Withdraw Information

Students receiving financial aid should be aware of the implications that can occur by dropping all classes on or after the earliest start date of classes. These implications may include:

Financial Aid Recalculation (R2T4)

Though your aid is posted to your account at the start of each period, you earn the funds as you complete the period. If you withdraw during your payment period, the amount of Title IV program assistance that you have earned up to that point is determined by a specific formula. If you received (or your school or parent received on your behalf) less assistance than the amount that you earned, you may be able to receive those additional funds. If you received more assistance than you earned, the excess funds must be returned by the school and/or you. For details about how withdrawing could create a balanced owed to the university, please visit https://www.ohio.edu/bursar/withdraw.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

To receive financial aid, you must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). SAP requirements are checked each year at the end of spring semester. Any student who fails to meet one of the requirements will lose all financial aid eligibility. Requirements include maintaining appropriate GPA, successfully completing 67% of all courses attempted, and completing a degree within the required timeframe. For details about SAP requirements, please visit https://www.ohio.edu/financial-aid/applications-deadlines/sap.

Students who withdraw from any or all courses after the end of the add/drop period will negatively impact their completion percentage. The end of the add/drop period for a regular semester course is the 2nd Friday of the semester. Courses with different lengths have varying add/drop dates. For example, if a student enrolls in 12 hours fall semester and successfully completes all 12 hours, the student will have a 100% completion percentage. If that same student enrolls in 12 hours for spring semester and drops all 12 hours, the completion percentage will be 50% at the end of spring semester, making the student ineligible for future financial aid.

Loss of Renewable Scholarships

Some renewable scholarships require students to earn a minimum of 12 or 15 hours each semester in order for the scholarship to be renewed for the subsequent academic year. If you are a scholarship recipient, visit https://sis.ohio.edu/student and select View Financial Aid. Select the name of each scholarship to review specific renewability criteria.

Ineligibility of Scholarships for the Subsequent Year

Undergraduate students are encouraged to complete the Online Scholarship Application for Continuing Students annually from November 1 to February 1. Priority consideration is given to students who have completed 15 hours each semester. Withdrawing from a semester would remove a student from this priority consideration for future scholarships.

Exceeding OHIO Guarantee Expiration

Students on the Athens campus of Ohio University who began as a first-year student in or after 2015 are part of The OHIO Guarantee. The OHIO Guarantee is a cohort based, level-rate tuition, housing, dining, and fee model that assures students and their families a set of comprehensive rates for the pursuit of an undergraduate degree at Ohio University. First year students pay a fixed tuition rate, which remains in effect for four years. If, by withdrawing, you will need more than a total of four consecutive years to complete your degree, your Guarantee rate will expire. After The OHIO Guarantee expires for you, you pay the tuition rate assigned to the cohort that went into effect the year after your initial cohort. For more information, visit https://www.ohio.edu/guarantee.

Impending Loan Repayment

If you withdraw from all courses or drop below half-time enrollment, the six-month grace period before you are required to start repaying your loans will begin. During this period, you will receive repayment information from your loan servicer and be notified of your first payment due date. Payments are usually due monthly. Students who remain enrolled, at least half-time, each semester will not enter into the grace period until they graduate. For more information, visit https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment.