Finances

Refund & Withdrawal Policy

Withdrawal from Champlain College

The process for withdrawing from the College is outlined in the College Catalog.

Students who cease enrollment will have their tuition and fees adjusted according to the applicable Refund Policy published by the College. Students who received financial assistance for their enrollment period will have their financial aid award revised according to federal, institutional, organizational and/or state regulations and/or policies associated with the funding type received.

The withdrawal date recorded on the student’s official College record will be determined by the Registrar’s Office. The student’s official withdrawal date will be determined using the date the student began the withdrawal process by notifying their Student Services Advisor or by providing official notification, verbally or in writing, of their intent to withdraw from the College. The student’s last date of attendance or participation in an academic activity may also be used to determine the official withdrawal date.

An unofficial withdrawal occurs when a student leaves the College without notice or earns a G.P.A. of 0.0 at the end of the semester. For unofficial withdrawals, the student’s last date of attendance in a class or last date of documented participation in an academic activity will be used to determine the official withdrawal date.

Refund Policy

Once registered, students assume the responsibility for the payment of all tuition and fees. If plans change and the student needs to drop a class or withdraw from the College, the proper paperwork must be completed. Students withdrawing from a course, withdrawing from all their courses, or withdrawing from the College must notify their Student Services Advisor.

Tuition

Tuition will be adjusted according to the Tuition Refund Policy outlined below for students who withdraw or are dismissed from the College. For tuition refunds and financial aid refunds, the date of withdrawal is the date determined by the Registrar as outlined above.

All 8-Week, 7-Week & 6-Week Courses*

*For course lengths different than above, refer to Student Accounts for the appropriate withdrawal period and refund based on the length of the course. For courses less than 15 weeks, a week is defined through Friday at 5:00 p.m. EST.

Course Audits

A student may change a course from “credit” to “audit” only during the first 10 days of a semester. Students should be aware that such change will not result in an adjustment in tuition or fees. However, students changing from audit to credit during the 10-day change period will be billed at the full tuition rate.

General

All students should take particular note that tuition charges create a personal liability to the College. Students receiving financial aid should be aware that, although the tuition charges are incurred upon enrollment, a student who withdraws at any point during the year is subject to a reduction in financial aid in accordance with the governing policies of the individual aid program. Thus, a student who withdraws from the College before the financial aid can be fully credited may incur personal liability for unpaid tuition and other related charges. In addition, full-time students should be aware that a change to part-time status during the semester after the add/drop period will not result in a reduction of the semester’s tuition and fees. Before adding or dropping a course or registering for fewer than 12 credits, full-time students should consult with the Financial Aid Office to determine the effect on their financial aid awards, and with the Student Accounts Office to determine the effect on their financial status at the College.

Credit Balance Refund

All credit balances on student accounts resulting from financial aid awards exceeding charges will be refunded in full within 14 days from the date of the credit. Students who do not elect direct deposit will be issued a check.

Return of Federal Title IV Funds

This policy applies to students with federal aid who withdraw or are dismissed prior to completing 60% of the semester. Federal regulations require a specific refund calculation for all students receiving Federal Title IV Financial Aid Funds. This calculation, called the Return of Title IV Funds, determines how much federal funding the student “earned” up to the time of withdrawal. Title IV financial aid is earned in a prorated manner until 60% of the semester is completed. Title IV aid is considered 100% earned after the 60% point of the semester. If the student withdraws on or before the 60% point of the semester a portion of the Federal Title IV funds awarded to a student (Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans, or Federal Direct PLUS Loans) will be returned, if required, in accordance with federal regulations and within 45 days of the date of determination of the student’s withdrawal. The return of these funds may result in the student owing a balance to the College and/or the federal government.

Champlain College is required by these regulations to recalculate federal financial aid eligibility for students who withdraw or are dismissed prior to completing 60% of payment period (semester). When a student receives failing, incomplete or missing grades for a semester, he/she may be considered to have unofficially withdrawn without proper notification. If no GPA is earned for the semester, the student’s record will be reviewed to determine the last date of attendance in class or last date of documented participation in an academic activity will be used to determine the official withdrawal date.

The Return of Federal Title IV funds calculation required in these situations is based on a percentage of the aid earned using the following Federal Return of Title IV funds formula: Percentage of the payment period or semester completed equals the number of days completed up to the withdrawal date divided by the total days in the payment period or semester. Scheduled breaks of more than five consecutive days are excluded. This percentage is also the percentage of earned aid.

Funds are returned to the appropriate federal program based on the percentage of unearned aid using the following formula: Aid to be returned equals (100% of the aid that could be disbursed minus the percentage of earned aid) multiplied by the total amount of aid that could have been disbursed during the payment period or semester.

The required order for the return of Federal Title IV funds to the federal government is as follows:

• Unsubsidized Direct Loans
• Subsidized Direct Loans
• Federal Perkins Loans
• Direct PLUS Loans
• Federal Pell Grants
• Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (FSEOG)

If the student earned less aid than was disbursed, the College would be required to return a portion of the funds and the student may be required to return a portion of the funds. If the student is required to return funds to the federal government, he/she will receive instructions from the College on how to proceed.

A student may be eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement if, prior to withdrawing, the student earned more federal financial aid than was disbursed. If the student is eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement of Title IV funds, the post-withdrawal disbursement must be made to the student’s account as soon as possible but no later than 180 days of the date of determination of the student’s withdrawal. Once credited to the student’s account, a refund will be issued within 14 days for any credit balance.

If the post-withdrawal disbursement includes loan funds, the College will obtain the borrower’s permission before disbursing the loan. Students may choose to decline some or all of the loan funds. A notice regarding the post-withdrawal disbursement will be sent to the sent out to the student and the signed, original document must be returned to the school within 14 days.

The College may automatically use all or a portion of the post-withdrawal disbursement of grant funds for tuition and fees. However, the College is required to obtain the student’s permission to use the post-withdrawal grant disbursement for all other charges.

A student eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement will be notified by the College, in writing, within 30 days of the date of determination of the student’s withdrawal.

The College’s responsibilities regarding Return of Title IV Funds include: providing Return of Title IV Funds information to students, identifying students affected by this requirement, completing the Return of Title IV Funds calculation for those students and returning any Title IV funds that are due to the Title IV programs.

The student’s responsibilities regarding the Return of Title IV Funds include: returning to the Title IV programs any funds that were disbursed directly to the student and for which the student was determined to be ineligible for after the Return of Title IV Funds calculation. If the student received a refund from financial aid used for education-related personal expenses or housing expenses, they may be required to return a portion of these funds to the school. This portion represents funds that were intended to pay for the student’s education related expenses though the end of the semester.