Return of Federal Funds
You are awarded federal aid based on attendance for an academic term and the number of hours you are enrolled. When you do not complete an academic term (withdraw), federal regulations (34 CFR part 668.22) require that Baylor University returns any unearned portion of Federal aid that you received, or may be eligible to receive, based on the number of days attended. Federal aid (also known as Title IV aid) includes the following funds: Federal Direct Subsidized Student Loans, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loans, Direct PLUS Loans, Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOGs), Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants (IASG), and Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarships (CoFH).
All schools must use the same federally mandated formula in determining the amount of aid you have earned, and the amount of aid that you and Baylor are required to return to the financial aid programs. Federal regulations also determine the order of the financial aid programs from which federal funds must be returned. Federal direct loans will be returned first, then federal grants and scholarships. After the 60% point in your enrollment period, all Federal funds will be 100% earned and will not need to be returned.
Official Withdrawals
If you decide to withdraw from Baylor, you are required to complete the online Withdrawal form and notify the Registrar's Office (Online graduate students should contact their school for instructions). The Registrar's Office will notify the Student Financial Aid Office of your withdrawal. You will receive a letter from our office notifying you of any Federal aid that you are eligible to keep or that you may be eligible to receive (in the event you are eligible for but have not yet received the aid at the time of withdrawal). You will need to read this letter carefully and take any action that may be required. Learn more about the University Withdrawal Process.
Unofficial Withdrawals
If you leave the university without following the Official Withdrawal procedure, it will result in an Unofficial Withdrawal and “Failure” of all courses for which you are registered. The process for an Unofficial Withdrawal will start after grades are posted after the last day of classes. If you receive all Failures (F-grade), Incompletes (I-grade), or No Credits (NC-grade), the Student Financial Aid Office will review the grades submitted and process your awarded financial aid accordingly. Grades assigned by your professors will identify if you:
- Never participated in an academically related activity
- Began participation in the course
- Last date of academically related activity reported along with non-passing grade
- Completed all coursework and received a non-passing grade.
If grading is unclear, the Student Financial Aid Office will contact the professors of your courses to determine the last date of attendance (LDA) in an academically related activity. If a date cannot be determined, the midpoint of the semester will be used as the last date of attendance and funds will be returned based on that date. If you were unable to provide notice of an Official Withdrawal yet ceased attending courses due to circumstances beyond your control, Baylor University may use a date related to that circumstance as your last date of attendance. Learn more about the University Late Withdrawal Policy.
Module Course Withdrawals
If you are enrolled in modules, a course/courses in a program that do not span an entire period of enrollment (for example, Summer I and Summer II), you may be required to return Federal funds if you withdraw. In order to keep Federal funds, you must complete at least 49% of days in the full payment period (for example, Summer I and Summer II together); or you must complete coursework equal to or greater than the coursework required for half-time status (6 hours).
Please contact Baylor One Stop if you have questions regarding the impact of your possible withdrawal on your Federal financial aid. Counselors will be able to provide you with an estimate of your adjusted Federal aid based on your expected withdrawal date. Learn more about the University Cancellations/Withdrawal Policies.
Baylor University processes withdrawals within 30 days from the official date of notification and returns Federal funds within 45 days following the Department of Education guidelines.