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Consequences of Withdrawing from a Course

If you withdraw from any course that was paid for through VA funding, the VA requires the school to return the funding directly to them. This will create a balance due to Tri-County that you must pay. If you stop attending due to military service obligations, Tri-County will work with you to identify solutions that will not result in a student debt on the returned portion of VA funding. The VA’s policy is that they funds must be returned for all withdrawals, but it is on the student to reach out to Tri-County to let us know it is due to military service obligations and allow us to help determine the best course of action for the debt.

Federal Aid Recalculations

  • Students who receive Federal Financial Aid and withdraw, officially or unofficially, regardless of circumstances, may fall under the “Return of Title IV Funds Policy” depending on their last date of attendance. Withdrawing from a class or classes can have potential immediate and long-term effects on a student’s financial responsibility and future financial aid eligibility.
  • Withdrawing from a class(es), but still remaining enrolled in other classes during a semester, will not have an immediate financial effect/responsibility on the student. The SAP policy outlined in this Catalog remains in effect and the student could lose future financial aid eligibility through that policy. Students should visit the Financial Aid Office before withdrawing from a class or classes to determine the impact on their financial aid eligibility.
  • If a student does not complete the term of enrollment, Tri-County must adhere to the Federal Title IV Earned Aid Policy. Federal financial aid is reviewed in this process including the Pell Grant, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), and Federal Direct Loans (Student and PLUS loans). This policy is based on time, so students might be eligible to keep a portion of federal financial aid based on the time spent enrolled in courses.
  • Students who complete more than 60% of the semester have earned full financial aid eligibility for that term and no funds would be returned to the Department of Education (ED). This means that for students who do not complete more than 60% of a semester, some of the aid must be returned to ED based on the number of days in attendance. This process typically causes the student to owe a balance. For example, if a student withdraws from all courses five weeks into a 15-week semester, the student is considered to have earned 33% of their received financial aid and did not earn the remaining 67% of the funds. The unearned funds then must be returned to ED and the student would typically owe a balance.
  • If a student owes a repayment to the College, future enrollment/registration will not be allowed until that repayment has been made. Students owing a repayment to ED, cannot receive Federal Financial Aid funds at any college until that repayment has been made.
  • The Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy remains in effect for students who withdraw from some or all courses during a semester and could lose future financial aid eligibility through that policy. Before withdrawing from courses, students are encouraged to visit TC Central (Pendleton Campus, Ruby Hicks Hall) to learn about their options and how withdrawing will affect their federal financial aid eligibility.