Financial Aid

Withdrawing from Classes

Tuition Refund Policy
Financial Aid Eligibility

Tuition Refund Policy

All changes in registration must be accomplished in accordance with the procedures published in the Course Offerings booklet for that semester. The official registration drop/add period extends five business days into a semester or session. In addition, a twenty-four hour grace period will be provided to students who drop a class that meets for the first time on the final day of the drop/add period. This same twenty-four hour grace period also applies to any class that meets for the first time beyond the five-day drop/add period. If you withdraw from the University or reduce your credit hour load during the drop/add period, you will be granted a full tuition refund for those credit hours.

A withdrawal from courses after the drop/add period may result in a partial refund of tuition charges. See the "Refund Policy" published in the appropriate Course Offerings booklet for details relating to the date of withdrawal and refund percentages. To appeal for a greater refund or possible cancellation of tuition charges, you may complete a Tuition Charge Appeal Form, with supporting documentation, to Accounting Services, 1903 W. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5207. All requests must be made within one year of the semester of the original charges.

Circumstances which warrant an appeal may include medical reasons, university error, death of a close relative or friend, or another significant event that occurred during the semester of withdrawal and had a direct impact on your ability to complete the course(s) from which you withdrew. Supporting documentation is required in order to consider an appeal for approval. A student's reasons for requesting a cancellation of tuition charges vary individually and are evaluated on that basis. Note: An official withdrawal must be processed through the Office of the Registrar prior to requesting cancellation of tuition charges.

Financial Aid Eligibility

If you are a financial aid recipient contemplating a partial or complete withdrawal, it is highly recommended that you discuss your situation with a Financial Services Specialist in Student Financial Aid before you withdraw.

If you are a financial aid recipient and you drop some of your classes during the drop/add period (or indicate you never attended some of your classes), you may lose some or all of your financial aid eligibility.

If you are a financial aid recipient and you drop all of your classes prior to start of the semester (or indicate you never attended), you are no longer eligible for financial aid for that semester. All scholarship, grant and loan payments (and refunds of financial aid) must be returned to Western Michigan University.

If you are a Federal financial aid recipient, and you completely withdraw from all your classes after the beginning of the semester, the law requires that the amount of Federal aid earned up to that point is determined by a specific formula. If you receive more Federal aid than you have earned, the excess Federal aid must be returned. The amount of Federal aid you have earned is determined on a pro-rata basis. That is, if you completed 30 percent of the semester, you earn 30 percent of the Federal aid you received. Once you have completed more than 60 percent of the semester, you earn all of your Federal aid.

In accordance with Federal and State regulations, the financial aid office must also monitor your academic progress on an annual basis (at the end of spring semester). If you withdraw from any of your classes, this may cause you to be in unsatisfactory academic progress for financial aid purposes. Students not meeting these standards of academic progress may lose financial aid eligibility for future semesters. Reinstatement of financial aid may be considered by filing an Academic Progress Appeal or by taking courses during the summer I or summer II sessions to make up any credit hour deficiencies.

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