources external to the University will not be subject to this policy. Also see Student Accounting & Cashiering Services for additional information on refunds.