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Withdrawal and Financial Aid

According to federal regulations (Higher Education Amendments of 1998, regulation 34 CFR part 668.22), schools must have a written policy for refunding and repaying Federal Title IV aid if a student withdraws during a term for which they received aid. This policy applies when a student completely stops attending classes before completing more than 60% of the term. Federal Title IV aid includes Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Equal Opportunity Grants (SEOG), and Federal Direct Loans. 

Return Of Title IV Funds (R2T4)

Financial aid funds are awarded under the assumption that a student will attend the College for the entire period for which federal assistance was awarded. In the event a student withdraws from all courses for any reason, including medical withdrawals, or stops attending class, the College is required to determine if the student has fully earned the awarded Title IV aid. This is done through the Return of Title IV calculation. Return to Title IV is based upon the premise that students earn their financial aid in proportion to the amount of time in which they are enrolled during the payment period. Up through the 60 percent point in each payment period, a prorated schedule is used to determine the amount of federal student aid funds the student will have "earned" at the time of the withdrawal and the “unearned” funds are returned to the appropriate federal program. After the 60 percent point in the payment period, a student has earned 100 percent of the Title IV funds disbursed. The Return of Title IV Funds calculation applies to all forms of federal student aid including Pell Grants, Federal SEOG, and Direct Loans. 

To determine whether a student’s unearned Title IV aid must be returned, Finger Lakes Community College must determine the student’s withdrawal date. FLCC is not required to take attendance, however, a one-time attendance is taken at census to verify that the student began enrollment in each class. The withdrawal date for R2T4 purposes is the date the student begins the school's official withdrawal process or otherwise provides official notification to the school of withdrawal. If both circumstances occur, the withdrawal date is the earlier of these two dates. If a student does not provide official notification of withdrawal (such as an emergency, or when there are circumstances beyond a student's control), the withdrawal date is the date the school determines is related to the circumstances beyond the student's control or the midpoint of the payment period.

At FLCC, the official grading policy allows faculty to differentiate between those students who complete the course but failed to achieve the course objectives and those students who did not complete the course due to attendance. Students who fail a course due to non-attendance will be assessed an FN grade. A student who receives all FN grades at the end of the semester is considered an unofficial withdrawal and the withdrawal date will be the midpoint of the payment period. 

If an R2T4 calculation determines that there is unearned aid that must be returned, in accordance with federal regulations, the school will return Title IV funds to the programs from which a student received aid during the payment period as applicable, in the following order (up to the net amount disbursed from each source):

  • Federal Direct Subsidized Loan
  • Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
  • Federal PLUS Loan
  • Federal Pell Grant
  • Federal SEOG
  • Other assistance under this Title for which a return of funds is required
  • The student

Earned aid is not related in any way to institutional charges. The College’s refund policy and Return of Title IV Funds procedures are independent of one another. A student who withdraws from a course may be required to return unearned aid and still owe the College for the course. 

If an R2T4 calculation determines that the amount of Title IV aid that a student earned is greater than the total amount of Title IV aid that was disbursed to the student (or on behalf of the student in the case of a PLUS loan), the difference between these amounts will be treated as a post-withdrawal disbursement.  A post-withdrawal grant disbursement payment will be made to the student’s account, and a notification sent by email.

A post-withdrawal of loan eligibility will be communicated to the student via email. Students must accept the loan and notify the College in writing of their interest in receiving the loan within 14 days of the notification. Once the College receives the acceptance, the loan funds will disbursed to the student’s account. Responding after 14 days or not at all will result in forfeiture of the student’s loans for the period of enrollment.

Title IV Overpayments

When an R2T4 calculation is completed, the result may indicate that funds need to be returned to the Department of Education by the school, however, occasionally, an R2T4 calculation may also indicate that the student has received more federal financial aid than they were eligible to receive and the student is responsible for repaying this amount to the Department of Education. When a student is required to repay funds as a result of withdrawal, it's called a Title IV Overpayment. Students who owe funds to a grant program are required to make payment of those funds within 45 days of being notified in writing that they owe this overpayment. During the 45 days, students will remain eligible for Title IV funds. If no positive action is taken by the student within 45 days of being notified, Finger Lakes Community College will notify the U.S. Department of Education of the student’s overpayment situation. The student will no longer be eligible for Title IV funds until they enter into a satisfactory repayment agreement with the U.S. Department of Education.

During the 45-day period, the student can make full payment to FLCC for the overpayment. The College will forward the payment to the U.S. Department of Education and the student will remain eligible for Title IV funds. If a student is unable to pay their overpayment in full, they can set up a repayment plan with the U.S. Department of Education. Before any repayment plan can be set up, the student must contact the FLCC Financial Aid Office to ensure that the situation has been referred to the U.S. Department of Education.

Pell Grant Recalculation

Federal Pell Grant eligibility is based on enrollment status. If a student did not begin attendance in all coursework before withdrawal, a mandatory Pell recalculation must be performed before an R2T4 can be completed. 

Withdrawal When Enrolled in Sessions Shorter than a Full Semester 

Students enrolled in coursework that does not span the entire length of the payment period are considered to be taking modules. Under federal guidelines, a student is considered withdrawn if they do not complete all of the scheduled days in a module that was used to determine their eligibility for federal aid.

However, a student is not considered withdrawn if any of the following criteria are met:

  • The student successfully completes one or more modules that together include at least 49% of the total days in the payment period. Successful completion is defined as earning a grade of A, B, C, D, or S.

  • The student successfully completes coursework that constitutes half-time enrollment, which is defined as six credit hours in a payment period at FLCC. Again, successful completion is defined as earning a grade of A, B, C, D, or S.

  • The student provides written confirmation of intent to return to a later module within the same payment period.

Students who meet at least one of the above criteria are exempt from Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) requirements, and no federal aid adjustments will be made.

FLCC allows students to indicate their intent to return to a later module in writing at the time of withdrawal. This confirmation can be provided on the College’s official withdrawal form, via email, or through a signed written statement. If written confirmation is obtained, the student is not considered withdrawn for federal aid purposes.

If a student provides written confirmation but fails to return for the later module as scheduled, they will be considered withdrawn as of their original withdrawal date.

If a student does not initially confirm future enrollment but returns to a later module within the same payment period, FLCC will treat the student as if they never ceased attendance, and any previous R2T4 calculation will be reversed.

In accordance with federal regulations, FLCC calculates earned and unearned Title IV aid based on the percentage of the payment period completed. This percentage is determined by dividing the number of calendar days the student attended by the total number of calendar days in the payment period (excluding any scheduled breaks of five or more consecutive days).

Tuition Refund Policy

Tuition and fees may be prorated by the Student Accounts Office upon a student's withdrawal. Please refer to the Tuition Refund Policy outlined in the College Catalog under Course Drop and Withdrawal Procedure and Tuition Refund.