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Return of Title IV Funds Policy

Federal Financial Aid Return of Title IV Funds Policy

Introduction

Pursuant to federal regulation 668.22, the university is required to calculate a Return of Title IV Funds on all federal financial aid recipients who stop participating and receive a WU grade, withdraw, or drop their last class in a semester on or before they reach the 60 percent attendance point for their semester. CSUSM must return the amount of Title IV funds for which it is responsible as soon as possible but no later than 45 days after we determine a student withdrew.  CSUSM must send a notice to students who owe a Title IV grant overpayment within 30 days of the determination of the reduction in enrollment.  Students who certify their intent to return during the same semester when they withdraw or drop will not require a calculation unless they do not return as scheduled.

Definitions

Title IV Recipient: a student who is receiving Federal Stafford Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal PLUS Loans, Federal Pell Grants or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants.

Semester: Fall, Spring, or Summer.

Period of enrollment: The semester.

Session: a compressed class which is less than 17 weeks in length.

Exclusions from Return of Title IV Funds: includes Federal Work Study, CSUSM, state, and private scholarships and loans.

Withdraw: when a student either formally ends their enrollment in class (es) after the drop period or stops participating and receives a Failure due to Non-Attendance (WU) grade.

Drop: when a student rescinds their enrollment in class(es) either before the class has begun or during the drop period.

The university will determine the amount of federal funds to be returned to the aid programs in accordance with federal requirements.

    1. Students receiving federal financial aid who withdraw, receive a WU or drop from their classes may lose some or all of the aid that has already been disbursed.

    2. Students receiving financial aid who withdraw, receive a WU or drop from their classes may not receive further financial aid disbursements for that semester/period of enrollment unless they are eligible for a post withdrawal disbursement or enroll in additional classes within the same semester.

    3. Students receiving financial aid who owe a debt to the institution based on this calculation are personally responsible for payment of charges.

For information on how dropping or withdrawing affects your financial aid, visit our Types of Financial Aid page.